Police admit mistakes in Fallon case

The City of London Police have admitted they made mistakes during the race-fixing investigation which resulted in the high-profile trial collapsing last December.

Six-time champion jockey Kieren Fallon and five other men, including fellow riders Darren Williams and Fergal Lynch, were acquitted following a trial lasting two months.

Two further trials involving five other defendants were also subsequently dismissed prompting the force to undertake a comprehensive review, the findings of which have been published today.

Commander Patrick Rice, who led the review, said: “This report is the result of several months of painstaking work by the review team.

“We have been thorough in our efforts to identify exactly what we could have done better – or differently.

“I am pleased to say that we got a lot of things right, including the overall direction and control of the investigation.

“However, we have also identified some areas where we need to tighten-up our processes and modify our ways of working.”

Commissioner Mike Bowron said: “This was a comprehensive review and I welcome the recommendations.

“Most of the learning has already been put into practice.

“We will now be working to implement the remainder without delay and I will ask Commander Rice to review progress in six months’ time.”