Bestival Ticket Fraudster Jailed

A 19-year-old man who sold invalid tickets for the 2015 edition of British festival Bestival was sentenced to 21 months in an institution for young offenders.


Sion Roe
– Bestival 2016

Benjamin Hyland-Ward reportedly sold some 375 tickets, all void, making around £60,000. People complained, and after what Sussex Police described as a “a long and complex investigation involving a large number of people,” Hyland-Ward was charged with nine counts of fraud by false representation at Lewes Crown Court on Dec. 12.

He pleaded guilty and received his sentence Jan. 20. Bestival takes place each year in September on the Isle of Wight. The upcoming edition takes place Sept. 7-10, with the lineup yet to be announced.