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Norfolk Couple Ordered to Repay £3 Million Over Ed Sheeran Ticket Touting Fraud
A Norfolk couple convicted for running a large-scale ticket touting fraud involving high-profile concert tickets — including those for Ed Sheeran — has been ordered to repay nearly £3 million or risk further jail time.
Maria Chenery-Woods (56) and her husband Mark Woods (61), both from Dickleburgh, were sentenced in 2024 following a long investigation into their ticket resale business, TQ Tickets Ltd. At a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing at Leeds Crown Court, the judge ruled the pair must repay the bulk of their ill-gotten gains from the operation.
Under the order:
• Maria Chenery-Woods must repay £995,279 within the next three months or face an additional four years in jail.
• Mark Woods is required to pay £2 million by April 2026, or he could be sent to prison for up to seven years and six months.
Fraudulent Scheme Targeted Fans of Big Artists
Prosecutors revealed the couple used dozens of fake and real identities to buy large quantities of tickets from primary sellers such as Ticketmaster, Eventim and ACS, which they then resold on secondary platforms like Viagogo, Seatwave, StubHub and GetMeIn at massively inflated prices.
Investigators from the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit (YHROCU) found that the fraud generated profits of over £9.8 million, which must now be repaid under the court’s confiscation order.
During the original trial, jurors heard that the business had targeted tickets not just for Ed Sheeran — one of the UK’s best-selling artists — but also for other major acts including Lady Gaga.
Background and Wider Industry Impact
In 2024, Maria Chenery-Woods received a four-year prison sentence for her role in the scam, while Mark Woods was given a suspended sentence, an electronically monitored curfew and community service.
National Trading Standards and financial crime investigators welcomed the latest ruling, saying it sends a strong message that “crime does not pay” and highlights ongoing efforts to deter large-scale ticket touting that exploits genuine music fans.
This case follows earlier high-profile prosecutions of ticket touts in the UK, reflecting growing legal scrutiny of the secondary ticketing market and its impact on consumers.
Attached is a news article regarding a couple found guilty of ticket touting and fined 3 million
https://www.rocu.police.uk/news/2025/ticket-tout-couple-must-pay-back-almost-3-million-or-face-jail/
Article written and configured by Christopher Stanley
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