wheres he gone saddo...

seem to remember the name Ashley Carr a few years back - was this the same gang?

I thought this bloke was in early fifties...hardly an old fella

I believe he was conned into a fake race fixing scheme..
however until McLean or any other witness admits this, this case will surely fail
the problem is if they do admit it, then theoretically they could be charged with
knowingly conspiring to fix races
catch22
this I believe was McCracken's scam, he knew if anybody complained
they would incriminating themselves

I find the charge that McCracken set up a fake horse tipping scheme not credible.
For a start McLean is not a doddering senile old pensioner in his 80s, but someone in his 50's who has
probably scammed himself a nice life on benefits
It is not credible that anyone would pay £10,000 for horse racing tips
It is not credible that even if he did, they would not send him some, even if just the RP Nap of the day
No horse racing tipster however good can offer guaranteed winnings...unless they can see into the future
it is physically impossible
so if they convict McCracken of not giving winners they would to charge everybody who sells racing tips

It seems to me they are trying to convict McCracken of something he did not do...sell fake racing tips
in order to convict him for something he did do...sell a fake race fixing scam
good luck with that one
just my opinion

funnily enough..they could succeed in this
McCracken cannot admit he was a selling a fake race fixing scam can he, or he convicts himself
so if there is evidence of a meeting and a payment to  McCraken then his only defence is he was selling horse racing information
perhaps...why else would he be paid £10,000
so if the prosecution can prove McCracken did not attempt to do this in any way..then they could have a case

I am losing myself, complicated world
we live in

In actual fact there should be 4 people standing trial ....... the missing one is Jeff Bloor, from Brighton/Worthing, well known in race tipping circles, who had it on his toes and did not answer bail at the committal stage. Now believed to be out of the country living it up on his proceeds ....... those in the dock are the fall guys ....... prosecution trying every which way to get JMcC, remember he walked away from the last trial .......

I should not have called Motley vile, orrible would have been more accurate.

Hayden ...... he was around 50 at the time, remember this meeting happened between 2003 & 2008, he is now 57. So not a "Pensioner" or potless......

Perhaps anybody posting on this thread should start off by saying if they know Mr McCracken or not.
I don't.

to the OP........dont believe everything you read!!

ebulGery : ...The problem is if they do admit it, then theoretically they could be charged with
knowingly conspiring to fix races
catch22
this I believe was McCracken's scam, he knew if anybody complained
they would incriminating themselves.

Sounds a bit like the scam idea in 'Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels' .... ar.se ticklers & ****s fan club

I get my theories from watching 'Rumple'
Always Bold 2nd..oh well

will the film be used in evidence fairweather

A fair smattering of judgemental wanchors on here also, eh Christy?

Name calling not very nice, is it.

a fool and their money....

Rather depends which hat you're wearing Ann and sometimes people only see what they want to see whilst believe what they want to believe.


McCracken tipping line thread average post = " what a vile, despicable man John is ".

Fraudulent 50 year old benefit cheat       = " Honest pensioner that has been ripped off "


See what i mean we both perceive different things 

If the trial is expected to last 4 weeks and scale of the alleged fraud is 4 million, then would have to think the prosecution has more witness's
who have been scammed by the low life's.

Did the subscribers continue to get tips though or did the tipsters just disappear with all the cash ?

Something doesn't add up here

Actually motley I didn't really think you were KANE,so quite happy to take your word for it. I was just struck by the coincidence but I suppose it's an iconic image for moviebuffs.

TWO SISTERS who handed over £12,000 to John McCracken for tips and the chance to be involved in a scheme to import stallions from Australia received "threatening" phone calls when they tried to get their money back, a court heard on Wednesday.

Sarah Missett said she received abusive calls from McCracken and a request from a man claiming to work for the Racing Post to stop contacting the Brighton punter after she tried to track him down.

McCracken, 47, from Brighton, is charged with conspiracy to defraud between April 30, 2003 and February 13, 2008 along with co-defendants self-employed John Brice, 40, from Hove, and Matthew Thole, 40, a company director from Cardiff. They deny the charges.

Giving evidence from behind a screen, Missett told the court that after spending an initial £2,000 to join two betting syndicates for which she believed McCracken provided tips, many of which were unsuccessful, she paid £10,000 to a scheme to purchase horses that promised to turn a profit in three weeks.

Missett described how McCracken "rang my mum with an offer that was unbelievable".

She said: "The group that was organising the betting were going to buy stallions from Australia. The profit was going back to the people giving the money. There'd be a 50 per cent return within three weeks. You could invest as much as you wanted to.

"After three weeks passed - it was probably about four or five weeks - I started to make calls to the office number. I went to the address in Brighton because I wanted the return of my money."

The address was an empty flat but after looking up McCracken on the internet she discovered another Brighton address that proved to be his mother's. After going there she left a message with a neighbour for him to contact her.

"I got a call that night, he said his name was John McCracken," she said. "He was absolutely furious because I had gone to his mother's address.

"He asked me if I was a private investigator and how I found his mother's house. He didn't believe I could find the address on the internet, so he hurled abuse. All I said was I want my money back."

She told the court she received four further phone calls that night from McCracken, which she described as "aggressive, threatening and unreasonable", adding: "I told him providing he answered his phone I would not return to his mother's address."

Then she got a call from a ‘Duncan Smith', who claimed to work at the Racing Post. "‘Duncan Smith' rang me and asked me to stop calling John McCracken because I was upsetting him."

Missett rang the Racing Post to be told there was no Duncan Smith working there.

McCracken refused to deal with her any more, the court heard, and she was passed on to a Michael Chapman, who she said was more open to discussion. McCracken eventually agreed to give £2,000 back to Missett, paid in November 2006.

In cross examination Matthew Farmer, defending McCracken, suggested to Missett that when she rang the pre-recorded betting line service the voice she heard was not McCracken's but a series of different people.

The trial continues.