Stephen Lee is facing a life ban from snooker after being found guilty of seven charges of match-fixing.
The career of the 38-year-old from Trowbridge, a former world No 5 and winner of five ranking titles, looks to be over after one of the biggest ‘fixing’ guilty verdicts seen in sport.
Lee will learn his fate on September 24 after the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association delivered their verdict following a three-day hearing in Bristol last week.
Stephen Lee has been found guilty of match-fixing charges
The charges included frame, correct score and match-fixing and included one match at the 2009 World Championship; three matches at the 2008 Malta Cup; two at the UK Championship the same year; and one at the 2009 China Open.
It was judged that bets were placed on Lee’s matches by three groups of people: a then sponsor, his former manager and another associate. The total bets placed were in excess of £11,000, leading to winnings of £97,000.
The result is a big victory for snooker’s integrity unit, led by former Met Police senior detective Chief Superintendent Nigel Mawer, who brought the charges.
The verdict is subject to an appeal from Lee (right), who had been suspended for almost a year and appeared without legal representation.
Leading man: Lee is one of the top players in world snooker
Adam Lewis QC said the verdict of match-fixing was made on the ‘balance of probabilities’, with Lee seen not as a ‘cynical cheat’ but as a ‘weak man who succumbed to temptation’.
It was not proven if Lee benefited financially.
WPBSA chairman Jason Ferguson said: ‘We have a zero-tolerance approach to match-fixing. We have an extensive network of contacts across the world and we believe we have established the world’s most sophisticated system in dealing with corruption in sport.
‘This ruling is a stark warning to competitors in any sport who could become vulnerable. ‘Stephen Lee was the No 5 player in the world but his future participation is now in real doubt as he will face a significant sanction.’
Stephen Lee factfile
1974: Born October 12 in Trowbridge, Wiltshire.
1992: Turns professional.
1998: Wins first ranking tournament, the Grand Prix, defeating Marco Fu 9-2 in the final.
2002: Wins Scottish Open and Grand Prix and takes over as provisional world number one early the following season.
2003: Best run in the World Championship, reaching the semi-finals.
2005: Marries long-term partner Laura.
2008: Records highest tournament break, a 145, in the Northern Ireland Trophy.
2006: Enters Welsh Open outside the provisional top 16 after a poor run of form but wins the tournament, beating Shaun Murphy 9-4 in the final.
2008: Loses in first round of World Championship and contemplates retirement.
2010: Arrested by West Midlands Police in relation to an investigation by the Gambling Commission over suspicious betting patterns.
2011: October - Returns to top 16 of world rankings.
2012: March - Reaches first final since 2006 but loses to Mark Allen 10-1 in World Open. Two weeks later wins first major professional title in six years -
his fifth overall - by beating Neil Robertson 4-0 in the final of the Betfair PTC Grand Finals.
October 2 - Crown Prosecution Service announce there will be no criminal proceedings in the match-fixing allegations against Lee made in 2010. WPBSA starts its own investigation into these allegations.
2012: October 11 - Loses 4-2 to John Higgins in Premier League match.
October 12 - WPBSA confirm Lee suspended from action while investigations into suspicious betting patterns in the previous night's match against Higgins take place.
October 24 - Lee's appeal against the suspension is dismissed by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association.
2013: February 14 - The WPBSA announce Lee has "a case to answer" over allegations of match-fixing at four tournaments.
September 16 - Found guilty of fixing seven matches by the WPBSA.
1992: Turns professional.
1998: Wins first ranking tournament, the Grand Prix, defeating Marco Fu 9-2 in the final.
2002: Wins Scottish Open and Grand Prix and takes over as provisional world number one early the following season.
2003: Best run in the World Championship, reaching the semi-finals.
2005: Marries long-term partner Laura.
2008: Records highest tournament break, a 145, in the Northern Ireland Trophy.
2006: Enters Welsh Open outside the provisional top 16 after a poor run of form but wins the tournament, beating Shaun Murphy 9-4 in the final.
2008: Loses in first round of World Championship and contemplates retirement.
2010: Arrested by West Midlands Police in relation to an investigation by the Gambling Commission over suspicious betting patterns.
2011: October - Returns to top 16 of world rankings.
2012: March - Reaches first final since 2006 but loses to Mark Allen 10-1 in World Open. Two weeks later wins first major professional title in six years -
his fifth overall - by beating Neil Robertson 4-0 in the final of the Betfair PTC Grand Finals.
October 2 - Crown Prosecution Service announce there will be no criminal proceedings in the match-fixing allegations against Lee made in 2010. WPBSA starts its own investigation into these allegations.
2012: October 11 - Loses 4-2 to John Higgins in Premier League match.
October 12 - WPBSA confirm Lee suspended from action while investigations into suspicious betting patterns in the previous night's match against Higgins take place.
October 24 - Lee's appeal against the suspension is dismissed by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association.
2013: February 14 - The WPBSA announce Lee has "a case to answer" over allegations of match-fixing at four tournaments.
September 16 - Found guilty of fixing seven matches by the WPBSA.
No comments:
Post a Comment
your comments are welcome