Source : Perth Now news
A childhood friend of former AFL umpire Michael Pell has avoided jail after admitting he used insider information to win big betting on the round-by-round Brownlow Medal votes.
William Forde, 36, was sentenced to an 18-month community corrections order with 250 hours of unpaid community work on Wednesday morning after pleading guilty to six charges in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court last week.
Mr Pell and two other men are set to contest similar charges at a committal hearing later this month to decide if their cases should be sent to trial.
Handing down the sentence, magistrate Siobhan Whittle said it was alleged Forde had been enlisted by Mr Pell and given the round-by-round Brownlow Medal votes chosen by umpires for certain games during the 2021 and 2022 AFL seasons.
“In my view this is serious and sophisticated offending that was protracted in nature and required high levels of co-ordination,” Ms Whittle said.
“This was not, as submitted by your lawyer, a case of gambling that went too far … the only inherent risk was getting caught.”
Ms Whittle said Forde had taken significant steps to avoid being caught, including using friends to place the bets, passing handwritten notes and using a burner phone.
Last week, prosecutor Greg Buchhorn told the court that Forde enlisted others to open betting accounts and place wagers on his behalf on which players would receive three Brownlow votes in games where Mr Pell had been officiating.
He told the court the scheme netted about $40,750 in profit for the 2021 season and about $60,345 in 2022, allegedly split between Forde, his associates and Mr Pell.
“There’s a degree of opacity with what happens to the profit of the bets,” Mr Buchhorn said.
“It’s difficult to say who received what, but in terms of the profit, that’s the quantum.”
Ms Whittle told the court that she accepted Forde was genuinely remorseful and had taken factors, including years of delay and his co-operation with police, into account for the sentence.
“The criminality of the conduct arises in the context of knowingly using corrupt conduct to place bets,” she said.
“This sentence must be calculated to deter others from this behaviour.”
