Five more southeast greyhound racing figures suspended in wake of live baiting scandal

ANOTHER five local greyhound racing identities, including Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Jon Roberts, have been suspended after the Tooradin Trial Track raid.

Greyhounds at Sandown - Melbourne Cup trials. Race 7. Malfoy comes from behind for an emphatic victory. This is a generic shot from that race tat does nor include him in it.

ANOTHER five local greyhound racing identities, including Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Jon Roberts, have been suspended after the Tooradin Trial Track raid.

GRV closed the trial track last week and suspended 10 people over the live baiting scandal that has rocked the industry.

The authority has now withdrawn the registrations of Roberts, Kenneth Hodges, Brett Mackie, James Reynolds and Eric Sykes after viewing the full footage from the trial track.

The other suspended industry figures are champion trainer Darren McDonald, track operator Stuart Mills, Cranbourne Greyhound Racing Club president Neville King, Devon Meadows mentor Paul Anderton, Kerry Chalker, Chris Connelly, Laurie Cunningham, Dennis Dean, Anthony Mills and Bob Smith.

The races will continue tonight as scheduled at Cranbourne.

In a statement, the GRV said stewards had received from the Racing Integrity Commissioner the full video recording of alleged live baiting activities at the trial track. “In accordance with the advice of the chief steward, the board resolved to suspend the registrations of an additional five persons for alleged live baiting offences at the Tooradin trial track,” the statement said.

RSPCA Victoria inspectorate manager Allie Jalbert called for community help to expose other clandestine activities.

RSPCA chief Dr Liz Walker slammed the GRV board after it “crumbled” and reversed its decision to suspend dogs caught in the live baiting scandal.

The board decided all greyhounds could run if their owners signed statutory declarations stating they were unaware they had been trained with live bait. All dogs trained by the 15 implicated in the scandal were originally suspended.

Dr Walker accused the GRV of “incompetence” over the scandal.

Meanwhile, the controversy claimed another scalp when GRV chairman Peter Caillard resigned on Monday.

In a statement, he said: “Although I had read that the archaic practice of live baiting had occurred years ago, it was distressing to discover that it was still occurring in recent times.

“Had this practice been brought to my attention earlier, then it could have been stopped earlier. It was not and I did not.”