SIMPLE MINDS - SIMPLE MINDS STAR'S BROTHER IN TICKET SWINDLE

SIMPLE MINDS STAR'S BROTHER IN TICKET SWINDLE

The brother of SIMPLE MINDS star JIM KERR has gone on the run after allegedly conning Scottish music festival fans out of thousands of pounds in a cruel ticket swindle. PAUL KERR stands accused of pledging tickets to music lovers desperate to get into the sold-out T in the Park Festival in Kinross this weekend (08-09JUL06), after first demanding GBP110 ($198) each for the passes. He promised to hand over the tickets on Wednesday (06JUL06) but never showed up. In total, he collected more than GBP5,000 ($9,000) before fleeing his Glasgow home. One of Kerr's victims, TONY CROCKWELL, told of his misery, saying, "For me, it's not about the money. It's the fact he has ripped off all these young people for the sake of a quick buck. "I'm sick to the stomach. It was terrible having to tell people there was never any tickets." Posing as a top promoter, and boasting of his sibling's rock credentials, Kerr also claimed he worked for DF Concerts, the company behind the festival's promotion. However, a spokesman for the event, which boasts headliners FRANZ FERDINAND, THE WHO, THE STROKES and PRIMAL SCREAM, vehemently denies Kerr's T in the Park connections. He says, "Paul Kerr is not employed - and has never been employed - by DF Concerts."