Walton costs covered by BHA

An offer from the British Horseracing Authority to pay the legal costs of Kate Walton and David Greenwood following an investigation which subsequently resulted in the withdrawal of disciplinary charges has been accepted.

Former trainer Walton, together with four others, including Greenwood, had been facing a disciplinary hearing surrounding charges of passing on inside information, but those allegations were dropped by the BHA in March.

Last month, Scottish Grand National-winning jockey Richie McGrath, along with former owner Mark Aspey, was cleared of all corruption charges following a disciplinary panel hearing.

A statement from the British Horseracing Authority read: "Ahead of a hearing scheduled by the Disciplinary Panel to consider an application for costs by Kate Walton, formerly a licensed trainer, and David Greenwood, the BHA offered on an ex gratia basis to pay in full the costs that the individuals had incurred during the recent investigation also involving Richie McGrath and Mark Aspey.

"This offer has been accepted and the matter is now closed.

"The BHA remains of the view that the Disciplinary Panel does not have the power to make a costs order against it, and that the conduct of the BHA's case, which was carried out in good faith, would not have justified a costs order being made. If a costs hearing were to have gone ahead then the BHA's expectation would have been that no costs order would have been made.

"However, the BHA also considered the non-legal elements of the case, in particular the personal circumstances of Mrs Walton at the time of the investigation and her level of co-operation with the BHA's investigators throughout the process. Bearing this in mind, the decision was made to make an offer to pay Mrs Walton's costs. Having made this decision, it was reasonable to make a similar approach to Mr Greenwood."

Adam Brickell, BHA Director of Integrity, Legal and Risk, said: "There are exceptional circumstances surrounding the case involving Kate Walton and David Greenwood, and we regret, and are sorry for, the position in which they found themselves in this case. That is why we decided to make this offer. It is on an ex gratia basis and its acceptance allows us to move on and focus on the important review of our Integrity Department's structure and processes, which we have recently announced.

"There are some common themes we want this review to cover, some of which are also present in this case. To that end we will be looking to involve a range of people in the review, including individuals who were involved in this case, if they are prepared to assist us.

"The parameters and focus areas of this review will be confirmed in due course and will be shared with the representative bodies of our participants. We have an opportunity to enhance the BHA's operations in this area. Sir Paul Stephenson, recently appointed as an Independent Regulatory Director to succeed Ben Gunn, will also provide invaluable input."

The BHA said it will offer no further comment on the matter.