Police have laid six new charges against a suspended Tamworth harness racing trainer already accused of doping a horse, on the same day that another local harness racing trainer was charged with race-fixing offences.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
A 34-year-old Duri man has become the third person in NSW to be charged under the new rac-fixing laws.
Strike Force Trentbridge detectives raided a home on Werris Creek Rd in Duri yesterday about 7am.
They charged the 34-year-old harness racing trainer, who has not be named, late yesterday afternoon with two charges of facilitating conduct that corrupts the betting outcome of an event, as well as two charges of use corrupt conduct information to bet on event.
He was granted conditional bail to appear at Tamworth Local Court on June 24.
Detectives also ramped up their case against Robert Clement, who has been charged with a string of offences after allegedly drenching Prussian Secret before the Tamworth Cup on April 28.
Strike Force Trentbridge laid the fresh charges as Clement fronted for his first court appearance yesterday.
Clement was charged with two counts of engaging in conduct that corrupts the betting of an event and four counts of facilitating conduct that corrupts the betting outcome of an event.
It brings the total offences Clement is facing to 12.
Head of the Casino and Racing Investigation Unit, Detective Inspector Wayne Walpole told media the new charges are in relation to harness races in Tamworth and Muswellbrook.
“The fresh charges against Mr Clement today relate to the harness racing industry, it doesn’t relate to the drenching of the harness racing horse, that’s not an allegation,” Detective Inspector Walpole said.
“They relate to him and other persons arranging the corrupting of harness racing events both in Muswellbrook and Tamworth.
“My understading is that Mr Clement is currently suspended as a trainer by Harness Racing NSW.”
The charges relate to horses that raced in Tamworth harness race meets on December 28 last year and January 3, January 20 and April 17 this year , as well as a race in Muswellbrook on April 21.
Clement fronted Tamworth Local Court yesterday on charges he and 27-year-old Cody Morgan allegedly doped Tamworth Cup winner Prussian Secret before the April 28 race.
Clement did not enter a plea in court but was represented by Patricia Robinson who sought to have her client’s bail conditions relaxed.
“He is simply not a flight risk,” Ms Robinson told the court.
“He is a married man with children who has lived at that address for years.
“He is a horse breaker, a farrier and a local ... he is simply not going anywhere.”
n from page 1
However, Magistrate Roger Prowse continued Clement’s bail conditions until he fronts Tamworth Local Court on July 10.
Morgan pleaded not guilty to four charges of engage in conduct that corrupts betting outcome of an event, two charges of facilitate conduct that corrupts betting outcome of an event and use corrupt conduct information to bet on an event.
Paul O’Sullivan, who was representing Morgan, argued to the court that some of his client’s bail conditions should be relaxed.
“Put very simply he is a racehorse trainer – that is his occupation,” Mr O’Sullivan said.
“That is his sole source of income, he has no other form of income.”
Mr O’Sullivan sought to have the bail conditions that restrict Morgan from training racehorses or approaching within 250 metres of a racetrack dropped, so that he could race some horses in Queensland.
Instead, Mr O’Sullivan argued that a condition be added to Morgan’s bail restrictions that would have him obey all the rules of racing.
However,police prosecutor Sergeant Price argued against this.
“The police allegation is that this was planned, organised crime,” the police prosecutor told the court.
He also alleged Morgan would “continue his ways in future races”.
In his application to amend Morgan’s bail, Mr O’Sullivan sought an adjournment to get the results of Prussian Secret’s blood test, taken the day stewards and police raided the Attunga property two weeks ago.
“Seeking to gather the results of a blood sample from the horse to be available for consideration in the bail application,” Mr O’Sullivan said in court.
The tests routinely take around three weeks to be returned, but Mr O’Sullivan is seeking to have it used as part of a bail hearing for Morgan to be held tomorrow in Tamworth Local Court.
The court was also told Morgan had been paid the winning prizemoney for Prussian Secret’s win in the Tamworth Cup in April.
It’s believed that money will now be seized or frozen while the matter is before the court.
Police say they have months of phone taps which they will rely on as evidence when the matters return to court in July.
Detective Inspector Wayne Walpole told media the phone taps were quite lengthy.
“The telecommunications have been on a number of services operating for a number of months,” Detective Inspector Walpole said.
And now detectives are interviewing a cast of potential witnesses.
“We’ve got a team of detectives up here at the moment and they will be talking to approximately 10 or 11 people in the regional areas of Armidale, Tamworth and Port Macquarie over the next couple of days,” Detective Inspector Walpole said.
It was the initial appearance of both Morgan and Clement who are the first people to be charged under the new legislation introduced in September last year.
Police swooped on Clement’s Bendemeer property as well as Morgan’s Attunga base on May 12, seizing the prized racehorse, just hours before it was due to race in the Gunnedah Cup.
Police pounced as Prussian Secret was being transported to Gunnedah because of fears the horse was going to be drenched before it started in the Cup.
Detectives are yet to formally interview Morgan or Clement.