Four men have admitted being part of a plot which saw touts collude with staff in Liverpool FC's ticket office to resell passes for games at "significantly inflated prices". Joseph Johnson was one of five men and two women who have been on trial at Liverpool Crown Court accused of being part of the lucrative conspiracy.

Described as a "successful ticket tout", he and his associates were also said to have operated the "Amazon" of his trade from a leased office at a sixth form college. The fraudulent scheme spanned several years and involved the creation of more than 1,000 LFC memberships using fake names and details, potentially generating hundreds of thousands of pounds in profits.

While Johnson had previously denied a total of five charges, his counsel Dominic Thomas asked for his client to be rearraigned today, Thursday. He then pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud by abuse of position and two counts of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation, with Judge David Swinnerton directing the jury to record guilty verdicts against him...