14 hours ago
Former Hall of Fame trainer takes aim at integrity officials in fight to resume training career
Former Hall of Fame greyhound trainer and convicted live baiter Ron Ball issued a stinging broadside to Queensland Racing Integrity Commission (QRIC) officials in a last-ditch attempt to return to the industry this week.
Ball, who prepared the great Flying Amy during his six-decade training career, fronted the Queensland Racing Appeals Panel on Thursday in a bid to have a ten-year disqualification overturned.
83-year-old Ball was handed a life-ban for live baiting in 2015 before the penalty was sensationally slashed to 10-years on appeal, opening the door for a potential 2025 return to the training fold.
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But in the lead up to the decade long ban expiring last month, QRIC officials disqualified Ball for a further 10-years, after he was found to be on the property and handling greyhounds of his partner and then licenced person Serena Lawrance back in October, 2022.
'They call themselves QRIC but it should just be QRC because the I stands for integrity and they don't have any,' Ball blasted at Thursday's appeal hearing.
'I served my 10 year punishment and when I go to make inquiries about reapplying for my licence, a matter from 2022 gets raised and dealt with without any communication with me at all.
'It just suits a narrative to keep me out of the industry. I believe I'm being discriminated and victimised against, it's unjust and excessive.'
Ball went on to raise uncontested evidence from an internal QRIC review in 2022 after his partner Serena Lawrance's initial 18-month disqualification for allowing Ball onto her property was extended to 30 months.
'In that review, the body cameras worn by the QRIC inspectors were provided where they said words to the effect of 'she's not as fat as you said she was' as Serena was going to open the gate for them,' Ball said.
When Panel Chair Kerry O'Brien quizzed Ball on the relevance of that to this appeal, Ball said that 'it spoke to the way they've been treated.'
In response to Ball's representations, QRIC's legal representatives argued that stewards were well within their rights to impose the further penalty under Greyhounds Australasia (GA) Rule 179.
The rule allows for the recommencement of a penalty if a person is found to have breached the rules while disqualified.
'Mr Ball failed to comply with the conditions of his warning off period,' QRIC's legal team said.
'If Mr Ball had welfare concerns about the greyhounds he should have raised those concerns with QRIC in the first instance.
'But instead Mr Ball chose to breach GA rule 178 which serves as a serious regulatory tool to safeguard the industry.
'He has demonstrated a pattern of non-compliance with the rules.'
In return, Judge O'Brien said he was 'troubled' by the way in which the penalty had been handed down.
'Generally there would be a charge, submissions and the chance to respond before reaching a conclusion,' Judge O'Brien said.
'I accept there must be a consequence but there has been no charge issued in respect to rule 179 and no inquiry held.
'It was just concluded that Mr. Ball would be given 10 years.'
The Appeals Panel said it was also reasonable for Mr Ball to accept correspondence from QRIC in April, 2024 that he would be free to reapply for his licence in 2025.
'Mr Ball isn't a lawyer,' Judge O'Brien said.
'In that correspondence there's no hint of a further breach and he has read the letter as any reasonable person would.'
The Appeals Panel has reserved their decision until July 7.
