Horse racing-Jockey Dunne banned for 18 months for bullying, harassing fellow rider Frost
:Jockey Robbie Dunne has been banned for 18 months, with three months suspended, after being found guilty of bullying and harassing fellow rider Bryony Frost over a seven-month period, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) said on Thursday.
An independent disciplinary panel heard evidence about horse racing's "weighing-room culture", which its chair, Brian Barker QC, described as coercive.
Dunne, 36, was found in breach of four counts of conduct prejudicial to the integrity and reputation of horse racing between Feb. 13, 2020 and Sept. 3, 2020.
The three-person panel found Dunne guilty of distasteful targeting and deliberate harassment on and off the course, and ruled that there had been "occasional cases of dangerous bullying".
The BHA said they welcomed the panel's findings and added that the punishment reflected the seriousness of the accusations.
"It sends a clear message that conduct of this nature cannot be tolerated in any working environment within our sport," the BHA said in a statement.
"By stepping forward to report the behaviour of which she was on the receiving end, Bryony Frost took a courageous step. We hope that others who may be in similar positions will feel comfortable doing the same.
"We must take positive steps across the sport to ensure that British racing is a welcoming place to work for everyone. We will issue more detail as to our next steps on this front in the near future."
Dunne was found by the panel to have threatened Frost by promising to "put her through a wing (of a fence)" and he was also accused of using misogynistic language towards her.
"Our conclusion on the whole of the evidence is that a course of deliberate conduct over a significant period of time has been revealed," Barker said.
"On the examination of Ms Frost's evidence and demeanour we find her to be truthful, thoughtful and compelling. By taking her complaint to the authority she has broken the code (of the weighing room), knowing that her isolation, and rejection by some, was inevitable.
"...The weighing room culture... is deep-rooted and coercive, and in itself not conducive to the good health and development of modern-day race-riding."
Dunne had denied two of the three counts of violent or improper behaviour towards Frost, 26, and all four prejudicial conduct charges, including bullying and harassing.
Frost became the first woman to win the King George VI Chase in December last year and the first woman to ride a top-level Grade One Cheltenham Festival winner in March 2019.
(Reporting by Hritika Sharma in BengaluruEditing by Toby Davis)
