Elgin City Footballer Accused Of Match Betting Fraud Charge

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


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


He rejects backing himself to get booked throughout a match versus Hibs as part of a scheme with 3 others to defraud Bet365.


Findlay Soutar, Calvin Parrott and Brodie Myres also reject the charge.


In a joint statement concurred by the Crown and defence attorneys, it was confirmed that Mr Hester had selected up a yellow card throughout the very first half of the Scottish League Cup video game.


It also verified that the 3 other implicated had actually carried out a number of financial 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 agreed as truth that Mr Myres had actually paid cash into Mr Soutar's account and also into an account belonging to Mr Parrott.


He said bets worth countless pounds had been put on Mr Hester getting reserved and the bookie had actually paid out profits at odds of 5-1.


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


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


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


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


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


"I was scheduled in a game and my buddies provided me cash for it - ₤ 2,500."


Mr Hester is alleged to have actually outlined before the match with 3 others to place a series of bets on him being scheduled by the referee.


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


The charge declares the four guys got ₤ 17,333.32 in payments from Bet365 in 2019, and that ₤ 13,583.32 of it was gotten as illegal earnings.


An alternate version of the charge declares they cheated at betting by putting 5 bets on Mr Hester being booked and that he was shown a yellow card for a nasty, causing them incorrectly acquiring ₤ 13,583.32 in jackpots.


The trial, before Sheriff Paul Brown, continues.


Montrose