Robbie Dunne bullying ban slashed by eight months in shock ruling after appeal into Bryony Frost case
BULLY jockey Robbie Dunne has had his ban slashed by eight months in a shock ruling into his case against Bryony Frost.
Dunne, 36, was originally banned for 18 months with three suspended after being found guilty of bullying the female jockey last December.
But his initial ban – deemed ‘severe’ by the appeal panel chair – was cut to ten months during his appeal at BHA HQ in London today.
Dunne is now free to race again from October – despite his actions being described as ‘disgraceful’ and his appeal being rejected.
Panel chair Anthony Boswood QC said: “We wish to make it clear that Mr Dunne’s behaviour was reprehensible and disgraceful and any other jockey behaving in such a way in future must expect serious punishment.
“We think [the original punishment] was severe given the number of rides Mr Dunne will have lost to date and will lose in the future at this late stage in his career.
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“We also think that it may be that the disciplinary panel gave insufficient credit for items of mitigation such as his attempted apology to Bryony Frost after the Stratford race, and his willingness to participate in a ‘banging of heads together’ at Kempton that was facilitated by the jockey Richard Johnson after conversations with Bryony Frost’s father.
“We have decided to reduce the period of suspension to ten months, the consequence of which is the suspension will end on October 9, 2022. We simply apply a period of ten months.”
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The BHA panel heard last November that Dunne called Frost a ‘f**ing sl*t’ at Stratford racecourse last July.
He was also accused of intimidating the King George winner by standing naked in front of her.
Dunne admitted acting in a violent manner towards 26-year-old Frost, who opened her heart to Sun Racing in a wide-ranging interview once her rival’s initial ban was handed out.
Frost said no one should be made to feel the way she was during a near two-year timeline of torture.
BULLYING ONLINE AND IN PERSON
She said: “The world I was in was like ‘Take it on the chin, brush it under the carpet, it will be OK in time’.
“But it was increasing in momentum and getting worse.
“I’d work, I’d race, I’d come back and on to the next one.
“There were times I thought life shouldn’t just be about day-to-day living. My last resort was taking it to the BHA.
“I knew it was never going to stop but I had to give something a go because it was getting worse.”
At the original hearing, Dunne denied four charges of conduct prejudicial to horse racing, including bullying and harassing Frost.
He also denied two of the three counts of violent or improper behaviour.
But he did admit one breach at Southwell on September 3 2020, when he is alleged to have ‘promised’ to hurt her.
APPEAL REJECTED BUT BAN REDUCED
Dunne’s appeal against his ban was rejected but his ban was reduced as the appeal panel felt the original ruling ‘gave insufficient credit for items of mitigation’.
Frost told Sun Racing late last year that she never wanted the case to be her vs Frost but about respect between jockeys.
She said: “It wasn’t about me versus Robbie Dunne, or about girls having to back girls, or trainers having to back trainers.
“It was about human beings . . . there has to be a line you can’t cross.
“You’re not going to get on with everyone but it’s about treating people with respect and dignity.”