Elgin City footballer implicated of match betting fraud charge

7 March 2023

A Scottish league footballer implicated of hatching a plot with 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 cash when his family home was raided.

He rejects backing himself to get booked throughout a match against 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 lawyers, it was confirmed that Mr Hester had actually picked up a yellow card throughout the first half of the Scottish League Cup video game.

It likewise confirmed that the 3 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 statement to jurors at Dundee Sheriff Court where the accused, all from Montrose, have gone on trial.

Suspicious wagering patterns

Mr Duncan said it was agreed as truth that Mr Myres had actually paid money into Mr Soutar's account and also into an account coming from Mr Parrott.

He stated bets worth thousands of pounds had been positioned on Mr Hester getting scheduled and the bookmaker had actually paid out jackpots at chances of 5-1.

Mr Duncan stated it was concurred 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 stepped in to produce an efficiency review of Mr Hester during the match after being notified about suspicious wagering patterns on the game.

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

Hester stated: "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 provide you the cash, that's what took place.

"I was booked in a video game and my good friends gave me money for it - ₤ 2,500."

Mr Hester is declared to have outlined before the match with 3 others to position a series of bets on him being booked by the referee.

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

The charge alleges the four males got ₤ 17,333.32 in payments from Bet365 in 2019, and that ₤ 13,583.32 of it was acquired as unlawful earnings.

An alternate version of the charge alleges they cheated at betting by positioning 5 bets on Mr Hester being booked which he was revealed a yellow card for a nasty, resulting in them wrongly obtaining ₤ 13,583.32 in payouts.

the yohaig code trial, before Sheriff Paul Brown, continues.

Montrose