CROOKED croupier Graham Magee fiddled a roulette wheel at his casino so his niece could rake in thousands, a court heard.

Magee, 28, of Holme Avenue, Walker, made sure the ball landed on the black 28 at Newcastle's Stanley Casino when he knew niece Anneka Strachan had placed money on that number.

With the help of girlfriend and fellow casino worker Shelley Butters, 19, he fixed it for Strachan to pocket more than £5,000 through her bets.

But the trio were snared when security staff got suspicious at the bumper payout and started monitoring Magee's tables.

Edith Sanderson, prosecuting at Newcastle Magistrates' Court, told how police were called in after security staff monitoring table payouts got suspicious.

Ms Sanderson added: "CCTV was seized and clearly shows that Mr Magee had fixed the spins by planting the ball into the black 28 slot, allowing Miss Strachan to win.

"Miss Butters was seen talking to both of them during the incident.

"Miss Butters was arrested and she was interviewed and admitted that her boyfriend Mr Magee and his niece Miss Strachan had planned to fix the game to enable Miss Strachan to win more than £5,000 and they had said they would split the money between them."

The court was told former heroin addict Strachan, 22, of Carville Road, Wallsend, tested positive for cocaine when she was arrested in connection with the scam.

The mother-of-one admitted the theft when she appeared before city magistrates.

Magee and Butters, of Brock Farm Court, North Shields, pleaded guilty to theft from their employer and had been warned they faced jail.

Gerry Bass, defending Strachan, said: "It is not my position to put the boot in but this lady wasn't employed and she was invited to take part in the theft.

John Moran, defending Butters and Magee, said: "In respect of Butters, she is a lady of good character and has stayed out of trouble for the rest of her life up to this point.

"By his own admission, this was Magee's idea. It was suggested to Butters by her boyfriend and she's gone along with it. She has been the go-between."

Magee, now jobless, and Butters, who earns £175 a week, were told they were lucky to avoid jail as they were hit with 16-week sentences, suspended for 18 months. During that time, they must carry out 140 hours community service.

Strachan was given a 12-month community order with supervision requirements and has a 28-day curfew, meaning she must be in between 9pm and 7am.

All three must pay £260 compensation to the casino.