Britain’s Riding Authority has announced Robbie Dunne’s appeal against a ruling that he carried out an ongoing campaign of bullying against rider Bryony Frost on Wednesday, March 30.
Last December, a six-day hearing by the independent judiciary panel culminated in Dunne being banned for 18 months with three months of suspension.
Dunne’s legal team announced their intention to appeal last month, against both the text of the sentence and the punishment the board handed down.
Four violations of rule (J) 19 or ‘conducting conduct harmful to racing’ – conduct which the panel found was ‘intentional, improper targeting of a colleague in the a substantial period” – corresponds to one count covering the entire period between February 13 and September 3, 2020, as well as three specific incidents of bullying and harassment in Stratford on May 8 7, 2020, Uttoxeter on August 17, 2020 and Southwell on September 3, 2020.
The presiding judge Brian Barker made a stark distinction between the evidence presented by Frost, who was described as “an honest, careful and convincing witness” and that of Dunne, whose testimony was summarized. is “unbalanced and sometimes hard to track.”
The investigation also placed great weight on evidence presented by former amateur track and field athlete Hannah Welch that Dunne threatened and bullied her, as well as that of a Stratford fencer, who recounted when heard Dunne call Frost a “****** bitch”.
In providing their written rationale for imposing the 18-month ban, the panel expressed the view that “Mr Dunne’s words and conduct are wholly inappropriate for a professional athlete in a sport.” equal opportunity sport and will not be tolerated in any other conduct of life or work.”
The incident has attracted widespread coverage of what is considered acceptable in a modern weight room. On the fifth and final day of evidence, Dunne’s defense team introduced a number of famous riders in an attempt to put his language in the context of what his lawyers argued was normal in high pressure environment.
In particular, it was surprising that the prosecution’s legal team used the phrase “smelly” to describe weight-room culture, a tension that the BHA sought to alleviate somewhat after a guilty verdict.
A new panel will participate in the appeal, chaired by Anthony Boswood QC. Dunne’s legal team added former license holder and tax law expert Robin Mathew QC to the defense.
