A woman from East Pennard has been fined after conning a grieving widower out of more than £670 for fake Glastonbury Festival tickets.

Holly Griffin, 35, pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation at Salisbury Magistrates' Court after selling non-existent tickets to Paul Kelly, who had been hoping the festival would help him cope with the loss of his wife.

The court heard that Mr Kelly paid Griffin £672.50 for three Glastonbury tickets, spending additional money on a camping pitch, refreshments, and supplies in preparation for the event. However, Griffin knew the tickets did not exist months before the 2023 festival took place, prosecutors said.

Living just three miles from the festival site, Griffin had been entitled to free local tickets but only received two instead of the six she had hoped for. Despite this, she continued to assure Mr Kelly he would receive the tickets and maintained contact with him for several months, sending what the court described as "flirtatious messages" while fully aware she could not deliver the tickets.

It wasn't until the eve of the 2023 festival that Mr Kelly realised he had been scammed.

Prosecutor Kerry Richardson told the court that Griffin had knowingly misled Mr Kelly from the start, continuing contact even after realising she couldn't supply the tickets.

Mr Kelly, in a statement read in court, explained how he had hoped attending Glastonbury would help him reconnect with others following the death of his wife in 2021. He shared that the experience had left him feeling ashamed and struggling to trust people.

Griffin told the court she had avoided telling Mr Kelly the truth because she "didn't want conflict" and admitted she had "buried her head in the sand" instead of being honest when she realised she couldn't provide the tickets.

District Judge Timothy Pattinson acknowledged Griffin's remorse but highlighted the serious breach of trust, ordering her to pay a £200 fine and £750 in compensation to Mr Kelly.