Elgin City Footballer Accused Of Match Betting Fraud Charge

7 March 2023
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A Scottish league footballer implicated of hatching a plot with good friends to defraud a bookie had more than ₤ 2,000 in his bedside drawer, a trial heard.


Elgin City striker Kane Hester was found with the money when his family home was robbed.


He denies backing himself to get scheduled throughout a match versus Hibs as part of a plan with three others to defraud Bet365.


Findlay Soutar, Calvin Parrott and likewise deny the charge.


In a joint statement concurred by the Crown and defence legal representatives, it was verified that Mr Hester had picked up a yellow card throughout the first half of the Scottish League Cup game.


It likewise validated that the three other implicated had carried out a variety of monetary transactions in the hours before the match in July 2019.


Fiscal depute Stewart Duncan checked out the declaration to jurors at Dundee Sheriff Court where the implicated, all from Montrose, have gone on trial.


Suspicious betting patterns


Mr Duncan stated it was concurred as truth that Mr Myres had paid cash into Mr Soutar's account and also into an account coming from Mr Parrott.


He said bets worth thousands of pounds had actually been put on Mr Hester getting reserved and the bookmaker had paid earnings at chances of 5-1.


Mr Duncan stated it was concurred that combination bets - including Mr Hester getting a yellow card - were also put and won by members of the accused group.


The Scottish Football Association actioned in to produce an efficiency evaluation of Mr Hester during the match after looking out about suspicious betting patterns on the video game.


The court was revealed video of Hester's home being raided and the footballer telling officers he understood what they were there for and would take them to the money.


Hester said: "Do you understand what would be much easier? I know what you are discussing. There's no point mucking you about.


"I've got the cash, it's at home. If I take you home and give you the cash, that's what happened.


"I was reserved in a video game and my friends offered me cash for it - ₤ 2,500."


Mr Hester is declared to have plotted before the match with three others to put a series of bets on him being booked by the referee.


The court heard ₤ 2,400 was later found in his bedside drawer.


The charge declares the four men received ₤ 17,333.32 in payments from Bet365 in 2019, which ₤ 13,583.32 of it was obtained as unlawful profits.


An alternate version of the charge declares they cheated at gaming by placing five bets on Mr Hester being reserved and that he was shown a yellow card for a nasty, causing them incorrectly acquiring ₤ 13,583.32 in earnings.


The trial, before Sheriff Paul Brown, continues.


Montrose