Former trainer forced to repay £2,704 and unable to reapply for licence for a year after plea agreement reached

Former trainer Brian Barr will be forced to repay £2,704 in in pool money which he failed to distribute to three members of staff shortly before he handed in his licence in 2023.

A hearing last week of the independent judicial panel, details of which were released on Monday, was informed by email that Barr had consented to a plea agreement requiring him to repay the money in instalments to the BHA, as well as being prevented from reapplying for a licence for a minimum of 12 months and until the full amount owed has been returned.

Barr announced his intention to quit training from his base in Dorset last August, citing unhappiness at "training mediocre horses" as well as becoming the subject of serious abuse and harassment following the arrival of Hillsin, the horse previously at the centre of controversy surrounding his run at Worcester in a race which is still under investigation by the BHA.

The case concerning Barr's failure to share out the pool payments to staff had twice been adjourned in May owing to Barr's unavailability and, when it emerged he would again not be present, BHA counsel Vanessa Reid requested a further delay to proceedings, to allow him to "re-engage" with the authority.

But the panel, which was chaired by Tim Grey, decided that four text messages provided "scant evidence" of Barr's reasons for not attending the June 27 hearing, and that a further adjournment was "unlikely to result in a greater likelihood of the respondent [Barr] attending at a hearing on the next occasion."

Having established the facts of the case – which involved two breaches of rule 12 (13) in respect of not distributing pool money to staff and one breach of rule 12 (14), which dealt with failing to submit paperwork relating to the beneficiaries of the pool money – the panel then moved to its deliberation over whether the plea agreement provided a suitable resolution.

Having heard evidence of Barr's "current financial and other difficulties," the panel gave a grace period of six months before the payment plan of £225 per month kicks in, while retaining the minimum 12-month period before he can reapply for a licence.

The Racing Post contacted Barr, who declined to comment on the plea agreement.

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