Lynch losing rides would have paid for new car, court hears

While six-time champion jockey Kieren Fallon has been the focus of the long-awaited fraud trial, the court was told of the part in the conspiracy by Lynch, 29, of Boroughbridge, North Yorkshire, and Darren Williams, 29, of Leyburn, North Yorkshire, the other two jockeys in the dock.

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Lynch (left) hatched a bold Ripon plan while Williams (right) won a syndicate £55,000

The three riders, plus syndicate manager and professional gambler Miles Rodgers, barman Philip Sherkle and Fergal Lynch's brother Shaun are alleged to have conspired with others between December 2002 and September 2004 to defraud Betfair customers and other punters.

The jury of seven women and five men heard evidence that Lynch was 'boldly prepared to try to stop three horses one afternoon at Ripon races' after the recent purchase of a four-wheel drive BMW X5.

Lynch lost on Bond Babe and Bond City but the plan went wrong when the second horse, Familiar Affair, won. Lynch is accused of passing information on to Rodgers, who was said to be 'clearly upset' at the victory of Familiar Affair, which he had laid to lose and cost him £43,000.

The jury was played a recording of a phone call before the third race at Ripon, in which Rodgers tells Lynch: 'You cannot make a mistake.'

Lynch is alleged to have ridden in six of the 27 races in the inquiry, winning only once and making a profit of £5,000 for the betting syndicate.

Williams rode in four, losing each time and making the crooks £55,000, the court was told. Unlike Fallon, who used intermediaries, both Lynch and Williams are said to have been in direct contact with Rodgers.

Jurors were shown surveillance footage of Williams emerging from a north Yorkshire pub in August 2004, following a meeting-with Rodgers, with a white envelope.

When he was arrested the next day, on September 1, £520 cash was found at the jockey's home, and a white envelope was stuffed under his mattress.

At the time, with Rodgers already declared a 'disqualified person' by the horseracing authorities, it was a breach of the sport's rules to associate with him.

Laying out the prosecution's case, Jonathan Caplan, QC, said: 'Kieren Fallon was more cautious and Rodgers had indirect contact with Fallon using an intermediary, Shaun Lynch, to a lesser extent Fergal Lynch, and latterly, Philip Sherkle.

'The prosecution say that the jockeys were confirming in these pre-race calls that the horse would be stopped.'

Mr Caplan QC told the jury that he would be calling Australian stipendiary steward Ray Murrihy to give expert evidence about the riding of the three jockeys in the 27 races.

Caplan said: 'His evidence will be that he had suspicions about the jockeys in 13 out of these 27 races. He will say he would have held a stewards' inquiry into these races.'

The case continues.