Sheeran Singapore Scalpers Sentenced

Three tourists have reportedly been sentenced to four weeks imprisonment in Singapore for using fake concert passes to enter Ed Sheeran concerts that took place in the city-state in November. 

Owen Sweeney – Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran plays the first of two sold-out shows at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia July 11.

Two are from New Zealand and one is British, according to Yahoo News.

The three pleaded guilty to one count of fraud for using the forged passes, which were supposedly issued by the concert’s organizer, AEG Presents Asia.

They used the passes to attend concerts that took place Nov. 11-12 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. Tickets to both shows sold out within an hour of going on sale.

Two of the tourists were friends and said they obtained the fake passes from “unknown persons” outside the stadium before the Nov. 12 concert. Apparently, they planned to use the passes to “bring other people into the venue for free.” They managed to get seven people through the doors without being stopped by security.

Yahoo says that these people paid the pair a total of S$1,050 ($780) to sneak them in. They were eventually caught by stadium staff who called the police. One of the suspects came to Singapore in October with the intention of dealing in Ed Sheeran tickets for profit in cahoots with another man who is expected to be charged soon. A third man involved in the deal has already been charged but is still under investigation.

The prosecution asked for four weeks in jail for the three men, saying that the crimes were “premeditated and that the security of the venue was compromised as the people brought in were not checked.” All three apologized to the court. According to Singapore law, each could have faced up to four years in jail and a fine.