On 11 November 2020, the Victorian Racing Tribunal (VRT) considered a charge issued by Harness Racing Victoria (HRV) Stewards against Bradley Costello under Australian Harness Racing Rule (AHRR) 187(2) for giving false information during an investigation.
Charge 1 under AHRR 187(2) states:
A person shall not refuse to answer questions or to produce a horse, document, substance or piece of equipment, or give false or misleading evidence or information at an inquiry or investigation.
The particulars of this charge related to Mr Costello giving false evidence to HRV Stewards during an interview on 3 May 2020 regarding the circumstances of the death of the horse ‘Trotting Rockstar’.
Mr Costello attended the hearing and pleaded guilty to the charge prior to the VRT hearing submissions on penalty from HRV Stewards and Mr Costello.
Penalty
Charge 1 – $750 fine.
VRT Panel: Judge Graeme Hicks (Chairman)
The written decisions of the VRT can be found here.
(Please note that VRT Decisions will generally be published within 7-10 days of the date of hearing)