Peter V’landys alleges he was ‘ambushed’ on racehorse cruelty by the ABC
Racing NSW boss Peter V’landys alleges he repeatedly asked the ABC what material the public broadcaster had showing racehorse cruelty but was “kept in the dark” before an expose was aired on 730.
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Racing supremo Peter V’landys has accused the ABC of “ambushing” him during an expose on alleged racehorse cruelty.
The boss of Racing NSW is suing the public broadcaster for defamation over a story last year on 730, which alleged hundreds of racehorses were being sent to slaughterhouses in NSW and Queensland.
Barrister Bruce McClintock, SC, told the Federal Court on Monday the ABC had refused to show Mr V’landys undercover videos of the facilities before his interview – in which he said he had no knowledge of the practice taking place in NSW – was intercut with the disturbing footage.
“It’s a significant part of our case that the ABC ambushed my client,” he told the court.
“What they did was they interviewed him and he repeatedly asked in the course of the interview, and this can be shown by the camera tapes, what material they had showing the appalling treatment of racehorses.
“The journalist in question declined to show him that footage … so he was completely in the dark.
“When they came to broadcast the segments of the interview they intercut that footage with the footage of my client.”
Mr V’landys lawyers allege the ABC did not disclose they had already obtained the covert footage before he sat down with a journalist and deprived him of a chance to explain his organisation has no sway over Queensland, where the alleged mass killings were occurring.
Mr McClintock argued the 730 segment was deliberately cut to “make my client look bad”.
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“They showed my client, contrary to the fact, to be a liar and also contrary to the fact, to have a callous disregard for the incidents of extraordinary cruelty to racehorses which were being shown before during and after the material with him,” he said.
“It was an ambush, we rather think it was a deliberate ambush and that this footage was deliberately cut in to make my client look bad.
“He has a long history of working with the welfare of retired racehorses.”
Barrister Clarissa Amato, acting on behalf of the ABC, questioned what damages could be awarded to Mr V’Landys if he had never viewed the program as he has previously said.
“Assuming it’s accepted, as Mr V’landys seems to say in his outline, that he has not in fact seen the program, he’s never viewed it, the question becomes are aggravated damages for hurt feelings available to an applicant who has not viewed the matter complained of,” she said.
But Mr McClintock said Mr V’Landys was well aware of the content of the program and was thinking about showing him the footage for the first time when he took to the witness box.
“Even though he hasn’t seen the program, he’s very well aware of what the content was,” he said.
“Things may change in relation to my client seeing the footage – I think it would assist to see my client’s reaction in the witness box … I suspect he will show a degree of verisimilitude.”
The matter will return to court at a later date.