Norfolk touts who made fortune reselling Ed Sheeran tickets must pay back £3m

Tickets for shows including those of Ed Sheeran were resold at a huge profit to the pair Credit: PA Images

A couple who made a fortune through a scam reselling tickets to leading acts like Ed Sheeran, Lady Gaga and Gary Barlow have been ordered to pay back nearly £3 million within three months or face more jail time.

Maria Chenery-Woods and her husband Mark Woods, both of of Dickleburgh, Norfolk, were sentenced in 2024 for their involvement in the multi-million pound scam.

Ed Sheeran's team welcomed the news of their conviction at the time.

Now a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing has ruled the pair must pay more than £2.9 million or face further sentences.

Financial investigators at the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit (YHROCU) found that together they made nearly £10million profit, which must be repaid in full.

They resold tickets to acts including Liam Gallagher, Paul Weller and Little Mix.

Lady Gaga was another of the stars whose tickets were sold illegally by the touts. Credit: PA images

Chenery-Woods was jailed for four years in 2024 and disqualified from being a company director for 10 years, while Woods was given a two-year suspended sentence and disqualified from being a company director for four years.

He was also ordered to undertake 250 hours of unpaid work and subjected to an electronic curfew for four months.

This followed an investigation by National Trading Standards’s eCrime Team, which is hosted by North Yorkshire Council and City of York Council.

They found the pair used multiple deceitful and fraudulent tactics to acquire tickets from reputable sellers including Ticketmaster, Eventim, SEE Tickets and ACS.

They used fake identities to resell the tickets at significantly higher prices on secondary ticketing sites such as Viagogo, Seatwave, Stubhub and Getmein.

The following Confiscation Orders were made at Leeds Crown Court earlier this month.

Maria Chenery-Woods, 56, was ordered to pay £995,278.08 within three months or face a further four years in prison. She is subject to a benefit figure of £7,842,799.35 which will remain a debt until paid in full

Mark Woods, 61, must pay £1,972,552.17 within three months or face seven years and six months in prison. He is subject to a benefit figure of £1,972,552.17 which will remain a debt until paid in full.

Det Chief Insp Jon Hodgeon said: “Following their sentencing, our financial investigators stepped in and conducted a detailed analysis of the money made by Woods and Chenery-Woods. It found that, together, they benefited to the tune of many millions of pounds.

“This was all done by using dishonest tactics to exploit people, so I am pleased that they have now been ordered to repay this money or face more jail time.

“The YHROCU will relentlessly pursue offenders using all available powers.”

Mike Andrews, National Coordinator, National Trading Standards eCrime Team, said: “The husband and wife duo behind this fraud deliberately exploited fans’ trust and passion for live events – particularly live music concerts – to line their pockets to the tune of £10 million.

“I would urge anyone concerned that a sale may be fraudulent to report it to the Citizens Advice consumer helpline by calling 0808 223 1133.”

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