Skinner Hearing THREE CHARGES DISMISSED

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31762, 20 August 1968, Page 4

Skinner Hearing THREE CHARGES DISMISSED

(N.Z. Press Association) INVERCARGILL. Three charges of accepting driving fee for horses with which he was involved as trainer, .against the Hedgehope horseman, M. A. Skinner, were dismissed by a tribunal in Invercargill yesterday. Skinner was convicted and discharged on a fourth charge of receiving driving fees in respect of the horses, Tasman and Flying Reel, trained by him in partnership with his father, A. W. Skinner. An official release said that in respect of the charge against Skinner with having accepted fees at the Wyndham Trotting Club’s meeting on November 25,1967, the tribunal accepted Skinner’s preliminary objection that the charge had been brought later than six months after the

event and the charge was accordingly dismissed. Dealing with the charges that Skinner had accepted driving fees at the Wyndham Trotting Club’s meeting on March 2 and 9, 1968, the tribunal found that the evidence showed that driving fees were incorrectly deducted and paid to him by the Wyndham club from an open cheque deposited by the training partnedship of A. W. and M. A. Skinner. The evidence did not support a conviction and these charges were dismissed. In respect of the remaining cases, the tribunal found that Skinner received driving fees for the horses, Tasman and Flying Reel, trained by him, in contravention of the rules and he was convicted.

The tribunal also found that the payments were made in error by the Wyndham club and that Skinner questioned his right to receive the fees at the time of payment. In these circumstances the tribunal considered that no penalty should be imposed. The tribunal consisted of Messrs J. E. Farrell, Oamaru (chairman), J. G. Barnes, Dunedin, and L. G. Thomson. Gore. Mr L. A. Butterfield, Christchurch, represented the New Zealand Trotting Conference.