Elgin City player Kane Hester denies match betting fraud charge
- Published
The game took place at Borough Briggs in July 2019
An Elgin City footballer has denied conspiring with three others to defraud a betting company out of £13,583.
Striker Kane Hester, 25, denies deliberately stamping on a Hibs player during a cup match so he would get booked by referee Willie Collum.
He is alleged to have conspired with three other men from Montrose to place a series of bets on him being booked.
The charge alleges Mr Hester, Findlay Soutar, Calvin Parrot and Brodie Myers obtained unlawful winnings of £13,583.
They are alleged to have conspired to bet on Mr Hester being booked almost a week before the Betfred League Cup tie between Elgin City and Hibs on 26 July 2019.
They deny forming a fraudulent scheme to obtain money "by placing bets that Kane Hester would receive a booking by the referee during the match" at Borough Briggs Stadium in Elgin.
The charge alleges the four men received £17,333.32 in payments from Bet365 and alleges £13,583.32 was obtained as unlawful winnings.
The quartet are alleged to have agreed before the group stage match that "Kane Hester would purposely commit a foul during the course of the match and receive a booking from the referee."
They are alleged to have placed five separate bets on Mr Hester being booked, and he is alleged to have been shown a yellow card for stamping on a Hibs player.
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 four men deny the charge and the case will call again later this year at Dundee Sheriff Court.