Chelmsford City Council wins case against ticket tout

Visitors to festivals are being warned to beware fraudulent ticket sales after Chelmsford City Council successfully prosecuted a ticket tout operating at the Creamfields festival.

John Paul Jennings was convicted at Colchester Magistrates Court, in his absence, of two charges of breaching a Public Spaces Protection Order at the Creamfields festival, held at Hylands Park this summer.

The Public Spaces Protection Order is in place to control anti-social behaviour that can be caused by ticket touts. The impact unauthorised access of festival goers can have on the public safety of the event.

Jennings was found guilty and fined £500 for each offence. He also had to pay £789.14 costs and £100 victim surcharge, amounting to £1,189.14.

Action to protect consumers

The successful prosecution showed that touting will not be tolerated and that Chelmsford City Council will not hesitate to take action to protect consumers.

The Council’s Public Health & Protection Services team stressed that touting can be aggressive and the tickets can be fake. This often results in members of the public losing money and the disappointment of not being able to access the festival.

To avoid being targeted by fraudsters, festivalgoers should only buy tickets from authorised sources.

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"The Creamfields festival this summer was a great event enjoyed by thousands. Music fans will be thrilled that it will be returning to Hylands Park next year, and we really want to make sure that enjoyment isn’t spoilt by an unscrupulous few. If you buy from a tout, you can never be sure that the tickets you may have paid well over the odds for are genuine – sadly, often they’re not. Please don’t risk losing your money – only buy from the authorised site."

Cllr Rose Moore, Cabinet Member for Greener and Safer Chelmsford

Tickets are on sale for Creamfields South 2023, so please make sure you only purchase them from the authorised site. Find out about how to book tickets here  Creamfields South 2023 | Festival Line up & Info | Ticketmaster UK.