Ed Sheeran ticket scammer in court
Liam McMahon, who has already served a 28-month jail term for similar frauds, and for possessing indecent images, targeted fans desperate to see acts and festivals.
Some victims sent off up to £350 but never received tickets.
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Hide AdMcMahon, 31, now of Foster Street, Oldham, admitted 26 counts of fraud by false representation amounting to around £4,000. He masterminded 20 of them from Preston.
McMahon, also known as Tobia Elba Liam, also pleaded guilty to seven breaches of a sexual harm prevention order relating to telling police about his address, passport, bank accounts, and a name change.
McMahon was given the order a few years ago after a United States child protection team alerted police that images had been downloaded on his computer at an address in London.
One ticket trade website, Scarlet Mist, previously said in a post they had been aware of his activities since 2006 and even received an e-mail from him saying: “ I’m the idiot who has been plaguing you site with fraud, and I’m formally apologising to you all.
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Hide AdVictim Alannis Beecroft, 19, who was studying an apprenticeship, told the Post she handed over £160 for tickets to the Download music festival.
She said: “I bought a ticket from him in May 2016 for £160 and then found out a couple of days later that he was a scam artist. I found out from a buy swap or sell page where he was advertising the tickets!
“I was pretty annoyed and upset that I trusted this stranger and he lied to me. I was an apprentice at the time so £160 was a lot of money.
“I had to fork out a further £225 for an actual ticket which left me very short for the actual festival.”
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Hide AdLucy Hailstones, was stung when he posed as a woman. She added: “He was selling tickets to Ed Sheeran under the name of Jenny Paton.”
Judge Philip Parry, at Preston Crown Court, adjourned his sentencing until February 1.