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Robbed Poker Playing Friend And Gave The Proceeds To William Hill.
Ex-public schoolboy who worked as male model and TV presenter stole his poker-playing best friend's bank details to blow £20,000 on gambling
Amer Siddique, 38, stole £20k off a close friend and blew it on placing bets
Siddique took pal Luke Brereton's card details and opened a William Hill account
He drained bank account down to £300 after making over 100 illicit withdrawals
He confessed to his friend saying: 'I f***ed up. I will pay it back' but has not yet
Siddique was handed a 12-month community order at Chester Crown Court
Amer Siddique (pictured in front) arriving at Chester Crown Court where he admitted fraud by false representation and was sentenced to a 12-month community order with requirements that he carry out 150 hours of unpaid work
Victim Luke Brereton (pictured) is an internationally-renowned British poker player, who was swindled out his 'entire UK net worth' of £20,000 by his close friend Amer Siddique, 38
Professional poker player Luke Brereton (pictured) said the money stolen from his bank account by Amer Siddique took 'years of building and sacrifice'. He has still not been paid back
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11380959/Ex-public-schoolboy-stole-poker-playing-best-friends-bank-details-blow-20-000-gambling.html
Amer Siddique, 38, stole £20k off a close friend and blew it on placing bets
Siddique took pal Luke Brereton's card details and opened a William Hill account
He drained bank account down to £300 after making over 100 illicit withdrawals
He confessed to his friend saying: 'I f***ed up. I will pay it back' but has not yet
Siddique was handed a 12-month community order at Chester Crown Court
Amer Siddique (pictured in front) arriving at Chester Crown Court where he admitted fraud by false representation and was sentenced to a 12-month community order with requirements that he carry out 150 hours of unpaid work
Victim Luke Brereton (pictured) is an internationally-renowned British poker player, who was swindled out his 'entire UK net worth' of £20,000 by his close friend Amer Siddique, 38
Professional poker player Luke Brereton (pictured) said the money stolen from his bank account by Amer Siddique took 'years of building and sacrifice'. He has still not been paid back
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11380959/Ex-public-schoolboy-stole-poker-playing-best-friends-bank-details-blow-20-000-gambling.html
Comments
Stole £20,000, & only got a 12 month Community Order?
You gotta be kidding me.
Thats a big hourly rate.
It's a shame those in charge of sentencing don't carry that understanding.
I wonder what the sentence would have been had it been the Judges money he stole. You can bet your 4rse it would have ended with the phrase, "Take him down".
I presume Brereton resides abroad now as surely £20,000 'his entire UK net worth' isn't exactly rolled for a poker pro career.
Interest comment too suggesting that he wouldn't be in court if he had paid it back, not sure it works that way, but I am not a lawyer.
Surely £20k would have been in some kind of deposit account not an ordinary account?
Surely you wouldn’t miss 100 withdrawals from any account?
Doesn’t he check his bank statements?
Mr Brereton initially contacted police about the theft in December 2018 but that it did not go any further at the time. He had returned to the US and was unable to make a statement and was further delayed due to Covid. The poker player did, however, instigate civil proceedings last year and provided a statement to police in January of this year following which Siddique was interviewed in April.
Mr Hopkins said that Siddique ignored messages from his friend on WhatsApp and blocked him on social media. The prosecutor added that the defendant had made a large number of transactions on his card, in excess of 100, between October 11 and 13.
After working at William Hill and Sky Betting he moved to Dubai where he worked as a male model and one-time TV presenter before moving to Bet365 as sports trader.
He was head of sports and gaming at Leeds-based recruitment firm Goodall Brazier before being appointed Global Head of Talent Acquisition at Superbet.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11380959/Ex-public-schoolboy-stole-poker-playing-best-friends-bank-details-blow-20-000-gambling.html
The court heard that Mr Brereton and Siddique had been 'very close friends for a number of years', including going on holiday together and staying at Mr Brereton's family home in Prestbury, Cheshire.
Chris Hopkins, prosecuting, said: 'On October 9, 2018, the defendant stayed with Mr Brereton at his family home. The next day, Wednesday 10, they went for lunch together and during the course of the lunch the defendant booked a train ticket for Mr Brereton using Mr Brereton's debit card.
'Mr Brereton simply thought that his friend was helping him out by booking a train ticket for him. But while doing so, Mr Siddique obtained Mr Brereton's bank details which enabled him to open an account with William Hill.
'It was not until the end of the month that Mr Brereton noticed that something was wrong and that the money was missing. He had gone back to America when he noticed the transactions to William Hill.
'He immediately contacted them to stop money being taken from that account and told them that the card was being used without his authorisation. He told them to close all accounts in relation to that bank card.
'On November 16, Mr Brereton received a WhatsApp message from Mr Sidique saying: 'Mate, I f***ed up. I will pay it back. Gambling got out of hand. I f***ed up.' It was only then that Mr Brereton realised what had happened.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11380959/Ex-public-schoolboy-stole-poker-playing-best-friends-bank-details-blow-20-000-gambling.html
Just shows you that wherever you have your money there is always somebody who will try and get it.
Probably the one you would least expect to do it.