Westfield jailed for spot-fixing

Mervyn Westfield, the first county cricketer in England to be prosecuted for spot-fixing, was sentenced to four months in prison at the Old Bailey on Friday.

Former Essex paceman Westfield, 23, was jailed for one count of accepting or obtaining a corrupt payment to bowl in a way that would allow the scoring of runs.

He will serve half the term in prison and a confiscation order was made for £6,000, the amount he was paid to bowl so that a specific number of runs would be chalked up in the first over of a match between Durham and Essex in September 2009.

It was claimed by Mark Milliken-Smith QC, for Westfield, that his client was "targeted" and had the deal set up for him by former Essex team-mate and Pakistan international Danish Kaneria.

Passing sentence, Judge Anthony Morris told Westfield: "I am satisfied that you would have known from the outset that what was being offered was a corrupt payment and that you could and should have refused it."

The England and Wales Cricket Board immediately issued Westfield with an interim suspension order pending a disciplinary hearing, while Essex were this evening digesting the ramifications of the trial.

It emerged Kaneria, who was arrested in connection with the case but later released without charge, had talked about spot-fixing in the presence of his Essex team-mates, who dismissed what he was saying as "banter".

Varun Chopra said that, in a phone call in August 2009, Kaneria told him: "There's ways of making money, you don't have to lose a game." He ignored the alleged approach.

Former Essex captain Mark Pettini and team-mates James Foster, an ex-England player, and David Masters also heard Kaneria discussing spot-fixing but thought it was a joke, the court was told.

Mr Milliken-Smith told the court that, despite these rumours at Essex County Cricket Club, a "blind eye" was turned, and opportunities to report the allegations were initially missed.

Essex issued a statement which read: "This is a very sad day for all at the club.

"It is going to take a while for us to fully digest the comments of the judge, but as the ECB cricket discipline committee has served Mervyn Westfield with an interim suspension as a result of his sentencing earlier today, the club is unable to comment on any aspect of this case."

Mr Milliken-Smith told the court Westfield had been singled out by Kaneria because of his junior position in the squad.

He said: "It is clear, we submit, that Kaneria and his associates targeted Westfield.

"Westfield was on the verge of the squad, more susceptible for that reason. Less likely perhaps to be able to say no to the club's international star, his future with the club uncertain."

The court heard that he was warned in 2008 by the International Cricket Council that Kaneria was keeping "highly inappropriate company" over his links with Indian bookmaker Arun Bhatia.

The payment to Westfield came to light when another Essex player, Tony Palladino, went to Westfield's Chelmsford flat in September 2009, where the bowler showed him "the most money he had ever seen".

Westfield emptied a plastic bag of rolled-up £50 notes on to his bed, and said Kaneria had told him a "friend" would pay him to concede a certain number of runs.

Kaneria was allegedly himself due to receive £4,000 as part of the Durham match deal.

Westfield pleaded guilty last month to one count of accepting or obtaining a corrupt payment to bowl in a way that would allow the scoring of runs.

International Cricket Council chief executive Haroon Lorgat said he hoped the sentence would be a warning to other players.

He said: "While the ICC takes no pleasure from anyone being sent to jail, it is a decision of the court which we support and I believe would act as a deterrent to anyone who is tempted to sully the good name of cricket.

"The ICC operates a zero-tolerance approach to corruption and will use everything within its power to ensure that any corrupt activity within the game is comprehensively investigated and, where possible, robustly prosecuted.

"We have always stated that we will follow every possible avenue to ensure the integrity of cricket is protected.

"In the context of domestic vigilance, the ICC acknowledges the commendable steps taken by the ECB in setting up their domestic anti-corruption ACCESS Unit."

The interim suspension order against Westfield temporarily bans him from all cricket in the ECB's jurisdiction.

Disciplinary proceedings will be held "in due course", the board said.

Westfield becomes the fourth cricketer to be jailed in England on corruption charges after Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were all given prison sentences for their part in a spot-fixing plot during Pakistan's tour of England in 2010.