An unlawful TV service known as “dodgy box”, operated by a Kildare resident, has been discontinued following his release on bail, according to a report from a Naas court. Ciaran Donovan, a 41 year old married man with two children from Ashfield, Co. Kildare, admitted in July to laundering significant sums from an illicit sale process connected to an app related to the King Kong Media illegal streaming service between January 2016 and March 2022.
Despite Donovan entering a plea and being released on bail pending sentencing, the unlawful service, used by thousands, remained accessible. His bail was nullified in April and he was held in custody by Circuit Criminal Court Judge Martin Baxter due to the persisting availability of the illicit service.
Following a recommendation from the prosecution that Donovan be given bail for a week to enable the service’s discontinuation, he was set free last week. Prosecutor Seoirse Ó Dúnlaing confirmed in court on Wednesday that the service had been terminated, making “King Kong Media” inaccessible to its subscribers.
Counsel for Mr. Donovan, Desmond Hayes, urged continued bail for his client acknowledging his assistance in disabling the service. Judge Baxter noted Donovan’s admission to serious offences and the delay is discontinuing the service during his previous bail term this year. Notwithstanding, she decided to extend his bail to July 12th, which is the anticipated sentencing date.
There was a report that Donovan will plead on June 5th in District Court regarding new related charges arising from the continued operation of the illicit service while on bail for the charges in Circuit Criminal Court. It has come to the court’s attention that a possibly UK-based criminal group has devised a system for illegal access to numerous TV subscription channels, with Donovan playing a part in giving access to this service to those within the country who paid around €70 annually.
Upon his discharge from detention the previous week, it was mandated that Mr Donovan consents to engage with a delegate from Sky TV and a representative from An Garda Síochána to surrender specific codes and URL particulars. The court was informed that Sky and BT Sports, among other television providers, have suffered significant financial damage due to the unlawful operations of King Kong Media.