Wednesday, September 1, 2004
KIEREN FALLON ARRESTED IN FIXING PROBE
www.sportinglife.com reported
Champion jockey Kieren Fallon is one of the three riders arrested today as part of an investigation into alleged race fixing, according to the BBC.
Fergal Lynch and Darren Williams have been named as the other two, together with trainer Karl Burke.
More than 130 police officers raided 19 addresses across Suffolk, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and Hertfordshire today and arrested a total of 16 people for alleged conspiracy to defraud.
The investigation centres on suspicions of corruption within horse racing and fixing the outcome of races.
It is understood the allegations involve more than 80 races over the last two years.
Of the 16 arrests, eight were made in South Yorkshire, three in North Yorkshire, three in Suffolk and two in Hertfordshire, a police spokesman confirmed.
Detective Chief Superintendent Steve Wilmott, of City of London Police, who are heading the probe, said: "Of the people we have arrested three are jockeys and one is a horse trainer.
"We have amassed a large amount of information, including computer records and documentation seized today, and will now commence the detailed task of examining it all."
City of London Police Assistant Commissioner Mike Bowron said: "The City of London Police are leading this complex investigation with assistance from police in Suffolk, North Yorkshire and South Yorkshire.
"We are leaders in the investigation of economic crime and are very experienced in dealing with large-scale fraud cases.
"We are very pleased to have taken the lead role in this operation, which spans the whole of the country. This case is of great national significance, not just to the racing community, but to the wider public throughout the UK."
Those arrested were still in custody and the investigation was continuing, police added.
A South Yorkshire Police spokeswoman said: "South Yorkshire Police are assisting the City of London Police in a joint operation. A number of arrests have been made across South Yorkshire this morning.
"These persons are being detained for questioning at police stations across the county."
John Maxse, director of public relations at the Jockey Club, said: "This is an investigation which was initially handled by the Jockey Club, then it was passed on to the City Of London police earlier this year."
Jockeys' Association chief executive John Blake told BBC News: "It appears very serious indeed.
"The police have amassed a huge amount of evidence which they will now go through. It does seem strange to me on first sight of that, that they have not done that prior to these dawn arrests and we will wait to see the outcome of that.
"Of course it is very damaging to the reputation of racing, very damaging to the reputation of trainers and jockeys potentially and it's a great concern to us.
"The Jockey Club itself licenses the jockeys and trainers and as a consequence of that they have their own proper disciplinary process to call upon and it seems at this point that this process has been leapfrogged and become a police matter, because to my knowledge no jockeys have been involved in an investigation into this."
Betting guru John McCririck told ITV News: "This so undermines the integrity of racing and could not have come at a worse time.
"What has brought this all to the surface is the emergence of the exchanges, where you can not only back horses but also lay them to lose. Previously, only bookmakers could lay a horse to lose, you had to have a licence and there weren't too many of them.
"Now anyone can go on the exchanges and lay a horse to lose for whatever reason. But there is now a paper trail and all the business of the exchanges is opened up to the authorities. In the old days the bookmakers kept very quiet and protected the confidentiality of their clients.
"But it is the image of racing that suffers. We have the position with athletics and with swimming that whenever a record is broken, people think what drugs are they on?
"That's what you think of straight away rather than what a fantastic achievement.
"People will be asking was that race crooked and was that horse trying? That has been the cry down the centuries about horse racing but now it has been brought into these lurid headlines once again."
STATEMENT FROM THE JOCKEY CLUB FOLLOWING ARRESTS BY THE CITY OF LONDON POLICE
The Jockey Club was informed this morning that the City of London Police have made a number of arrests, including three jockeys and one trainer, as part of a police investigation into horseracing.
The City of London Police investigation was initiated following investigative work by the Jockey Club's Security Department, headed by Paul Scotney, a former detective chief superintendent.
The decision to refer the matter to the police was taken following consultation with the Chairman of the Jockey Club's Security and Investigations Committee, Ben Gunn, a former Chief Constable.
Paul Scotney said today: "Earlier this year it became apparent that what had started out as an investigation into possible breaches of the Rules of Racing had uncovered evidence which indicated criminal activity which could undermine the integrity of horseracing. Consequently, we decided to refer the matter to the City of London Police, our decision also took account of the fact that the Jockey Club has no powers of search or arrest and has very limited powers when investigating individuals not bound by the Rules of Racing.
"Ever since the City of London Police took the case on, the investigation has been wholly in their hands. The Jockey Club has assisted the police when requested and acted as a conduit for information and intelligence relating to the investigation."
BETFAIR INSTRUMENTAL IN FACILITATING ARRESTS
Betfair has played a key role in helping the police with their investigations into corruption in horse racing, leading to the arrests made today by the City of London police.
Some of the evidence which led to the arrests resulted from the sophistication of technology now available, where all bets can be tracked, and all transactions linked to an end customer.
Betfair has for some time been in discussions with the Jockey Club to use Betfair's audit trail to investigate activity which it believed warranted further enquiry. The Jockey Club subsequently referred evidence from Betfair to the City of London police.
Betfair has long maintained that the transparency of its exchange model, with the audit trail it provides, is a tremendously powerful weapon in assisting the authorities in keeping sport clean. The capability and use of tracking every mouse click is an important asset for investigations of this nature.
It is now important that the judicial process is allowed to take its course, and it would thus be inappropriate for Betfair to make any further comment on today's events.
For old articles (from 1st March 2000) go to the Newslink
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