Elgin City footballer accused of match betting fraud charge

7 March 2023

A Scottish league footballer accused of hatching a plot with buddies 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 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 three others to defraud Bet365.

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

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

It also verified that the 3 other accused had actually carried out a variety of monetary transactions in the yohaig code 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 actually 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 belonging to Mr Parrott.

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

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

The Scottish Football Association stepped in to produce a performance review of Mr Hester throughout the match after being notified about suspicious wagering patterns on the video game.

The court was shown video 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 cash.

Hester stated: "Do you understand what would be easier? I know 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 provide you the money, that's what happened.

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

Mr Hester is declared to have plotted before the match with 3 others to put a series of bets on him being scheduled by the referee.

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

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

An alternate version of the charge declares they cheated at betting by placing five bets on Mr Hester being booked which he was revealed a yellow card for a nasty, leading to them incorrectly getting ₤ 13,583.32 in earnings.

The trial, before Sheriff Paul Brown, continues.

Montrose