A fraudster who claimed to be a friend of T in the Park organisers and duped people out of more than £10,000 by selling fake wristbands for the festival has been jailed for ten months.
Paul Reidy admitted selling the bands to friends and Facebook contacts that he claimed would allow them to access the festival's VIP area.
He then posed as a security guard to let people in through a staff entrance at the event in Balado, Kinross, last July. One friend who paid £480 for four wristbands was even told that T in the Park organiser Geoff Ellis had given Reidy the tickets to sell.
Reidy was caught when he was spotted allowing people in and he was not part of the security staff. The 23-year-old, of Bathgate, West Lothian, pled guilty at Glasgow Sheriff Court to selling wristbands totalling £10,180.
Passing sentence on Friday, Sheriff Sam Cathcart told him there had been a "considerable amount of planning" and custody was the only appropriate sentence.
After selling a number of fake wristbands and before posing as security at the music festival, Reidy was caught and arrested at the Fort Shopping Centre in Glasgow's east end.
He admitted to officers that he had been selling wristbands to people who already had tickets for the festival, telling them the bands would allow them to access the VIP area.
Reidy said he planned to allow those with the fake wristbands to pass through security while posing as a guard.
Defence lawyer Peter Mullin told the court Reidy had had the "worst year of his life" and lost a lot of friends because of the fraud.
Mr Mullin said he was unlikely to repeat this type of offence again and described it as an "isolated incident".
Original Source: http://news.stv.tv/tayside/230242-fraudster-paul-reidy-forged-fake-t-in-the-park-vip-wristbands/
Paul Reidy admitted selling the bands to friends and Facebook contacts that he claimed would allow them to access the festival's VIP area.
He then posed as a security guard to let people in through a staff entrance at the event in Balado, Kinross, last July. One friend who paid £480 for four wristbands was even told that T in the Park organiser Geoff Ellis had given Reidy the tickets to sell.
Fake Wristbands which are Seized
Reidy was caught when he was spotted allowing people in and he was not part of the security staff. The 23-year-old, of Bathgate, West Lothian, pled guilty at Glasgow Sheriff Court to selling wristbands totalling £10,180.
Passing sentence on Friday, Sheriff Sam Cathcart told him there had been a "considerable amount of planning" and custody was the only appropriate sentence.
After selling a number of fake wristbands and before posing as security at the music festival, Reidy was caught and arrested at the Fort Shopping Centre in Glasgow's east end.
He admitted to officers that he had been selling wristbands to people who already had tickets for the festival, telling them the bands would allow them to access the VIP area.
Reidy said he planned to allow those with the fake wristbands to pass through security while posing as a guard.
Defence lawyer Peter Mullin told the court Reidy had had the "worst year of his life" and lost a lot of friends because of the fraud.
Mr Mullin said he was unlikely to repeat this type of offence again and described it as an "isolated incident".
Original Source: http://news.stv.tv/tayside/230242-fraudster-paul-reidy-forged-fake-t-in-the-park-vip-wristbands/
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