A NORTH Yorkshire man has been jailed for his part in a sophisticated betting scam which police believe could have cost victims more than £1 million.

Lee Andrew Ryder, 35, was involved in the swindle in which victims were persuaded to put up savings for professional punters to bet on horse races on a "guaranteed" no-risk return.

Ryder, who was jailed for two-and-a-half years at Preston Crown Court, collected packages of victims' money which had been sent to bed-and-breakfast hotels - some of which were in York.

He was linked to the operation for some months between 1999 and 2000. The fraud ran for many years across the country, but he never named the others involved to police.

Ryder, of Austerbank Crescent, Tadcaster, admitted three charges of obtaining a money transfer by deception and three further offences of obtaining property by deception at an earlier hearing - offences totalling £40,500. He was sentenced on Tuesday on the basis that he was a courier and not the fraud's prime mover.

Mick Courtney, prosecuting, said victims were usually contacted by letter, bearing false details and a mobile phone number where the author could be contacted at a racecourse on a certain day.

If someone was interested, there would be a request for money to be used by professional punters to place bets.

It was guaranteed that the money was never at risk and that punters would pay commission back, based on profits made. The fraudsters asked for cash or a cheque to be sent to a false name.

Ryder would stay in the B&Bs, collect the parcels and then deliver them to the fraudsters.

The court was told how the three victims, from Lancashire, Hampshire and Scotland, lost much of their life savings. When Ryder was arrested, forensic evidence linked him to the offences.

The third victim rumbled the scam and sent paper cut to look like bank notes to a Nottingham address instead of cash.

He told police, and Ryder was arrested after collecting the package. Ryder had 110 previous convictions, mostly for motor crime.

Defence barrister Martin Hurst told the court: "The defendant was simply a driver-cum-courier." He said his client was paid £120 per delivery.

Passing sentence, Mr Justice Astill said some of the scam's victims were elderly.

He told Ryder: "You played a part in a sophisticated and long-running fraud that deprived many people of many thousands of pounds over many years."

Updated: 11:35 Thursday, February 14, 2002