Ticket scalpers sentenced to six years in prison following landmark case
The two british men had made £11 million in profits reselling tickets via their companies, BZZ Limited and Ticket Wiz
Two ticket scalpers have been found guilty of fraud in a landmark case following years of reselling tickets for profit.
The two men, Peter Hunter, 55, and David Thomas Smith, 66, have been sentenced to a combined total of six and a half years in prison for reselling tickets and contravening several ticket platform’s terms and conditions. Hunter and Smith had been providing customers with invalid and/ or overpriced tickets for concerts and entertainment events across the UK from 2010 to 2017, courts heard.
The pair were found guilty earlier this month for fraudulent trading and possession or control of an article for use in fraud, despite having received several warnings before.
Hunter was sentenced to four years, while his associate Smith was given two and a half years in prison.
Judge Khokhar at Leeds Crown court said he took “no pleasure” in handing down the harsh sentences, but felt compelled to do so on behalf of the public’s interest.
The duo’s prison term is an example of ongoing efforts by British and North American regulatory bodies to monitor the fairness of ticket sales.
Last year, US ticket distributor Live Nation admitted to placing tickets directly on resale websites selling them above face value.
