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 bookmaker had more than ₤ 2,000 in his bedside drawer, a trial heard.


Elgin City striker Kane Hester was discovered with the cash when his household home was raided.


He rejects 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 Brodie Myres likewise deny the charge.


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


It also confirmed that the 3 other accused had carried out a number of monetary deals in the hours before the match in July 2019.


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


Suspicious wagering patterns


Mr Duncan said it was concurred as fact that Mr Myres had paid cash into Mr Soutar's account and also into an account belonging to Mr Parrott.


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


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


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


The court was revealed footage 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 know what would be simpler? I know what you are speaking about. There's no point mucking you about.


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


"I was reserved in a video game and my pals provided me money for it - ₤ 2,500."


Mr Hester is declared to have outlined before the match with three others to position a series of bets on him being scheduled by the referee.


The court heard ₤ 2,400 was later on 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 obtained as unlawful profits.


An alternate version of the charge alleges they cheated at betting by placing five bets on Mr Hester being scheduled and that he was shown a yellow card for a nasty, leading to them wrongly acquiring ₤ 13,583.32 in earnings.


The trial, before Sheriff Paul Brown, continues.


Montrose