Fallon delighted with Buffham apology
The champion jockey’s counsel, Andrew Monson, told Mr Justice Tugendhat that Buffham permitted the BBC to take a copy of a confidential report prepared by his counterpart at the Hong Kong Jockey Club as well as an internal memorandum he had written about it.
Reference was made to the report in a Panorama programme broadcast in October 2002. Monson said the report alleged that certain individuals were Triads and that Fallon had associated with them during the 1998/99 and 1999/2000 seasons while riding under licence in Hong Kong.
The memo suggested that the jockey’s explanation for his involvement with these individuals was known by the Hong Kong Jockey Club to be untrue.
In an interview broadcast by the BBC as part of the Panorama programme, Buffham was asked whether in his opinion Fallon should be riding in the UK.
Monson said Buffham responded by stating: “On the strength of the Hong Kong report, I would say not.”
The Counsel said Fallon had been “upset and distressed” by the allegations, which were damaging to his reputation.
“He is emphatic that he has never knowingly mixed with Triads, that he co-operated fully and truthfully with the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s investigation into the matter and that he was not refused a licence to ride in Hong Kong.”
Monson added that Buffham now accepted these assurances from Fallon, including that he did not knowingly associate with Triads.
Buffham had provided Fallon with his undertaking that he would not repeat the allegations complained of.
Buffham’s solicitor, Kirsty Howarth, said he did not write the Hong Kong report but merely passed it on to the BBC with some comments of his own, having no reason to disbelieve the contents of either document.
His sole interest in doing so was to assist the BBC to make a programme about the effectiveness of the Jockey Club as the regulator of horseracing in Britain.
“However, he now accepts Mr Fallon’s assurances in this regard and he apologises to Mr Fallon.”
