Mervyn Westfield given four-month sentence

Former Essex bowler Mervyn Westfield has been handed a four-month sentence after pleading guilty to spot-fixing charges.

The 23-year-old admitted to charges of accepting or obtaining corrupt payments under the Corruption Act and helping others to cheat under the 2005 Gambling Act last month.

The bowler was accused of collecting £6,000 for conceding 12 runs from a single over during a one-day match between Essex and Durham in September 2009.

The court ruled today that Westfield, who has become the first English cricketer to be found guilty of corruption, will serve two months of his sentence in prison.

The medium-fast bowler has been banned from all cricket by the England and Wales Cricket Board.