Footballer Kane Hester admitted match fixing to police, court told

Kane Hester and three other men are on trial at Dundee Sheriff Court

A Scottish league player admitted match fixing to help friends make almost £14,000 in bets, a jury has heard.

The court heard Elgin City forward Kane Hester told police he had been involved in a plan to get a yellow card during a match against Hibs in 2019.

The jury was told that Hester was booked after 29 minutes of the match and bookmaker Bet365 paid out £13,583.

He denies backing himself to get booked during a match against Hibs as part of a scheme with three others.

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

The court was shown messages sent between the accused men after the pay out in which they celebrated by saying: "I'm rich. Welcome to candyland."

'I felt pressured'

Det Supt Brian Bennie told the court Hester had immediately confessed his involvement during an early morning raid and led them to a bag with £2,400 cash in his bedroom.

He said he earned less than £1,000 per month as a footballer, but also made £1,300 as an electrician and £300 per month as a retained firefighter.

Hester told police he had recently taken out a mortgage and had been told he was going to lose his electrician job.

He said Calvin Parrott and Brodie Myres had told him they were going to place a bet on him.

He said Parrott had said "something along the lines of "please, please, please get booked"" because the odds were high.

Hester said he believed he was given £2,000 for getting booked and also got £400 back that he had previously loaned Parrott.

He told police: "I know they put a bit of money on it. I don't know how much.

"I wouldn't say I felt threatened - because they are friends - but I felt pressured."

Hester said Parrott messaged him an hour before kick-off to remind him what he needed to do during the match.

The trial was shown hundreds of messages between the parties which referred to Hester agreeing to get a yellow card during the match.

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.