The case was continued in the player’s absence at Dundee Sheriff Court on Monday 25 January 2022, with the striker representing his club that evening against Kelty Hearts. He scored both goals in the League Two encounter as Elgin won 2-0.
Hester is alleged to have plotted before a cup match against Hibernian in 2019 with others to place a series of bets on him receiving a yellow card from referee Willie Collum. The charge alleges that the striker deliberately stamped on an opposition player to receive a yellow card.
Hester received a yellow card in the Scottish League Cup group stage match against Hibernian on 26 July 2019. The charge alleges that Hester, along with three others, duped online bookmaker bet365 out of £13,583 ($18,345).
The four are alleged to have agreed – almost one week before the match at Borough Briggs Stadium – that Hester would “purposely commit a foul during the course of the match and receive a booking from the referee”. They have denied “forming a fraudulent scheme to obtain money by placing bets that Kane Hester would receive a booking by the referee during the match”
The case has been continued until later in the year, with the court hearing that certain areas of evidence could be agreed upon between the Crown and defence agents, but that the Crown’s phone evidence would need to be analysed by experts ahead of the scheduled trial.
It follows the case of Arbroath player Gavin Swankie, who earlier this month was hit with a notice of complaint following nine alleged breaches of Scottish FA gambling regulations.
