Elgin City footballer accused of match betting fraud charge

A Scottish league footballer accused of hatching a plot with friends to defraud a bookmaker 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 denies backing himself to get booked during a match against 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 statement agreed by the Crown and defence lawyers, it was confirmed that Mr Hester had picked up a yellow card during the first half of the Scottish League Cup game.

It also confirmed that the three other accused had undertaken a number of financial transactions in the hours before the match in July 2019.

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

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

He said bets worth thousands of pounds had been placed on Mr Hester getting booked and the bookmaker had paid out winnings at odds of 5-1.

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

The Scottish Football Association stepped in to produce a performance review of Mr Hester during the match after being alerted about suspicious betting patterns on the game.

The court was shown 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 cash.

Hester said: "Do you know what would be easier? I know what you are talking about. There's no point mucking you about.

"I've got the money, it's at home. If I take you home and give you the money, that's what happened.

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

Mr Hester is alleged to have plotted before the match with three others to place a series of bets on him being booked 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 unlawful winnings.

An alternate version of the charge alleges they cheated at gambling by placing five bets on Mr Hester being booked and that he was shown a yellow card for a foul, leading to them falsely obtaining £13,583.32 in winnings.

The trial, before Sheriff Paul Brown, continues.