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Bryony Frost bully row reaches shameful end at sham hearing with nine men debating the treatment of one woman

, Bryony Frost bully row reaches shameful end at sham hearing with nine men debating the treatment of one woman

IT’S not the least bit surprising that one of racing’s most shameful recent episodes reached a suitably shameful end.

On Wednesday, in the BHA’s central London disciplinary dungeon, Robbie Dunne had his 18-month ban for bullying Bryony Frost slashed almost in half.

Robbie Dunne’s ban was slashed from 18 months to 10 months on appeal

It’s hard to decide which was more disappointing, the stunning reduction in his ban or the tone in which the appeal hearing was conducted.

Like choosing between toothache and earache.

From the outset, it appeared clear that the independent appeal board chair, Anthony Boswood QC, had his mind made up.

The assembled panel, respective legal teams and Dunne himself had barely put their bums on their seats before Boswood, 74, outlined his “problems” with Rule J19.

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This is the BHA rule on ‘conduct prejudicial to the integrity or good reputation of racing’.

At the original disciplinary hearing, which was held across six days in late November and early December, Dunne was found to have breached this rule on four occasions.

Boswood couldn’t get his head around that, likening it to being sent down for “both murder and manslaughter”.

His opinion was Dunne’s campaign of abuse, harassment and the odd flashing should be filed under one, overarching breach.

I wonder, if Boswood was caught speeding four times, would he expect just the one ticket?

He went on to slam the disciplinary panel, chaired by a respected former top Old Bailey judge, describing the 18-month ban as “severe”.

The BHA’s lawyer Louis Weston, who spent most of the four-hour hearing paddling against a tide of BS, politely reminded him Dunne’s offences were serious and that the disciplinary panel hadn’t reached their verdict “by accident”.

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Bryony Frost was in action at Warwick on Thursday

One of the more unseemly aspects of the hearing was Boswood’s occasional joshing with Dunne’s new lawyer, Robin Mathew QC.

The pair bantered away about their days riding as amateurs, with Mathew at one point joking: “I was certainly never allowed on the inside of you, even if I had the courage to go there!”

Frankly, the mere hint that the ‘independent’ panel chair and the lead defence counsel are old chums is unsettling.

So too was the general view of these 70-something, Etonian-types that Frost’s ordeal wasn’t much more than a “quarrel” or a “spat”.

Mathew claimed Frost was a woman “quick to emotion” who “wasn’t in the mood to let things go”, his tone questionable at best.

He also claimed it was “clear” Dunne’s conduct had not caused “distress or fear”, which drew a shocked response from Weston: “It’s not for the bully to determine to the bullied how they should react.”

The media might have been limited to watching proceedings via a zoom link, but the stench of thinly-veiled misogyny was no less detectable.

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At points it felt like we’d been transported back 50 years, as though the hearing was being conducted in a smoky gentleman members’ club in the City. A proper ‘old boys’ vibe.

Where was the female voice in the room? Maths ain’t my strong suit, but I counted nine men debating the treatment of one young woman. That doesn’t add up.

In a bizarre exchange with Weston, Boswood questioned whether it was worse to call a woman a wh*re than it was a man a c***.

A bemused Weston replied it was, stating language with sexist, racist or homophobic connotations was never acceptable.

“Under any circumstances?” was Boswood’s incredible reply, insinuating that, well, it’s not that bad if you’re a bit of a bigot when your blood is up after a hotly-contested race.

When reaching their verdict, the panel conceded Dunne’s conduct was “reprehensible and disgraceful”, but that just made their decision to slash eight months off his penalty all the more head-scratching.

Part of the reason they decided to reduce Dunne’s ban was because of the number of rides he had lost, both currently and going forwards.

You can’t help but think of the ostracised Frost — her rides have plummeted as many in the sport have shamefully turned their back on her, the victim.

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This hearing was a sham. In my opinion, the defence produced no solid reason why Dunne’s ban should be reduced.

Yet here we are. Once again the sport finds itself in the headlines for the wrong reasons.

Did you miss our previous article…
https://www.sportingexcitement.com/horse-racing/revellers-enjoy-pints-in-the-sun-snap-selfies-as-they-spend-a-day-at-the-races-during-the-scottish-grand-national/

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