For years, friends of Miles Hart believed he had unusual access and a talent for securing things most people struggled to obtain. The former Millfield School pupil was known for last-minute trips, lavish gestures and persuasive explanations. His reputation helped him sell what appeared to be legitimate Glastonbury Festival tickets, hospitality wristbands and VIP Access All Areas passes. By 2024, buyers around the world had sent him close to £1m. As the festival approached, the promised tickets failed to materialise and Hart, now 27, vanished.
A Reputation Built on Access and Extravagance
Former classmates describe Hart as sociable, quick-witted and generous with appearances of luxury. He once arranged a private-jet trip to Paris on less than a day’s notice, according to friends. Millfield School, which sits a short distance from Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage, became the foundation of his early customer base. Many believed Hart’s claim that he had preferential access through land his family rented out or through a catering company connected to the festival.
Demand for alternative routes into Glastonbury is high. The festival’s official passes, sold exclusively through See Tickets, are linked to photo ID and typically disappear within minutes. Any suggestion of an insider route attracts attention and high prices.
Seb, a former Millfield pupil, said he bought a hospitality pass from Hart for the 2022 festival after being told there were 42 available. Two days before the event, after being unable to get confirmation from Hart, he contacted the festival directly. Glastonbury said it had never heard of Hart. Seb said he later heard reports that Hart was “partying in Paris”.
Another case involved Elle’s best friend, Cian, who gave Hart money for a ticket. After Cian’s sudden death, his mother asked Elle to help recover the £500 owed. Hart sent a voice note saying the payment was “already in the post”. The family reported that three years later, nothing had arrived.
An Expanding Network of Debts and Disputes
In 2023, more former acquaintances said they had been scammed. A WhatsApp group formed with dozens of people, including those who said Hart owed money, and one person posted a £200,000 nightclub receipt, claiming Hart had left the bill unpaid. Others questioned how he funded lavish overseas holidays. Elle said she began trying to piece together the scope of the issue.
The pattern escalated in 2024. As official sales closed, two additional sources became prominent: Ibiza promoter Kai Cant and a company called Star Gaze Entertainment. Both were receiving their ticket supply from Hart. Cant’s customer Danny said he had been told Hart had access via a catering firm and that Hart’s mother, local councillor Susannah Hart, could secure tickets through community contacts. Councillors in Somerset have no such access, and Susannah Hart had no involvement.
Star Gaze employee Will, who had a summer job selling tickets, said he unknowingly sold “hundreds of thousands of pounds worth” of passes sourced from Hart. Combined, customers of both Cant and Star Gaze spent nearly £1m.
Promises Collapse as Deadlines Approach
With weeks left before the festival, customers began demanding answers. Hart reassured Cant that the tickets existed and blamed delays on logistical issues. He said he would hand-deliver passes at hotels across England rather than risk posting them. Will waited with him at a pub in Glastonbury to collect passes for Star Gaze customers, but Hart never appeared.
Calls from hidden numbers continued. Danny said he received one in which Hart claimed the entire allocation had been cancelled after Glastonbury “found out” about the tickets. A separate clip then surfaced showing someone confronting Hart in the street and demanding either tickets or a £10,000 refund. Hart agreed on camera, then disappeared.
Financial Disputes and a Family Fallout
Elle later met Hart’s godmother, Annamaria, who said she became financially entangled with the family years earlier. She covered school fees and took on the Hart family’s mortgage, ultimately calculating that Miles’s mother owed her £300,000. Following a long legal dispute, Annamaria became the owner of the house.
When she auctioned the property in 2023, Hart unexpectedly attended and won the bidding with a £90,000 cheque for the deposit. The cheque bounced three days later, and under auction rules the deposit is still owed. During the house clearance, Annamaria found a file containing dozens of bank cards in names belonging to Miles’s former friends.
Criminologist Dr Nicola Harding said it appeared Hart had enrolled the friends in bank-account referral schemes and kept the accounts active, potentially making them “money mules” by routing transactions through their names to obscure financial trails. Elle said she was shocked the scheme involved close friends.
Wider Consequences and Escalating Threats
Kai Cant later said he was left with £500,000 in debt and had gone into hiding in Spain. The new owner of Hart’s former home said he and his wife endured threats after their address was circulated online. He said he installed eight security cameras, facial-recognition systems, automatic number-plate recognition and lasers to detect intruders.
A covert recording obtained by the BBC captured Hart speaking to an unknown man about a client needing a loan. Hart acknowledged he had debts and said “something… went wrong”. The man then said he represented “some of the nastier groups” owed £480,000 and warned that the issue would not disappear. Hart promised repayment within 56 days.
Star Gaze Entertainment has since shut down. Its director, Benjamin Harris, has not been located. Cant said he has refunded all customers who bought through him. The Metropolitan Police said it is investigating up to 50 allegations of ticket fraud linked to Glastonbury 2024.
Hart, contacted through lawyers, said there were “material errors” in the allegations and disputed the accounts given by some individuals. His current whereabouts are unknown. The last confirmed sighting was at a pub near Glastonbury days before the festival.
Featured image credits: Rhys Asplundh via Flickr
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