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Kieren Fallon cleared of race-fixing charges |
Irish jockey Kieren Fallon has been cleared of race-fixing charges after judge Sir Thayne Forbes threw out the case due to lack of evidence.
This puts an end to a three-year investigation into the star jockey, businessman and gambler Miles Rodgers, other fellow jockeys Fergal Lynch and Darren Williams as well as two other men, which was conducted by City of London Police and the Crown Prosecution Service at a cost of £6 million.
The six men were accused of plotting to stop 27 horses from winning races between 2002 and 2004.
However, all six men were cleared of these charges before they were to testify.
After the verdict 42 year-old Fallon said, “I am of course relieved and delighted, but also outraged. There was never any evidence against me.”
Fallon had been suspended from riding for 17 months after his arrest. The British Horseracing Authority has now issued a statement saying Kieren Fallon, Fergal Lynch and Darren Williams are all now free to continue competing in horse races.
Main witness for the prosecution Australian racing steward Ray Murrihy believed that 13 of the alleged 27 races were fixed. He did however admit that he wasn’t very clued up on the rules and culture of British horse racing. The judge said this was “remarkable” considering Mr Murrihy was to give expert evidence on 27 horse races.
Judge Forbes commenting on Mr Murrihy’s evidence said, “It is abundantly clear that his evidence fell far, far shot of establishing a prima facie breach of UK racing rules.
“I have reached the conclusion that even if it was appropriate to admit Mr Murrihy’s expert opinion… very little value can be attached to it.”
Kieren Fallon’s solicitor, Ian Burton has said he will be preparing a report for the Independent Police Complaint’s Commission. He has claimed that two other police forces were approached by the British Horseracing Authority to handle the case before City police intervened to head the investigation.
Ian Burton also wants “an urgent and full inquiry” into the role of the Crown Prosecution Service in the case, as well as an explanation as to why Director of Public Prosecutions, Sir Ken Macdonald took an interest in the case.
Paul Struthers, a spokesman for the BHA said, “The circumstances in which the investigation was initiated and then continued amount, in our view, to an abuse of the function of the investigation and prosecuting authorities.”
City of London Police, Commander Patrick Rice, claims his police force had “no regrets” about taking the case. He said, “I am confident that the officers involved conducted a thorough investigation of what was a long and complex inquiry. As the first of its kind, there was also no precedent. We followed the evidence we obtained and went to where the evidence led us. We will not shirk our responsibilities when it comes to investigating allegations of corruption, wherever they lie.
“We believe we presented some compelling evidence and it is a pity that the jury did not have the opportunity to consider all the evidence.”
Horse racing is just one of the sport’s which has been in the headlines recently that has been accused of being fixed. Allegations of match-fixing in football and tennis have also hit the headlines recently. Time will tell if players in these sports are found innocent just like Fallon or are found guilty of match-fixing.
Source:http://www.onlinecasinopress.co.uk/ |
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