Robbie Dunne has admitted to one charge of acting in a violent or improper manner towards Bryony Frost in the first day of his British Horseracing Authority hearing.
The jockey has admitted a breach of Rule (J) 20, acting in a violent or improper manner towards Bryony Frost. This was in relation to a race at Southwell on 3 September 2020.
Dunne is alleged to have told her he would “murder” her, in return for her “murdering” him – a reference to dangerous riding which can be used in horseracing.
Frost is expected to speak at the hearing on Wednesday and provide evidence against Dunne.
BHA lawyer Louis Weston said: “It’s clear and not controversial between the BHA and Mr Dunne that he has in his head that Ms Frost has on occasion cut him up or ridden across his horse as it comes to a fence in a way that he believes to be dangerous or careless.
“He believes that he is entitled as a result of that to become some enforcer.”
He said Dunne had behaved in a “bullying, harassing” manner to Frost and used “foul, sexually abusive and misogynistic language towards her and threatened to cause her serious physical harm by injuring her at the racecourse” – conduct he said was “prejudicial to the integrity, good conduct and good reputation of horse racing”.
Weston said the issue between the two riders started in the period 2017 to 2019 when Dunne behaved “inappropriately” in that he “displayed his naked self (to Frost) in a way that was unacceptable” on leaving a sauna in the weighing room.
Frost “stood up” to Dunne telling him it was unacceptable, leading them to “fall out” and for Dunne to start to “mock, tease and bully” Frost in front of others, with Weston citing an alleged incident while she being interviewed after her victory aboard Frodon in the Ryanair Chase and a tweet regarding the 2020 Virtual Grand National – an action Dunne conceded was “unprofessional”.
Weston showed three videos illustrating incidents on course, with one showing Dunne riding over to Frost after a race had finished at Stratford, with the jockey pulling down his face mask to speak while pointing his finger towards her.
Dunne is reported to have said: “You’re a f***ing w***e, you’re a dangerous c*** and if you ever f***ing murder (cut across) me like that again, I’ll murder you.”
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Bryony Frost will speak tomorrow at Robbie Dunne’s BHA hearing into allegations of bullying and harassment as Dunne admitted one charge of violent or improper conduct.
Weston stated the BHA had received a statement last week from a fence attendant at Stratford that day, saying he could not “make out all the conversation but did hear Dunne calling Frost a “f***ing s**t”, with Dunne said to have apologised for “calling (Frost) names” a few days later.
The BHA representative said that at Uttoxeter last August Dunne told Frost at the start before a race: “I’m going to stop you murdering everyone, I’m going to murder you”, before telling her at Southwell on September 3: “The next time I ride against you, I promise I will put you through a wing”.
The case, which centres around a complaint made by Frost, is being heard after months of investigation, with the process also impacted by the contents of a lengthy BHA report into the allegations and culture in the weighing room being leaked to a newspaper last month.
Image:
Jeremy Pass and Bryony Frost claim victory at Ascot for Paul Nicholls.
However, the BHA opted to proceed with the hearing, which is being held in person at BHA headquarters in London.
The independent disciplinary panel will also consider whether Dunne was guilty of “conduct prejudicial to horse racing” and of “acting in a violent or improper manner” by “verbally abusing and threatening a fellow jockey” at Stratford on July 8 and at Uttoxeter on August 17.
For violent or improper conduct, the entry point is a four-day ban for a jockey with the range being one to 21 days.
The six days set aside for the hearing are November 30 to December 2 and December 7-9, if required.
The hearing continues.
https://www.skysports.com/racing/news/12426/12483286/jockey-robbie-dunne-admits-one-charge-of-violent-or-improper-manner-at-bryony-frost-bha-hearing
