Cases

Fahey v Jockey Club

Comment

This case highlighted the problems that tribunals such as the Jockey Club face in terms of effectively monitoring and safeguarding the integrity of the sport and at the same time ensuring that their procedures and the conduct of disciplinary hearings which might lead to a finding which impacts on a person's livelihood are fair and compliant with the principles enshrined in Article 6 of the ECHR. In this case, the main issue was whether on the basis of the video evidence and the jockey's explanation of the ride, a reasonable Panel could have come to the conclusion that it did. It is important to remember that in appeals of this kind, the Board does not re-hear the case before the Panel, and will be slow to reverse the decision of a Panel who has had the benefit of hearing live evidence from the key people involved (in this case, the jockey).

Areas of work

Professional Discipline
Professional Discipline
Sports Law

Also