Victoria Police must pay for jockey Danny Nikolic’s court expenses after racetrack ban withdrawn
VICTORIA Police has been ordered to pay for banned jockey Danny Nikolic’s court expenses after withdrawing an order preventing him from attending the state’s racetracks.
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VICTORIA Police has been ordered to pay for banned jockey Danny Nikolic’s court expenses after withdrawing an order preventing him from attending the state’s racetracks.
Lawyers acting on behalf of police today told the Supreme Court they had revoked the order.
The ban was imposed by Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton last month.
Mr Ashton wrote to Racing Victoria chief steward Terry Bailey on September 8 confirming the ban, which added to an exclusion order from Crown Casino imposed three years ago, and threatened to end his chance of regaining a riding licence in Victoria.
Nikolic, 40, took the matter to the Supreme Court for an administrative review, arguing he was denied natural justice.
“The police commissioner has given me no reason for the exclusion order except that it’s in the public interest,’’ Nikolic said recently.
“If he has any proof that I am of poor character, why doesn’t he produce it?”
The court heard Nikolic was unsatisfied with the payout and had hoped Victoria Police would be forced to pay compensation costs for bringing him to court.
At an earlier hearing, the court heard Nikolic was given no notice of the ban, was denied the opportunity to object to it and was unaware of any evidence that led to the Chief Commissioner’s decision.
Nikolic’s lawyer Jason Murakami said his client had been put to extraordinary expense as a result of the ban.
But Justice Kevin Bell today ruled there was nothing exceptional about the circumstances that brought the case to court and refused ordering Victoria Police to payout indemnity costs.
Nikolic hasn’t ridden since a being suspended after a blow-up with Bailey at a race meeting in 2012.
But the lifting of the ban in unlikely to see Nikolic back in the saddle in Victoria anytime soon.
Racing Victoria rejected an application from Nikolic to ride in Victoria again last month.
He was told in writing he was not considered a fit and proper person to be licensed.
A subcommittee of the racing’s state governing body made the decision and followed Queensland Racing’s ruling last week to also deny him a licence to ride in that state.