HIS HONOUR: Many people enjoy betting. Many people enjoy betting on horse races. A lot of people do not, but those that do are entitled to have things as fair as possible. They are entitled to have horses run on their merits and they are entitled to have the authorities act properly in ensuring that that is the case. What the offender, Michael Russo, did was, on eleven occasions, act corruptly by giving or offering a benefit to a steward in the harness racing authority, so that horses with which he, Mr Russo, was involved with would not be tested by the stewards. He did this because he knew that if such testing was undertaken it would reveal matters of concern, usually that the horses had been given something to enhance their performance. This is corruption in a pastime which is important to many people. It is corruption which must be dealt with severely when it is detected. The Court of Criminal Appeal in a decision called Regina v Potter [2005] NSWCCA 26 demonstrated just how serious corruption, including of stewards, in the racing industry is.
Memories, Light the Corner of My Mind – This Sad Old Story is Not About Michael Russo – It’s About How Easy it Is to Corrupt Racing When You Have a Couple of Inside Men
