Barton man jailed for six years after investigation into elaborate rugby ticket scam

A man from Barton-le-Clay has been jailed for six years his role in an elaborate international rugby ticket fraud scam which made more than £1.8m.

Jermaine Daley, 40 and from Washbrook Close, was one of nine people who were arrested after an investigation by the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU).

The arrests were made following a number of reports of people purchasing corporate hospitality tickets for international matches at Twickenham Stadium, only for the booking later to be cancelled with no refund made.

More than 100 reports of fraud were made to the police with known victims losing almost £1m as a result of the scam.

The fraudsters were found to have made over £1.8m through their crimes when police examined bank accounts for the companies used to sell the tickets.

Daley was jailed for six years for conspiracy to commit fraud and three-and-a-half years in jail for money laundering, which he will serve concurrently.

Detective Inspector Mhairi Shurmer, from ERSOU’s regional fraud investigation unit, said: “I’m really pleased that justice has been done today and that three of the men involved in this complex fraud have been jailed.

“This elaborate scam saw hard-working people conned out of their money for international rugby tickets which quite simply didn’t exist.

Det Insp Shurmer continued: “Thanks to the hard work and dedication of our officers, we were able to untangle this web of lies and deceit and ensure that they are now punished for their actions.

“Our attention now turns to the Proceeds of Crime Act investigation that we have launched, in order to recover their ill-gotten gains and return it to its rightful owners.”

Det Insp Shurmer added: “With the Commonwealth Games officially opening yesterday and ahead of the Euros Final on Sunday, I’d remind people to only ever buy tickets from a genuine retailer, and visit the Action Fraud website to find out more on how you can protect yourself from becoming a victim of this type of crime.”

Angus Bujalski, director of legal and governance from the Rugby Football Union (RFU), explained that rugby fans should always buy tickets through official sources such as EnglandRugby.com to ensure they are buying genuine tickets, rather than paying inflated prices or being sold false tickets.

Mr Bujalski said: “The RFU takes the issue of unauthorised and fraudulent selling very seriously and is doing everything in its power to stop unofficial ticket sales which are against the interest of the game. The introduction of digital ticketing in the last year has made tracking suspicious ticket activity far easier to monitor and act upon.

Mr Bujalski added: “All money that the RFU raises is reinvested into community and professional rugby and this should be protected rather than providing an illegal income for those who are selling fraudulent tickets or trading tickets unlawfully at inflated prices.”

Two more men who were involved were also jailed with four other people receiving suspended jail sentences and are to complete unpaid work for their roles in money laundering.

The final two men will be sentenced in August.