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A Victorian harness trainer was allowed to operate as a trainer in Tasmania despite being found guilty of forging the signature of the owner of a neighbouring property on his licence application document.
Robbie Walters was granted permission on Monday to train horses in Tasmania for one month under his Victorian licence, and successfully applied for a transfer of 20 horses from the Yole Racing stables which he intended to race in meets tonight and on Sunday.
But a newly published decision reveals that Walters was found guilty of "knowingly or recklessly furnishing false information" on his licence application document weeks before the decision was made to allow him to train.
At an inquiry last month, Walters admitted to "submitting falsified documents" to the Office of Racing Integrity.
It related to the forging of the signature of the owner of a neighbouring property – without their knowledge – in a bid to convince the Office of Racing Integrity his Sidmouth training facility had access to water.
"Stewards on charging Mr Walters under the provisions of AHR Rule 209 alleged that when required to show proof of water supply to his proposed training site, he falsified the required documents by signing such without the knowledge of the person he purported to be," the decision reads.
Walters pleaded guilty to the charge and was fined $2,000, with $1,000 of that amount suspended for two years.
"In considering the matter of penalty, Stewards considered the following: Mr Walters' acknowledgement of his actions, his forthright evidence, his manner throughout the inquiry, and the seriousness of the breach in totality," the decision read.
"Stewards also took into consideration the knowledge that all penalties should be designed to not only be a fair punishment to the offender, but also a message to the industry as a whole."
Despite the owner of the neighbouring property having no knowledge of the forgery, it's understood the matter has so far not been referred to Tasmania Police.
The stewards' inquiry was held on May 29, a fortnight after Walters was stood down from harness driving for refusing to provide a urine sample prior to a Launceston harness meet on May 12.
The sample he eventually gave to stewards – the next day – later tested positive for a prohibitive substance.
But the Office of Racing Integrity still allowed Walters to operate as a "Trainer A" in Tasmania earlier this week, and had allowed the transfer of 20 horses from trainer Wayne Yole – the father of Ben Yole – into his care.
Walters had 30 runners listed to race across two meets this weekend, before industry uproar resulted in Racing Minister Jane Howlett intervening and requesting the director of racing, Robin Thompson, to block the nominations of Walters-trained horses.
The issue was first raised in state parliament this week when Labor leader Dean Winter asked Ms Howlett if she had any knowledge of the forgery charge.
"If so, what action has been taken by yourself or by ORI [the Office of Racing Integrity], and how can he [Walters] possibly be allowed to train horses tomorrow night?" Mr Winter asked.
Ms Howlett confirmed Walters would be ineligible to field runners this week and said he would front a panel next week to answer key questions about his application for a full Tasmanian trainer's licence.
However, she declined to make any comment on whether she had knowledge of the charge.
On Wednesday, the Breeders Owners Trainers and Reinspersons Association, along with the Tasmanian Trotting Club, released a statement outlining their concern with the Office of Racing Integrity's decision to grant Walters a temporary training licence.
Walters' association with Ben Yole – whose stables were central to allegations of team driving, race fixing and animal welfare concerns – had raised concerns from industry participants about a potential circumvention of rules relating to the number of horses allowed in a race from a single stable.
Yole has always strenuously denied all allegations made against him.