News - Cranbourne - 19th February 2015

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Brand new Cranbourne Park

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SPORT

February, 2015

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Torture trainers By BRIDGET SCOTT AND CAMERON LUCADOU-WELLS

■ Trainers suspended ■ Dogs scratched ■ Criminal charges possible

■ Club president stands down ■ Multiple investigations launched

■ Sponsors withdraw ■ Industry in jeopardy, says Minister

This photograph is a file photograph and does not link the dogs pictured or their trainers to the live baiting allegations.

Commissioner it had suspended “any greyhound trained and/or owned by the 10 persons suspended by the board... in relation to live baiting”. The GRV move closes off a loophole which would allow dogs associated with the 10 suspended trainers to be raced under the name of another owner. The GRV said all suspensions are due to remain in place until live baiting investigations are completed.

Cranbourne’s Wednesday night race meet went ahead, although three dogs trained by Paul Anderton were scratched. The GRV declined to officially name all 10 suspended trainers for legal reasons. Cranbourne Greyhound Club chief executive officer Tony Mitchell declined to comment to the News and directed all questions to the GRV. However the club issued a statement

on its website: “Our club does not condone or support actions of individuals involved in any form of animal cruelty, as highlighted in the Four Corners program and that’s our firm stance.“ GRV chairman Peter Caillard expressed disgust at the graphic footage of the live baiting. “I watched and was sickened. “The use of live bait in the training of greyhounds is abhorrent and has no place in our sport.

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“Any person engaged in live baiting can expect to be disqualified and prosecuted. “We have zero tolerance for these individuals,” Mr Caillard said. “To the best of our knowledge, this disgusting and illegal behaviour is isolated in Victoria to the privately owned training facility at Tooradin.“ Continued Page 3

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TEN greyhound trainers implicated in a live baiting scandal at Tooradin have had their dogs scratched indefinitely. The scandal exploded on Monday night when the ABC’s Four Corners program aired damning footage of piglets, possums and rabbits being strapped to lures and ripped apart while they are used as live-bait to blood greyhounds. The trainers themselves have also been suspended pending the outcome of investigations by Greyhound Racing Victoria and the RSPCA. The Tooradin Trial Track, which was raided by RSPCA officers, supported by police, on Wednesday last week, has had its registration suspended. And Racing Minister Martin Pakula told the News that the whole greyhound racing industry may be in jeopardy. Live baiting is a criminal offence punishable by a jail term of up to two years and a fine of more than $30,000 under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1986. Those implicated by Four Corners in the scandal include Tooradin Trail Track owner Stuart Mills, wellknown Devon Meadows trainer Darren McDonald, fellow Devon Meadows trainer and former GRV official Paul Anderton and Cranbourne Greyhound Racing Club president Neville King, who stood down from his position on Saturday night. Senior vice-president Greg Carter is the acting president. The industry’s awards night, which was scheduled for Friday night, was postponed with Mr McDonald, who is a former trainer of the year, expected to feature prominently. As fallout from the allegations ricocheted through the industry on Tuesday, the GRV confirmed that under the advice of the Racing Integrity

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