Elgin City footballer implicated of match betting fraud charge

7 March 2023

A Scottish league footballer accused of hatching a plot with pals to defraud a bookie 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 denies backing himself to get booked throughout a match against Hibs as part of a scheme 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 very first half of the Scottish League Cup video game.

It also verified that the three other implicated had actually undertaken 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 actually gone on trial.

Suspicious wagering patterns

Mr Duncan stated it was concurred as reality that Mr Myres had actually paid money into Mr Soutar's account and likewise 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 paid earnings at odds of 5-1.

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

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

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

Hester stated: "Do you understand what would be simpler? I understand what you are speaking about. There's no point mucking you about.

"I have actually 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 buddies offered me money for it - ₤ 2,500."

Mr Hester is declared to have actually plotted before the yohaig code match with three others to put 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 alleges the four men received ₤ 17,333.32 in payments from Bet365 in 2019, and that ₤ 13,583.32 of it was obtained as illegal profits.

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

The trial, before Sheriff Paul Brown, continues.

Montrose