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| Jockey Fallon in 'race-fix scam' | Jockey Fallon in 'race-fix scam' |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Former champion jockey Kieren Fallon and two other riders deliberately lost races as part of a betting conspiracy, an Old Bailey jury has been told. | Former champion jockey Kieren Fallon and two other riders deliberately lost races as part of a betting conspiracy, an Old Bailey jury has been told. |
| Mr Fallon and two other jockeys agreed to make horses lose in 27 races, prosecutors told the court. | Mr Fallon and two other jockeys agreed to make horses lose in 27 races, prosecutors told the court. |
| Jonathan Caplan QC, prosecuting, said that the charges all related to a "serious allegation of fraud". | Jonathan Caplan QC, prosecuting, said that the charges all related to a "serious allegation of fraud". |
| Six defendants deny conspiracy to defraud customers of the internet betting exchange Betfair. | Six defendants deny conspiracy to defraud customers of the internet betting exchange Betfair. |
| Mr Caplan, prosecuting, said the charges amounted to a serious fraud which "undermines the integrity of the sport". | |
| The scheme helped a syndicate organised by businessman Miles Rodgers to defraud customers of Betfair, jurors heard. | |
| Losing horses | |
| Mr Caplan said Mr Rodgers, from South Yorkshire, was the "prime mover" of the conspiracy and stood to gain the most from it. | |
| He said Mr Rodgers passed on instructions to jockeys Darren Williams and Fergal Lynch by mobile phone but used intermediaries to contact Mr Fallon. | |
| THE DEFENDANTS Kieren Fallon, 42, from Tipperary, IrelandFergal Lynch, 29, from Boroughbridge, N YorkshireDarren Williams, 29, from Leyburn, N YorkshireShaun Lynch, 37, from Londonderry, N IrelandMiles Rodgers, 38, from Silkstone, S YorkshirePhilip Sherkle, 42, from Tamworth, Staffs The 27 races in question | |
| Mr Caplan said: "The defendants in this race did not fix races to ensure a horse won. On the contrary, they fixed the races to ensure that the horses in question lost. | Mr Caplan said: "The defendants in this race did not fix races to ensure a horse won. On the contrary, they fixed the races to ensure that the horses in question lost. |
| "The object of the conspiracy was to wager large amounts of money on a particular horse to lose in each of those races whilst knowing that the jockey was prepared, if necessary, to cheat by stopping his horse." | "The object of the conspiracy was to wager large amounts of money on a particular horse to lose in each of those races whilst knowing that the jockey was prepared, if necessary, to cheat by stopping his horse." |
| Mr Lynch's brother Shaun Lynch, 37, of Belfast and Philip Sherkle, 42, of Tamworth, Staffordshire, have also pleaded not guilty to being involved in the conspiracy. | |
| 'Small returns' | |
| The prosecution say that shortly after phone calls from the jockeys, Mr Rodgers would place large bets "or lay bets to achieve a small return by comparison". | |
| Bets were usually more than £100,000 to win about £20,000, but some were £60,000 to win about £4,000, Mr Caplan said. | |
| He said a total of £2.2m was laid by Rodgers' Betfair accounts between December 2002 and the end of August 2004. | |
| This period covered 27 races of which Mr Fallon rode in 17. | |
| Mr Caplan said Mr Fallon "won for the conspirators 12 times by losing, but he lost for them five times by winning". | |
| There can be no question that he is regarded as being one of the leading jockeys in the world Jonathan Caplan QC | |
| The defendants deny any wrongdoing and say they phoned each other before races to pass on tips or betting information. | |
| "Fallon's position appears to be that he would discuss the prospects of his own rides with Fergal and Shaun Lynch, but was completely unaware if they passed this information on to Rodgers," Mr Caplan said. | |
| But, Mr Caplan claimed, there was "something far more sinister and unlawful going on". | |
| Mr Fallon has won six champion jockey titles in the UK and in 2005, he won the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in France. | |
| "There can be no question that he is regarded as being one of the leading jockeys in the world," Mr Caplan said. | |
| The trial continues. |