The Officials of Greyhound Racing Refuse To Hand over Names Of Suspected Live Baiters To The Inquiry

According to the Inquiry, the officials of Greyhound racing NSW have refused to submit information of individual involved in live baiting to RSPCA due to privacy concerns.

The stewards of greyhound racing were told to “downplay” greyhound injuries and deaths to avoid negative publicity, the inquiry into the greyhound racing industry heard.

The special commission in charge of greyhound racing was told that the diary, which contained “valuable information”, was taken during a raid in February, 2015 on an anonymous trainer who was suspected of using live animals to train greyhounds in his property in Sydney.

David O’Shannessy, who is RSPCA’s chief inspector, told the commission of inquiry on Thursday that the society had asked Greyhound racing NSW to pinpoint the people in the diary that had a list of Christina names alongside telephone numbers.

David said the racing organization was not going to assist in the case unless they received a formal notice that prompt them to release the information.

On the other hand, RSPCA did not think it was necessary in the circumstances and did not want to be seen doing anything that will jeopardize any awaiting court cases.

The special commission was setup following last year’s scandal on live baiting that forced the industry to shake up.

The former CEO of Greyhound racing NSW, Brent Hogan alongside other board members had to step down from their positions after the scandal broke.

The inquiry was told that the stewards of greyhound racing were told to “cease” from offering too much information regarding injuries and deaths of greyhounds, because the industry was going to be affected by negative publicity.

The chief inspector of RSPCA said they had received a number of complaints within a year regarding greyhounds but the number rose to 100 in 2015 after the exposure of live baiting. With regards to that, the CEO of greyhound was recalled to provide evidence to the inquiry.

This article is published in: Greyhounds Betting
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