Robbie Dunne to face disciplinary panel next week over Bryony Frost allegations

Jockey Robbie Dunne will face a disciplinary panel hearing next Tuesday after being charged with conduct prejudicial to the good reputation of horseracing and acting in a violent or improper manner following complaints of bullying from fellow rider Bryony Frost.

Up to six days have been set aside for the hearing with the disciplinary panel, headed by retired judge Brian Barker alongside James O'Mahony and Alison Royston, sitting for the first time on Tuesday with December 1, 2, 7-9 also available should they be required.

The hearing is set to take place in person at the BHA's headquarters in London, although media attendance is to be limited to Zoom. It is understood that efforts to secure a larger venue for the significant levels of outside interest expected for the case were unsuccessful.

Dunne, 36, was revealed earlier this year to be the jockey Frost, 26, had complained about to the BHA over his alleged behaviour towards her, including threatening to hurt her and "put [her] through a wing" having believed she had ridden dangerously during a race.

Further details of the BHA's investigation into the allegations and culture in the weighing room were also leaked to the media last month, throwing a spotlight on an intimate area of racing.

The BHA was heavily criticised in the wake of the leaking of the 120-page report, with complaints about the length of time it had taken for the case to be heard and following the revelation that the organisation had referred itself to the Information Commissioner having concluded the leak may have come from within its own integrity department.

The disciplinary panel is set to rule on whether Dunne breached rule (J) 19 by "bullying and harassing a fellow licensed jockey between February 12, 2020 and September 3, 2020" and whether the same rule was contravened by "verbally abusing and threatening a fellow licensed jockey" at Stratford on July 8, 2020, at Uttoxeter on August 17, 2020 and at Southwell on September 3, 2020.

Bryony Frost: complained to the BHA over Robbie Dunne's alleged behaviourCredit: Edward Whitaker

Additionally, the panel will consider if Dunne breached rule (J) 20 by "verbally abusing and threatening a fellow licensed jockey" on the same three dates.

Should Dunne be found in breach of rule (J) 19, conduct prejudicial to the good reputation of racing, he could be fined up to £15,000 or suspended for as long as three years, with entry points of a £2,000 fine or three-month suspension advised in the BHA rules.

Rule (J) 20, which says a person must not act in a violent or improper manner, carries a penalty of a ban of up to 21 days, with an entry point of four days for riders found to have breached the rule.

Dunne denied the allegations against him when interviewed by BHA investigators, while neither he nor Frost have commented since the report was leaked.

Alongside the direct allegations against Dunne, the culture of the weighing room has come under scrutiny after BHA investigators concluded "there is a cultural issue in which threatening behaviour is condoned and not reported in the weighing room.

"It is submitted that it is likely that this is why it has been difficult for the BHA to gather detailed witness evidence from occupants of the weighing room."

Who is on the disciplinary panel hearing the case?

Brian Barker QC
Barker, 76, is a retired former senior judge and is serving his second three-year term as chairman of the independent disciplinary panel having held the role since its creation in 2017. During his career Barker served as Recorder of London, the most senior judge at the Old Bailey, as well as sitting as a judge at the Court of Appeal. He was made a CBE in the 2015 New Year's Honours for services to the administration of justice and to charity.

James O'Mahony
O'Mahony, 70, retired in April this year after a distinguished career as a circuit judge, with the last 13 years spent on the bench at Canterbury Crown Court. Appointed the Honorary Recorder of Margate in 2002, O'Mahony is known for his love of Shakespeare as well as horseracing.

Alison Royston
Royston, 46, has spent much of her career in football administration, reaching the role of head of administration at Leeds United. She also served as a member of the FA's judicial panel. Royston has ridden competitively since childhood and took part in the St Patrick's Derby charity race at the 2013 Cheltenham Festival.

Read more on this subject:

Weighing room culture under fire after Dunne-Frost bullying case is leaked

'For how many more weeks might we be drip-fed material calculated to shock?'

Robbie Dunne tight-lipped on BHA investigation into complaint by Bryony Frost

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