Ex-Elgin City and Buckie Thistle footballer Ceiran McLean has new fraud trial date set
A man facing 18 fraud charges linked to his football training business has been given a new trial date after a court appearance yesterday.
Ex-Elgin City and Buckie Thistle player Ceiran McLean is accused of defrauding 18 people a total of £12,144.98, according to the list of charges against him.
The 33-year-old, whose address was listed in court documents as Inchbroom Avenue, Lossiemouth, also stands charged with a breach of unfair trading rules.
The alleged offences spanned more than a year, between June 2021 and August 2022.
At a pre-trial “intermediate diet” at Elgin Sheriff Court yesterday, he maintained his not guilty plea to the charges.
Former semi-professional footballer McLean began his playing career with Elgin City, rising through the youth ranks to join the first team at SPFL level.
After six years at the club, he joined Buckie Thistle where he won the Highland League title in 2017.
Charges detail that the largest alleged fraud saw McLean obtain £3000 by falsely agreeing to “provide sponsorship”.
Another named complainer is alleged to have paid the man £1155 across two dates.
The former footballer is also charged with fraudulently selling a “sponsored football training package” to at least ten people.
One complainer allegedly paid McLean £945 for a training package, with another five people allegedly defrauded by more than £700 each.
Charges also claim that other fraudulent transactions concerned agreements to “provide training” and for “training lessons”.
McLean is also charged with “knowingly and recklessly” breaching unfair trading regulations.
It is alleged that he “did pretend the football training package was limited and sponsored”, while doing business.
The court heard that McLean’s solicitor Christopher Maitland, from Aberdeen firm George Mathers and Co, would not be ready for the previously-set trial date of March 12.
Matthew O’Neill, representing McLean on behalf of Mr Maitland, said his defence team had only recently received evidence.
The case was not ready to proceed, he added, “given the volume of information that has been provided to George Mathers and Co in the last few days”.
Fiscal depute Karen Poke said the “late disclosure” was partly due to evidence having been held by trading standards.
The court also heard that “a number of defence witnesses” could be called as part of the trial.
Sheriff Olga Pasportnikov agreed to delay McLean’s trial until May 7, with an intermediate diet on April 8.
The man’s trial had been set for March 12, after it was postponed at an previous intermediate diet on November 19, 2024.
On that day, the court heard that the case could not proceed to trial on the scheduled date of November 25, because McLean had only recently secured legal representation.
