Horse owners could chase damages against Darren Weir
Owners of horses allegedly beaten while in the care of accused trainers such as Darren Weir could chase damages if charges were to be proven in court.
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Racehorse owners could chase damages if charges against Darren Weir and three other men are proven, according to prominent Melbourne legal figure David Galbally, QC.
Mr Galbally said there was an option for legal action by owners whose horses had been beaten, particularly if charges were proven in court.
Weir, Jarrod McLean, Tyson Kermond and William Hernan face 33 charges stemming from to the discovery of jiggers — electronic devices capable of shocking horses — during stable raids in January.
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The men are due to appear in Melbourne Magistrates Court on October 23.
Mr Galbally said anyone wanting to pursue compensation would first have to try to have race results overturned in their favour through Racing Victoria.
“The answer (possibility of legal appeals) to that is yes. There is always scope for that,” he said.
“You’d need to exhaust the existing processes first,” he said.
Mr Galbally said it was possible prosecution evidence aired in court could bolster any future legal claim.
“You’d need to see what the evidence is,” he said.
Races involving former Weir horses Red Cardinal, Yogi and Tosen Basil are allegedly at the centre of animal cruelty and conspiracy charges issued by Victoria Police.
Weir, 49, faces nine charges, including three counts of alleged “torturing, abusing, overworking and terrifying” a horse.
The disgraced former champion trainer was disqualified by Racing Victoria in February for four years after three jiggers were found in his Ballarat bedroom.
Weir’s former Warrnambool stable foreman and fellow Group 1 trainer Jarrod McLean, 39, faces 16 charges, including alleged animal cruelty, conspiracy and possession of cocaine.
Weir’s former stable-hand Tyson Kermond, 27, of Warrnambool, faces seven charges, including conspiracy and animal cruelty.
Former jockey William Hernan, 31, faces one count of using corrupt conduct information.
The Herald Sun believes police have uncovered links between Red Cardinal, once a leading Melbourne Cup contender, Sandown Cup winner Yogi and high-priced Japanese import Tosen Basil and some of the accused.
All three horses were trained by Weir.
Once Australia’s biggest trainer, Weir has been under investigation by police since three electronic jiggers were found in a bedroom of his Ballarat home in January.
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