Touting Firm Staff Ridiculed Exploited Customers, Court Hears in Trial
A court trial revealed that employees at TQ Tickets Ltd., a ticket touting firm, derisively mocked customers they exploited by reselling tickets to sold-out events at inflated prices. Mark Woods, 59, and Lynda Chenery, 51, from Dickleburgh, Norfolk, face three counts of fraudulent trading, while their spouses have admitted to the offenses.
Prosecutors disclosed that TQ Tickets used various identities to purchase tickets for popular events like “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” and concerts by artists such as Ed Sheeran and Little Mix. The scheme involved reselling these tickets on secondary sales sites at significantly higher prices, exploiting music lovers for over £6.5 million.
Messages presented in court between Paul Douglas, who admitted to fraudulent trading, and Lynda Chenery displayed disdain for customers. Douglas referred to a buyer of two tickets for the Harry Potter West End show at £535 each as “another idiot,” with the face value being around £130. Chenery responded, “Plenty of them, it seems.”
Prosecutor Jonathan Sandiford KC described the firm’s motivation as “greed and dishonesty,” emphasising their exploitation of customers for profit and characterising it as a rip-off.
The court heard instances of “speculative listing” where TQ Tickets sold tickets on secondary platforms before sourcing them, including Ed Sheeran tour tickets in 2017. Tactics involved using multiple identities and engaging in practices to secure tickets once they were available.
The jury was informed that Stuart Galbraith, Ed Sheeran’s promoter, would provide a statement affirming a strict pricing policy during the tour. Despite this policy, TQ Tickets sold dozens of tickets at prices averaging more than double the face value.
Jurors were reminded that Chenery-Woods and Douglas, partners of the accused, had already pleaded guilty, establishing the existence of the fraudulent scheme. The trial continues, shedding light on the manipulative practices employed by TQ Tickets Ltd.
