'Whoa moment' - Stratford attendant says Dunne verbals were out of the ordinary

Robbie Dunne's alleged verbal attack on Bryony Frost at Stratford last year would have been reported immediately to officials if the extent of their feud had been known by a male fence attendant who allegedly heard the abuse, such was its ferocity, he told a disciplinary panel hearing on Thursday.

The fence attendant, whose name was kept private, described Dunne allegedly calling Frost a "f****** s***" as a "whoa moment" that he had not experienced before on a racecourse during his testimony at a hearing brought by the BHA against Dunne on charges of prejudicial conduct and violent and threatening behaviour. He denies all charges of prejudicial conduct and two of the three of threatening behaviour.

The volley of alleged abuse directed at Frost was "out of the ordinary", according to the male fence attendant, who queried why other riders, who had been "within earshot", had chosen not to appear as witnesses.

"There were other jockeys in what I would call earshot – I think it's a significant point to me that they have not come forward as witnesses," he said.

It was put to the male fence attendant by Roderick Moore, representing Dunne, that Adam Wedge, who had been present, described the exchange as "nothing out of the ordinary" and that he had not seen any evidence of Frost being bullied.

The male fence attendant said: "That's between him and his conscience. My conscience is clear and I know what was said and the manner it was delivered. In my experience of the racecourse this was very out of the ordinary.

"What would be ordinary to him might be very different to what might be ordinary to members of the public. To me it was a long sentence and the volume and level of aggression was raised and he spat out those three words that I listed."

He added: "It was a 'whoa' moment. We didn't realise there was trouble between these individuals. If we did we would have reported it immediately. This was something different."

Bryony Frost: allegations she was verbally abused by weighing-room colleague Robbie DunneCredit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

Valets Graham Piper and his nephew Lewis Piper, who had been working at Southwell on September 3 last year when Dunne was alleged to have told Frost he would "put her through a wing", also spoke on Thursday.

Graham Piper stated he felt the two jockeys had been "bickering" and that he had seen no evidence of bullying. He added: "It's not something you can do in the weighing room. It would not happen. All the lads and girls would be behind each other. No one [ever] had to pull Mr Dunne aside to talk to him."

Frost seemed "quieter than usual" after the incident, according to Graham Piper, but was "not upset or tearful", while Lewis Piper added that Frost remained in the male changing room.

"I remember she was still in the weighing room," he said. "She was still hanging about in the male room. If she was distressed surely she would have gone to her own room and hid away?"

'100 per cent certain' – Stratford witness stands by altercation testimony

Former amateur rider Hannah Welch told the panel of allegedly being confronted by Dunne after a race at Chepstow in 2018 which had left her in tears, adding she found it "bizarre" no one stepped in to assist.

"My recollection is that he confronted me in the weighing room and said I had cut him up on the top bend. He was shouting and swearing," Welch said. "He was standing very close to me and I was crying and he didn't stop."

Asked by panel member Alison Royston whether she felt able to report the incident, Welch added: "I thought that it would not be regarded as serious enough and there would be retribution for me if I continued to ride as the other jockeys would not like the fact I had reported this."

Frost's riding style was later criticised for being uncaring and lacking respect according to witness statements provided by Tom Scudamore and Gavin Sheehan that were partially read by Roderick Moore.

Both riders had been interviewed by the BHA's former head of integrity Chris Watts, who appeared as a witness on Thursday, last December and had indicated Frost's tendency to line up wide before coming towards the inside in races, with Sheehan stating that "on occasion Ms Frost does silly things and doesn't care about the other jockeys in the race, but she is a brilliant jockey".

Gavin Sheehan: critical of Bryony Frost's riding in a witness statementCredit: Getty Images

Subsequently interviewed in September, Sheehan told the BHA that Watts had left out that the rider had planned to ask the stewards to speak to Frost about her riding at Southwell on September 3, 2020, while Scudamore also queried Watts' summary of their discussion.

"This does not fully represent my opinion or the full extent of my statement as I recall," he said. "I do have issues with her riding. I have on occasions experienced problems with what I would describe as her lack of respect for other riders and lack of spatial awareness in races."

Watts stated the riders had been given the "opportunity to say whatever [they] wanted" during their interviews.

Bryony Frost: Robbie Dunne 'promised to hurt me and put me through a wing'

Watts was also questioned about suggestions Jimmy Frost had sought revisions to his daughter's formal statement to the BHA, with Watts stating he reiterated that "any statement of facts had to be from her", and described as "ludicrous" claims he told trainer Laura Young during a phone call that he and Jimmy Frost were "very good friends".

Prior to Watts appearing, it had been revealed during questioning of John Burgess, the BHA's acting head of integrity, that further threats of violence towards Dunne from an unknown party had been made on October 20 this year in messages left with the BHA and the Professional Jockeys Association, albeit investigations had not turned up any suspects.

The BHA formally rested its case on Thursday with the defence beginning its case on Tuesday.

Read these next:

Robbie Dunne alleges threat to break his legs over treatment of Bryony Frost

Robbie Dunne's counsel questions Bryony Frost's version of Southwell incident

Robbie Dunne subjected Bryony Frost to misogynistic tirade, panel is told

The Front Runner is our latest email newsletter available exclusively to Members' Club Ultimate subscribers. Chris Cook, a three-time Racing Reporter of the Year award winner, provides his take on the day's biggest stories and tips for the upcoming racing every morning from Monday to Friday