Two men have been found guilty of selling television devices which allowed customers to stream subscription material for free.

Thomas Tewelde, from Acton, and Mohamed Abdou of Kings Cross, both London, were caught selling modified Kodi boxes at Bovingdon Market in July 2017.

Kodi boxes are legal, and users are able to buy a box and watch free content.

But it becomes illegal when a box is used to stream subscription channels for free.

Some boxes are being modified to access paid content channels using third-party plug-ins, illegally allowing people to watch the shows without paying.

The trading standards team at Hertfordshire County Council went undercover to buy a box from Tewelde and Abdou, and filmed their purchase.

The jury at St Albans Crown Court were shown this footage.

The jury unanimously came to the decision the pair had encouraged consumers to obtain services dishonestly, contrary to the Serious Crime Act 2007 and the Fraud Act 2006.

On January 31, jurors also found the pair guilty of failing in their duty of care to ensure that the boxes were electrically safe, after tests commissioned by Hertfordshire Trading Standards revealed a number of safety issues.

They will be sentenced on February 28 at St Albans Crown Court.

Terry Hone, cabinet member for community safety, said: "We’re keen to support the growth of the creative industries which is significant in Hertfordshire. The sale of these boxes, allowing free access to copyrighted material, puts this industry and Hertfordshire jobs at risk.

"People who are buying these boxes may not be aware that they too could be committing a serious act of fraud as well as the associated risk of buying a box, which may not have been subject to safety checks, as in this case. If the deal appears too good to be true it likely is."

Kieron Sharp, chief executive of the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT), added: "The message is very clear; if you sell a device that provides access to content that is not licensed or owned by you, you will face a criminal conviction and we thank Hertfordshire Trading Standards for their work on this case."