RP...
Head of security accused of being out to get Fallon
by Paul Eacott
RACING'S security chief Paul Scotney was on Monday accused at the Old Bailey of making a drunken claim that he was out to get Kieren Fallon.
The BHA head of security was said to have made the pledge at a public function last November, which resulted in a complaint to police. Hedenied the claim in court.
Scotney, who spent 27 years as a police officer before joining the Jockey Club in November 2003, became the latest prosecution witness to receive a rough ride during cross-examination in the race-fixing trial in an explosivesession in Court 12 on Monday.
The man charged with “protecting the integrity of British racing” was forced into an embarrassing cul-de-sac after repeatedly saying he could not recall having conversations with either investigating officers or high-profile witnesses, including Australian steward Ray Murrihy, and he also admitted that evidence central to the case against Fallon and five others had been destroyed.
Fallon, weighing-room colleagues Fergal Lynch and Darren Williams, professional gambler Miles Rodgers and two other men, Shaun Lynch and Philip Sherkle, all face charges of conspiracy to defraud Betfair customers.
Rodgers is also charged with an offence under the Proceeds of Crime Act. All six deny the charges.
Christopher Sallon QC, representing Shaun Lynch, said that police received a complaint in November last year from Buckinghamshire trainer Alan Jarvis about a remark made by an allegedly drunk Scotney that he was out to “get Fallon”.
Sallon put it to Scotney that, as the individual charged with keeping racing “pure”, it was important that he was seen to be independent.
Sallon told the court that Jarvis claimed Scotney had said that night that he “would get Kieren Fallon” if it was the last thing he could do.
“I would not have said that, and I would not have been drunk at a function like that,” Scotney said.
The court heard that the following afternoon, November 22, Detective Inspector Mark Manning, one of the officers at City of London police involved in the investigation into the 27 races, made a telephone call to Scotney informing him a complaint had been made.
Scotney was also questioned at length about his relationship with Manning, who last month was interviewed for a position in the BHA's security department.
Although Scotney was insistent that neither Manning's retirement from the force nor any vacant situations in the security department were discussed until March this year, Peter Kelson QC, representing Rodgers, put it to Scotney that talk of Manning joining the BHA after his retirement from the police force had in fact taken place much earlier.
Scotney said that he “only specifically recalls it being discussed in March”.
However, Kelson suggested to Scotney that in a meetingbetween Rodgers and his solicitor on June 6 last year, his client had said that he understood that Manning had met with, and been offered a job by, the BHA's precursor, the Horseracing Regulatory Authority.
“I am sorry sir, I really don't know where that came from,” Scotney responded.
It was also put to Scotney that the BHA had been “dangling a carrot” of funding towards the investigation to ensure that the City of London police took it on as it “was costing quite a lot of taxpayers' money”, and that City of London police were offered £250,000.
Scotney responded: “They were keen to take this on. There was a lot of thought as to where we would go. I do not recall us going to any other force.”
George Carter-Stephenson QC, representing Fergal Lynch, was also keen to establish why someone with former detective chief superintendent Scotney's extensive experience in criminal investigation and intelligence work did not take steps to preserve the material relating to stewards' inquiries involving Cd Europe and Ballinger Ridge – the only two races of the 27 under investigation that sparked inquiries on the day.
Only the summary of the stewards' inquiry published in the Racing Calendar remains and Scotney said: “I hadno reason to know that evidence would be destroyed.”
Admitting that there had been an “element of presumption” and that “in hindsight it was not good”, Scotney added that he had no reason to believe that it was routine for records to be destroyed twoyears after stewards' inquiries had taken place.
He added: “We responded to requests from the police. Maybe we weren't asked for those at the time. I don't remember a conversation about the Cd Europe race – I do the others.”
Carter-Stephenson alsotried to establish why Scotney appeared to be unable to produce any notes from meetings he had with investigating officers, or with Murrihy in meetings that took place in both Australia and the UK.
Scotney informed him that his briefcase was stolen during a burglary at the Jockey Club headquarters on Shaftesbury Avenue in 2005 and that, although he did not know for sure, it was “possible” there were notes relating to those meetings among the belongings taken.
The trial continues.
|