The Jurats found by a majority of eight to one that Paul Bettie knew the money was the proceeds of crime, and still tried to leave the island with it without making a declaration.
Bettie had pleaded not guilty to the offence, saying it was his life savings in a bag which he had brought to the island to gamble with at some private poker games. He told Guernsey Police he had come to the island with just £90,000 and won the remainder of the money in the card games – this was backed up by a documented history of gambling shown to the court. The defendant also said he had been to a car festival in Poole before coming to Guernsey, and that cash gave him leverage if he wanted to buy a classic model.
But the court found the fact that more than 50% of the cash was in Guernsey denominations – even though Bettie had never been to Guernsey and has no links with the island – and the huge number of phone calls that had been made to try and contact him after his arrest, were enough evidence to be sure he did know what he was doing.
Pictured: Bettie leaving the Royal Court on Wednesday morning after he was found guilty, but bailed.
The defendant, from London, was stopped at the St Peter Port ferry terminal when trying to leave Guernsey after a weekend’s stay in August 2017. He was in a car with his daughter and granddaughter, and was chosen at random for a search. But the Custom’s dog gave a sign that there may have been large amount of money in the car, and even though Bettie initially told officers he did not have more than £1,000 of cash on him, he was eventually forced to admit that a bag he was a carrying had “over £100,000 inside”.
The money in the bag was all shrink wrapped, and the Customs Officer said it felt like the bag was full of bricks.
The number of phone calls made to and from Bettie’s daughter’s phone was also considered of note. While Guernsey Police could not be sure what the calls were about, there were a number of attempted calls made which appeared to be from someone wanting to know where the defendant had gone after his arrest – possibly, it was suggested, to find out the whereabouts of the money. Bettie was using his daughter’s phone because his had been broken and subsequently lost, the court was told.
While the Prosecution’s case thoroughly broke down the time from when Bettie came to Guernsey, what he did during his time here, how many phone calls he made, and when and why he was arrested, Bettie himself never took to the stand to defend himself. His defending advocate Chris Green pointed to a time when his client had lived a “rock and roll lifestyle”, with ties to the band Led Zeppelin. It was during that time that he had got into the habit of carrying around large amounts of money, and not using banks.
Bettie was bailed until sentencing, which will take place on the 16 May. He had previously pleaded guilty to a second charge, which he will also be sentenced for in May. Deputy Bailiff Richard McMahon said all sentencing options were open.
Pictured top: Paul Bettie leaving the court on bail until May.
