Solicitor says
police have told him Wayne Rooney Sr, who was arrested last October, will not
face charges
Wayne Rooney's
father will face no further action over allegations of a football betting scam,
his solicitor has said.
Wayne Rooney Sr was arrested at his home in
West Derby, Liverpool, last October.
Eight other people, including the
Liverpool-born Motherwell midfielder Steve Jennings, 26, were arrested on
suspicion of conspiracy to defraud. Motherwell midfielder Steve Jennings among
the other arrests.
Merseyside police said at the time the arrests were
the culmination of a joint operation with the Gambling Commission into
"suspicious betting activity".
The
investigation related to a match between Motherwell and Hearts on 14 December
2010.
On Monday Anthony Barnfather, solicitor for Rooney, confirmed that
the police had told him no further action would be brought against him.
Barnfather said: "Mr Rooney Sr has always vigorously denied the
allegations and maintained his innocence throughout the investigation. He is
delighted the matter has now concluded."
The Motherwell midfielder Steve
Jennings had also denied any wrongdoing in Dec 2010 after bookmakers began an
investigation into betting patterns over the red card he picked up against
Hearts at Fir Park.
The Association of British Bookmakers acted after a
number of bets were placed on there being a red card during Motherwell's 2-1
defeat. Jennings, after being booked by the referee Stevie O'Reilly for a foul
on Kevin Kyle, was shown a straight red card seven minutes from the end after
putting his hand on the official's shoulder and speaking to him about a
rejected penalty claim. Jennings is understood to have asked the referee when
he was going to "stop cheating" Motherwell.
It is understood that
several bets were put on a red card being dished out in the Premier League
clash at Fir Park, including one from a new account opened in Liverpool, where
a £500 bet was placed at odds of 10/1. |