ACTOR AND former footballer Vinnie Jones and two other members of a greyhound-owning syndicate have brought a High Court challenge to a proposed inquiry into a charge that their winning dog had tested positive for drugs in a race two years ago.
The syndicate claims the inquiry, as proposed by the Irish Coursing Club (ICC), is unfair and breaches the club’s own rules as well as the rules of natural justice.
It has brought judicial review proceedings against the club over the inquiry initiated after its greyhound, Boavista, won the JP McManus Irish Cup course at Limerick trace track in February 2006. The inquiry has been deferred pending the outcome of the court action.
The syndicate comprises Jones, who starred in films including Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Pat Curtin, a greyhound trainer, and Denis Gould, a bookie. Mr Curtin’s sister, Bridget, who was the handler of Boavista, is also one of the applicants.
The case centres on a decision by the ICC to hold an inquiry into the alleged finding of amphetamine in Boavista after the 2006 race. As a result of a drug test on the dog, the €80,000 purse from the race was frozen although all winning bets were paid out.
The syndicate and Ms Curtin claim the ICC did not provide full disclosure of the allegations against them. They want a court order restraining the inquiry from taking place in the manner proposed. They claim the inquiry breaches natural justice and the ICC’s own rules.
They say all relevant documents, including statements and names and addresses of all witnesses, must first be supplied to them before any inquiry takes place.
David Sutton, for the syndicate and Ms Curtin, said the allegations were very serious. The amphetamine allegation was subject to serious penalties under under both the Misuse of Drugs Acts and the Animal Remedies Act, he said.
Mr Curtin, as a successful greyhound trainer, was concerned because any adverse findings could have serious financial consequences, Mr Sutton added.
The ICC denies the syndicate has not been afforded fair procedures. The syndicate was furnished with all documents, including the names of the stewards who witnessed the taking and certifying of the sample and the name of the veterinary surgeon who took the sample.
The ICC also says that Bridget Curtin, the handler of the dog, was present during the test and was given the opportunity to have a split sample but waived that right.
The hearing before Mr Justice Daniel Herbert continues.