Office of Racing Integrity
Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania
STEWARDS DECISION
OFFICE OF RACING INTEGRITY
and
BIANCA HEENAN
Date of hearing: 29.01.24
Stewards Panel: Neil Finnigan (Chair), Roger Brown and Jeremy Gleeson.
Respondent: Bianca Heenan.
Rule: Australian Harness Rules of Racing
AHR Rule 259 (7)
Charge: As a disqualified person, fail to comply with AHR Rule 259
Plea: Guilty
Inquiry Decision: Additional 1 month added to term of Disqualification and $1000 fine
Stewards inquired into the reason why disqualified person, namely Ms Bianca Heenan, was found to be in a section of her property, deemed part of the training facilities on said property, where under the terms of her disqualification she was not permitted to be.
Ms Heenan admitted to being in an unauthorised section of her property, for the reason of acquiring horse feed for her broodmares and other horses. Further Ms Heenan informed Stewards she had entered this area to source horse feed as her private supply had been exhausted.
Stewards on considering the matter deemed the offence to be on the lower side of the range of possible offences.
In considering the appropriate penalty, Stewards considered the following: her acknowledgement of the breach, her forthright evidence and manner throughout the inquiry and the serious of the breach in totality. Also of consideration was the knowledge that all penalties should be designed to not only be a fair punishment to the offender, but also a message to the industry as a whole.
Stewards imposed the following penalty:
Additional 1 month added to term of Disqualification and $1000 fine.
This decision has the effect of Ms Heenan’s disqualification now terminating at 11:59pm on Thursday 29th February, 2024
Decision Date: 29.01.24
