Jockey Robbie Dunne 'left rider Hannah Welch in tears', panel told

A second female jockey says she was verbally abused by fellow rider Robbie Dunne and reduced to tears.

Former amateur rider Hannah Welch said the incident after a race at Chepstow in November 2018 was a contributory factor to her giving up jump racing.

"He was shouting and swearing, standing very closely in front of me. I was crying. He did not stop," said Welch.

Dunne is before a disciplinary panel accused of bullying and harassing jockey Bryony Frost.

But Roderick Moore, representing Dunne, said the jockey insisted he was "very calm" towards Welch.

Dunne has admitted one breach of the rules by behaving in a violent or improper manner towards Frost, 26, at Southwell on 3 September 2020.

He denies similar charges at Stratford on 8 July and Uttoxeter on 17 August 2020, and also denies bullying and harassing her between 12 February and 3 September.

The independent panel, which follows charges from the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), has been told Dunne threatened to cause Frost serious physical harm and also used "foul, sexually abusive and misogynistic language" towards her.

The incident at Chepstow happened after Dunne was unhappy with Welch manoeuvring her mount on his inside at the start and allegedly across him on a bend.

'Mr Dunne placed himself right in front of me and was squaring and mouthing off at me. He swore at me multiple times. This went on for around one minute," said Welch.

"The incident occurred in front of the entire weighing room. I was crying and did not say anything back. When I look back on this, I find it bizarre that none of the other jockeys intervened and said to Mr Dunne he had gone too far."

When Moore indicated Dunne, 36, said he had not seen her in tears, she replied: "That's incredible."

Asked why she did not make a complaint to the BHA, Welch said: "I thought it would not be regarded as a serious incident and it would have retributions for me if I continued riding - that other jockeys might not particularly like the fact that I reported an incident like this."

Earlier, it was alleged Dunne 'spat out' abuse at Frost after a race at Stratford last year.

Describing it as a 'whoa' moment, a fence attendant - who has not been named - told the inquiry: "To me it was quite a long sentence, then the volume was raised and the level of aggression was raised and he spat out those words I listed.

"I know what was said, I know the manner in which it was delivered. This was very personal, very aggressive and was very much out of the ordinary."

The panel also heard from valets Graham Piper and his nephew Lewis Piper, who had been working in the weighing room at Southwell that day when Dunne was alleged to have told Frost he would "put her through a wing (the side of a fence)".

Graham Piper said the two jockeys had been "bickering" but he had not seen evidence of bullying by any riders.

Lewis Piper said Frost remained in the male changing room after the incident. "If she was distressed, surely she would have gone to her own room and hid away?" he said.

Dunne counsel questions former BHA official

Meanwhile, former BHA head of integrity Chris Watts has been questioned about his handling of the investigation.

Roderick Moore, representing Dunne, asked Watts about statements taken by him in December 2020 from jockeys Tom Scudamore and Gavin Sheehan on Frost's riding style in races.

In Scudamore's statement, he is said to have told Watts that "he's ridden with her hundreds of times and doesn't have a problem with her".

However, Moore said when this was put to Scudamore by the BHA's acting head of integrity John Burgess in September this year, the rider said it did not fully represent his opinion.

Scudamore said he did not have a problem with her personally, but did have issues with her riding.

"I have on occasions experienced problems with what I would describe as her lack of respect for other riders and lack of spatial awareness in races," he said.

Watts, who resigned from his role in September, insisted he had given both riders a full opportunity to open up.

He was also questioned about his relationship with Frost's father Jimmy, denying he was good friends with him.

Jimmy Frost allegedly asked for an apology made by Dunne to his daughter at Bangor following the Stratford altercation to be removed from her statement.

Watts said his resignation from his post was unrelated to the case and that he did not know how excerpts of the report had been leaked to newspapers beforehand.

The hearing resumes on Tuesday.