Craig Williams faces two-year wait for trial on betting offence charges
The former Conservative MP must wait over two years for a trial alongside 14 co-defendants also charged with betting offences relating to the 2024 General Election.
Key points:
– Craig Williams’ trial for betting offence charges will provisionally take place in January 2028
– He and 14 co-defendants face a maximum two-year jail sentence
– A court will hear an application to dismiss the charges in January 2026
Craig Williams’ £100 ($134) bet that the last General Election would take place in July was the first domino to fall in the 2024 election betting scandal.
However, his case will be among the last to be heard in a court of law, as the former MP is currently looking at a two-year wait for trial.
Mr Williams appeared at Southwark Crown Court on Friday but did not issue a plea.
On the same day, prosecutor Sam Stein KC laid out a provisional timetable, and it appears Williams and several of his 14 co-defendants will be waiting until 3 January 2028 to face trial.
A trial of the first batch of defendants will take place on 6 September 2027, but Mr Williams will be placed in a second group.
In the meantime, a court will hear an application to dismiss the charges on 19 January 2026.
Good to know: When the Gambling Commission began its investigation, Williams admitted to placing the bet itself, but characterised it as a ‘flutter’
The initial investigation into Williams’ bet sought to establish whether he had in fact used privileged insider information for personal financial gain.
Inquiries into Rishi Sunak’s then parliamentary private secretary uncovered a further raft of potential lawbreakers spanning politics and the police department.
15 individuals ended up being charged under Section 42 of the Gambling Act 2005, which makes cheating in gambling a criminal offence.
If found guilty of a Section 42 offence, the accused could face a maximum of two years in prison.
Williams numbered among three who did not enter a plea, while the remaining 12 defendants deny the charges.
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