English League Championship footballers Michael Chopra and James Coppinger, and jockey Andrew Heffernan, are among nine individuals who could face long bans from racing after they were charged with serious breaches of the anti-corruption rules by the British Horseracing Authority.
Yogesh Joshee, Chopra’s agent, also faces charges, along with Mark Wilson, a former player with Manchester United, Paul Garner, a former stable lad, Kelly Inglis, who is believed to have been Heffernan’s girlfriend at the time of the offences, Douglas Shelley and Pravin Shingadia.
The charges against them include offering bribes, exploiting inside information for personal gain and in the case of Heffernan, three charges that he intentionally failed to ensure a horse was ridden on its merits.
The BHA charges follow an investigation into suspicious betting patterns on races at Britain’s four all-weather racecourses between November 2010 and March 2011.
In all, nine races are at the heart of the BHA’s case, including four at Southwell, three at Lingfield and one each at Wolverhampton and Kempton.No date has yet been set for the hearing.
