Willie Mullins’ vet Timothy Brennan charged by the BHA in relation to suspicious betting activity around Faugheen
WILLIE MULLINS' long-serving vet Timothy Brennan has been charged by the BHA for passing on inside information.
The charges relate to suspicious lay bets on Faugheen before he was withdrawn from the 2016 Cheltenham Festival.
Brennan is accused of informing his brother, Michael Brennan, about an injury Faugheen had suffered before this was made public.
Michael Brennan is then alleged to have placed numerous lay bets against the horse for the Champion Hurdle.
Michael Brennan was excluded from the sport in October 2016 and has refused to cooperate with the BHA's investigation.
Mullins is not involved in the case and there is no suggestion that he or his staff were aware of Brennan's alleged actions.
The vet has been charged under rules A41.1 and/or A 41.2 - commissioning of conspiring in corrupt or fraudulent practices.
It is not the first time Brennan has hit the headlines, last year he pleaded guilty in an Irish court to the possession of unauthorised medications which were found in his van at Mullins' stables back in February 2015.
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No conviction was recorded against him for that.
Brant Dunshea, Chief Regulatory Officer for the BHA said: “We cannot comment further on the specifics of the charges against Timothy Brennan as this matter is still to be heard by the independent Disciplinary Panel.
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“However, we can confirm that Michael Brennan, who was a person of interest in this investigation, has been excluded from the sport as a result of his failure to cooperate with the investigation.
“This failure to comply has resulted in the investigation process taking longer than it otherwise would have done. However, it has ultimately not prevented us from bringing charges and has also seen the individual ejected from the sport in Britain.
“Since the introduction of a fast-track investigation process for minor offences – which was a recommendation of the integrity review – we are significantly reducing the time taken for most cases to be dealt with.”