A pub landlord has hit out at “wasted public money” after winning a battle against his conviction for illegally screening Premier League football matches using a European TV decoder.

Licensee Eddie Geater and manager Angela Briscoe were facing fines and Court costs of £17,014 for using a cheaper decoder at The Bold Privateer in Wrose Road, Wrose, Shipley.

Mr Geater, who runs eight pubs in the Bradford district, was also convicted of dishonestly receiving television transmission at The Branch in Bradford Road, Shipley.

The licensee repeatedly denied using an illegal satellite system, insisting the pub was using a foreign decoder instead of paying the fees charged by Sky.

Using foreign systems to screen football is not illegal following a landmark ruling by the European Courts of Justice last year.

Mr Geater could not produce evidence showing he was using a European decoder when he and Mrs Briscoe were convicted at Bradford Magistrates’ Court in November but he showed the evidence at the appeal at Bradford Crown Court.

Yesterday, he hit out at the prosecution brought by the private Federation Against Copyright Theft (Fact) organisation.

Mr Geater said: “Legal costs at the magistrates court alone were about £3,000 to be paid out of public money and in the crown court it would have been three times as much. I would think the ballpark cost would have been about £20,000 – it is a waste of money.”

He said he would have been able to provide the evidence needed to acquit himself and his manager earlier but he had suffered two heart attacks. His business also went into liquidation and all his documents were put in the hands of the receivers.

He later retrieved them and produced them at court.

Mr Geater said: “The appeal judge put it succinctly when he said the prosecution was a complete waste of time. He said there was not even a case to answer.”

Mrs Briscoe said: “We were taken to court for apparently showing illegal Sky Sports when it was not illegal at all.

“I feel fantastic about this decision. I do not think they should be trying to charge and convict us when we have done nothing wrong at all.”

Eddy Leviton, a spokesman for Fact, confirmed that it had not contested the appeal.

However, he said: “We continue to take action on behalf of Sky against premises that continue to break the law."