Ed Sheeran ticket tout accused denies involvement

One of two defendants accused of fraudulently buying and reselling event tickets, including Ed Sheeran gigs, denied he was involved in the firm

The husband of a "dishonest" ticket touting firm boss has told a court he had no day-to-day involvement in his wife's business.

Mark Woods of Dickleburgh, Norfolk, is accused of fraudulently selling tickets in wife Maria Chenery-Woods' company, TQ Tickets Ltd.

It sold £6.5m of tickets on secondary sites in two and a half years.

Mr Woods was a director of the firm but said he was not involved in its administration.

Leeds Crown Court heard the firm used multiple identities, some of which were fake, to buy large amounts of tickets.

Tickets for artists such as Ed Sheeran and Little Mix were bought on primary sites, including Ticketmaster, before being re-sold for a profit to secondary ticketing platforms such as Viagogo.

MrWoods is on trial with Mrs Chenery-Wood's sister, Lynda Chenery, 51, also of Dickleburgh, and both have denied three charges of fraudulent trading.

Mr Woods' wife, Maria, who referred to herself as the Ticket Queen, and Lynda Chenery's partner, Paul Douglas, who was known as Ticket Boy, both pleaded guilty to fraudulent trading.

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Mr Woods said he became a director of TQ Tickets Ltd when it was set up as a limited company because Chenery-Woods was bankrupt at the time following a previous business "debacle" and unable to become a director.

He told the court he had "decided to give Maria one last chance" but did not anticipate having any role in the business himself.

Giving evidence on Monday, he told the court she left the family business after the birth of their first child and set up her own firm taking people around the country on coaches for events.

Mr Woods said he "didn't take a great deal of interest" in her business and was "extremely busy" with his own career in sales.

"I knew Maria was running a ticket and travel company, I knew she was involved in that market," he told the court.

"I was perfectly satisfied that there was nothing untoward about what she was doing."

Asked if he received any remuneration as a director, Mr Woods said: "Not a penny, nothing."

During his 2018 tour Ed Sheeran performed 18 concerts at five venues including Wembley Stadium

The defendant told the court his arrest in 2017 was an "absolute bolt out of the blue".

Mr Woods said he believed TQ Tickets Ltd was "a broker that provided tickets and travel for consumers wanting to go to events".

Woods said Chenery-Woods had used his bank cards for the business, and thought they were being used to "pay invoices".

He said: "I knew my cards were being used but I didn't get any summary or update."

The trial continues.