Elgin City footballer accused of match betting fraud charge

7 March 2023

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 money when his family home was raided.

He denies backing himself to get scheduled throughout a match against Hibs as part of a scheme with 3 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 lawyers, it was confirmed that Mr Hester had actually gotten a yellow card during the very first half of the Scottish League Cup game.

It likewise validated that the 3 other implicated had actually undertaken a variety of financial transactions in the hours before the match in July 2019.

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

Suspicious betting patterns

Mr Duncan said it was concurred as fact that Mr Myres had actually paid money into Mr Soutar's account and likewise into an account coming from Mr Parrott.

He stated bets worth countless pounds had been positioned on Mr Hester getting booked and the bookmaker had paid out profits at odds of 5-1.

Mr Duncan said it was agreed that combination bets - including Mr Hester getting a yellow card - were likewise positioned and won by members of the accused group.

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

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

Hester said: "Do you understand what would be simpler? I understand 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 happened.

"I was reserved in a video game and my buddies offered me cash for it - ₤ 2,500."

Mr Hester is alleged to have actually plotted before the yohaig code match with three others to position a series of bets on him being reserved by the referee.

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

The charge declares the 4 males got ₤ 17,333.32 in payments from Bet365 in 2019, and that ₤ 13,583.32 of it was obtained as unlawful earnings.

An alternate version of the charge declares they cheated at gaming by positioning 5 bets on Mr Hester being booked and that he was revealed a yellow card for a nasty, leading to them falsely acquiring ₤ 13,583.32 in payouts.

The trial, before Sheriff Paul Brown, continues.

Montrose