Former Old School RuneScape Dev Mod Jed Gets Suspended Sentence Over Stolen Player Gold

Former Jagex developer Andrew Lakeman, better known to Old School RuneScape players as Mod Jed, has been sentenced after pleading guilty to offences connected to stealing in-game wealth from player accounts.

Cambridge Crown Court gave Lakeman a three-year prison sentence, suspended for two years, on September 3, 2026. He was also ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work and a 25-day rehabilitation activity requirement. A Proceeds of Crime Act process aimed at recovering money is expected to wrap up in February 2027.

The case dates back to 2018, when Jagex player support spotted suspicious account recovery activity affecting high-value accounts. Valuable items and gold were removed, and investigators believed the recoveries involved information that normal attackers likely wouldn’t have had.

Jagex carried out an internal investigation, changed account recovery controls and firewall rules, and eventually tied the activity to Lakeman’s devices and home address. He was dismissed in 2018, with Jagex saying at the time that it involved gross misuse of moderator privileges. The studio also said bank and card details weren’t compromised, and that it worked to return items and GP to affected players.

Police took over in 2019 and arrested Lakeman that July. Investigators later found he had banked more than £364,829 in cash linked to cryptocurrency dealers, along with messages discussing plans to make money before leaving Jagex.

Detective Constable Andrew McKeane said the case showed that virtual items can still be part of a real theft case. Earlier civil proceedings had already treated RuneScape gold as property capable of supporting theft claims.