THE licensee of The Golden Cross pub on Unicorn Hill has been fined £679 after being caught without a TV licence.

Ian Bullock was fined £440 in his absence for the offence of using a TV without a licence on the business premises.

He was also ordered to pay £195 costs and a £44 victim surcharge following a magistrate’s review of the case on November 20 at Leamington Spa Magistrates’ Court.

Mark Whitehouse, TV licensing spokesman for the West Midlands, said: “We appreciate these are tough times for businesses, but to be fair to the majority who do pay the licence fee, we have to take action against those who watch TV illegally. As our survey shows, those businesses who do try to get away with it might find the price of being caught to be higher than just a fine.

“We’d rather businesses think ahead and check if they need a licence than risk being prosecuted. A licence costs £147 and can be bought in minutes online at tvlicensing.co.uk/businessinfo.”