Singapore jails Chinese national for Taylor Swift concert chicanery

Wu Zhihong, 54, tried to trick security officers into believing that 20-year-old Yan Shuqing had a valid concert ticket.

He then helped distract a security officer while Yan followed a concertgoer passing through a turnstile gate in front of him at the National Stadium on March 7.

However, Yan was caught and promptly escorted out.

Wu, a Chinese national, pleaded guilty to one count of intending to cheat security officers into believing that Yan had a valid concert ticket, so that the officers would allow the younger man to enter.

American pop star Taylor Swift performed six concerts at the National Stadium within the Singapore Sports Hub as part of her The Eras Tour in early March.

The highly sought-after concert tickets were sold out within eight hours of their release, and more than 368,000 people went to the Singapore Sports Hub between March 2 and March 9, mostly to attend the concerts.

Concertgoers were required to undergo two security checks before entering the National Stadium. These were a person check and a turnstile gate where they would have to scan their tickets.

The court heard that Yan searched for re-sold Singapore Eras Tour tickets and came across an offer to purchase a ticket for 3,000 yuan (US$417). Yan was told to arrive at the National Stadium before that start of the concert on March 7 and that someone would help him through the gates.

Yan transferred the money. As part of the arrangement, he met Wu at about 3.50pm on March 7 around the Singapore Sports Hub. There, Wu handed Yan a lanyard and a Taylor Swift poster.

They later passed through the person check, and Wu handed Yan a lanyard with “VIP” and “Taylor Swift The Eras Tour” attached to a card.

“The lanyard was genuine official event merchandise which was