Elgin City footballer Kane Hester cleared of match fixing fraud

Kane Hester got a yellow card during a match against Hibs in 2019

A Scottish league player accused of match fixing to help his friends win almost £14,000 has been cleared.

Elgin City forward Kane Hester denied being involved in a plan to get a yellow card during a match against Hibs in 2019.

Charges against Mr Hester and his co-accused Calvin Parrott and Brodie Myres was found not proven by a jury at Dundee Sheriff Court.

A fourth accused, Findlay Soutar, had been acquitted earlier.

The trial was told that Mr Hester had exchanged messages before the match against Hibs in which he agreed to deliberately get booked.

His friends had bet thousands of pounds online on him being booked. They won nearly £14,000 when referee Willie Collum showed him a yellow card.

During raid on Mr Hester's home after the match police found £2,400 cash. He told police at the time he had been paid the money by his friends.

But the jury accepted Mr Hester's claim during the trial, that he got caught up in the moment during the match and forgot about any agreement to deliberately get booked.

Mr Hester declined to comment on the verdict.