The cost of watching top flight football in England and Scotland is extremely dear, but even with this in mind, it seems as though there is a high level of demand for tickets to see the big games. The prices in Scotland are relatively cheaper than the price of big match tickets in Scotland but when you think about the levels of quality in both countries, it is clear that fans on both sides of the border are paying a heavy price to go and see their favourite team. This is why many people are no longer able to afford to buy a season ticket to follow their favourite team, but this just means that there is a greater level of demand for people to go and buy individual tickets for these games.
Football matches, much like individual gigs and special events, have experienced in a rise in secondary ticket sales. This is where people who are unable to make the game are able to pass their tickets on to other fans for a fair and reasonable price. Of course, this is how the experience is supposed to work but in reality, it is a way for people to sell tickets at an inflated price. There is also the fact that people have caught on the fact that there is a high level of demand for these tickets, and have started producing fake tickets to sell on these games.
Fake tickets are part and parcel of the game…or so it seems
It is not as if there is anything new about people producing fake tickets. There have been plenty of people who have produced fake tickets over the years to get into games themselves or to make a profit for themselves. 그러나, with many clubs backing these secondary ticket sites, there is an added air of legitimacy to these ticket sales. Add this to the use of social media sites to promote the sale of these tickets and there creates a situation where fake ticket sales can look very genuine. When you also take on board the fact that many people are desperate to see the big games and you have a situation where it becomes very easy to undertake fraudulent activity of this nature.
This has led to a situation where 11 people have been sentenced after creating a plot to sell a high volume of match tickets. The conspiracy to sell hundreds of fraudulent match tickets for Liverpool FC games was led by Craig O’Donohue and Paul Murgatroyd. The two ring leaders were punished heavily with both men being sent to prison. O’Donohue was sentenced to four years in jail while Murgatroyd was sentenced to three years and six months in jail. This came after both men being convicted of a conspiracy to commit fraud and to undertake money laundering. There were also 9 other people involved in the scam with these people being sentenced at the Crown Court in Liverpool.
This is a cruel fraud to be victim of
A lot of the people who were victims of the scam actually received tickets only to turn up at the game and then be turned away because the tickets weren’t valid. Other people were victims of fraud due to the fact that they never received tickets in the post. This line of fraudulent activity was uncovered back in April of 2015 when police gained access to a property in the Anfield area of Liverpool. During this search the police uncovered equipment that was being used to produce fake tickets.
The volume of people involved with this crime indicates that it was a massive activity that required a lot of people to get involved with the process. Clearly not everyone involved with the fraudulent activity was involved at the same level, but anyone who did have a part to play in this activity was punished in an appropriate manner.
The fact that so many people can be involved with this style of crime means that defence solicitors need to focus on the individual needs of their client. They have to make sure that their client receives a fair punishment in line with their activities. It would be wrong for everyone involved in the activity to be punished in the same manner but if found guilty; there is clearly a need for appropriate punishment to be handed out to the people involved with the activity.
Andrew Reilly is a freelance writer with a focus on news stories and consumer interest articles. He has been writing professionally for 9 years but has been writing for as long as he can care to remember. When Andrew isn’t sat behind a laptop or researching a story, he will be found watching a gig or a game of football.
