City trial for horse trainer

BANNED Toowoomba horse trainer Ben Currie has been committed to stand trial on a fraud-related charge allegedly arising from his horse-training business.

The 28-year-old appeared with his solicitor Darren Mahony before Toowoomba Magistrates Court yesterday for a hand-up committal hearing.

While no details of the allegations were aired in court, police allege the charge period stretches from November 2016 to March last year.

Police will allege Currie engaged in “systematic fraudulent behaviour” during that period, having sourced “unregulated horse supplement designed to enhance race performance” by circumventing current testing methods.

However, during legal argument over Currie’s bail conditions, police claimed the amount of winnings relating to the horse trainer over the period was in the vicinity of $1.9 million.

Police claim the charge was very serious and wanted a bail condition that Currie report to police at least once a week.

However, Mr Mahony argued his client had been on bail for eight months and, apart from once being late by one hour to report, for which he received no penalty, he had fully complied with all bail conditions.

Mr Mahony said it could be years until the matter was dealt with by the court, and his client still had matters before the Queensland Racing Commission.

His client had family and business in the region and was not a flight risk, he submitted.

Currie, who until his suspension was one of Queensland’s leading horse trainers, has not as yet been required to enter any plea to the charge.

Magistrate Damian Carroll noted Currie had agreed with conditions of bail including residing at an address on the Gold Coast which had been supplied to the court and to surrender his passport and not apply for any other passport during the period of remand.

Mr Carroll committed Currie to stand trial in the District Court at Toowoomba at a date to be fixed by the Director of the Department of Public Prosecutions.

Currie was remanded on bail with those conditions as well as having no contact with three co-accused.