Blair Turgott Appears In Crown Court
Former Bradford City loan player and current Maidstone United winger Blair Turgott appeared in Southwark Crown Court today accused of gambling £16,000 using a bank card stolen from a pensioner, but Turgott claims he was given the card to repay a debt.
The ex-West Ham United and England C striker withdrew two lots of gambling chips said to be worth around £8,000 at the Playboy Casino in Mayfair, Turgott cashed out £900 in profit at the end of the night, but denies fraud and converting criminal property.
Prosecutor Kaj Scarsbrook said the card used by Turgott was stolen from Peter Dixon on 30 September 2016. Turgott says the card was given to him by a friend called Ali, who he went with to gamble at a local casino.
The former Bromley and Stevenage star leant Ali £16,000 for a job interview in property development in Uganda. The defendant says Ali delayed repaying him for around seven months until Ali gave him Mr Dixon’s card and PIN number, claiming it was his friend who was letting him use it because he lost his own.
Turgott admitted in court he was “confused” why the card had Mr Dixon’s name on it until he was “reassured” by Ali that he had proof and permission to use the card.
