Lynda Chenery and Mark Woods were found guilty on Wednesday (March 13) of fraudulent activity over their involvement in “dishonest” Norfolk-based touting firm TQ Tickets Ltd, which sold tickets worth more than £6.5 million on secondary ticketing sites in two-and-a-half years.
Maria Chenery-Woods – who is Woods’s wife and Chenery’s sister – and Chenery’s ex-husband Paul Douglas pleaded guilty to the offences at an earlier hearing.
Leeds Crown Court heard TQ Tickets used multiple identities, some fake, to buy large numbers of tickets for high profile music events such as Ed Sheeran, Lady Gaga and Little Mix concerts on primary sites, including Ticketmaster.
The firm would then resell the tickets – often at vastly inflated prices – on secondary ticketing platforms such as Viagogo.
Investigators at the National Trading Standards eCrime Team based at City of York Council and North Yorkshire Council led the proceedings which were the latest in a series of prosecutions against secondary ticketing touts.
During the trial the jury heard statements from Mr Sheeran’s manager Stuart Camp and promoter Stuart Galbraith, who described the “extensive measures” they went to as they tried to prevent the re-selling of tickets at inflated prices for the singer’s 2018 UK stadium tour.
Verdict ‘good news for live music fans’ – Ed Sheeran’s promoter
Following the verdicts, Mr Galbraith said: “Today’s verdict is good news for live music fans, who are too often ripped off and exploited by greedy ticket touts.”
Mr Camp said: “Ed Sheeran’s 2018 summer stadium tour was when we really took a stand against online ticket touts. The low point for me had been one of his earlier Teenage Cancer Trust concerts, where tickets were listed on Viagogo for thousands of pounds, but with none of the money going to charity.
“Today’s prosecution will help protect music fans and sets an important precedent in the live entertainment industry that I hope will be celebrated by live music fans.”
Cllr Greg White, North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for managing our environment, said: “This case has been long and difficult to bring, partly due to Covid, and also because of its complexity, but the team have proved that National Trading Standards won’t give up until the job is done to ensure the public are protected.”
Cllr Jenny Kent, executive member at City of York Council, added: “Touts who exploit consumers, and the systems put in place to protect their hard-earned money, won’t escape our tenacious investigators.
“We are delighted to have contributed to the fight against secondary ticketing and hope it supports ongoing efforts to better regulate this market.”
Chenery, 51, and Woods, 59, both of Dickleburgh, near Diss, Norfolk, were found guilty of three counts of fraudulent trading.
Chenery-Woods, 54, also of Dickleburgh, and Douglas, 56, of Pulham Market, Norfolk, admitted the same offences.
All four defendants will now be sentenced at a later date.
