from PA News

RACEHORSE trainer Lynda Ramsden and her husband Jack were returning victorious to Sandhutton, near Thirsk, today after being awarded £195,000 with top jockey Keiren Fallon in a libel action against the Sporting Life.

The trio had sued publishers MGN Ltd over claims that they cheated punters. The case followed a "savage verbal onslaught" in an unsigned Sporting Life editorial in May 1995.

Published the day after their horse, Top Cees, romped home by five lengths in the Chester Cup at 8-1, it said they had conspired to deceive the public by deliberately not trying to win the Swaffham handicap at Newmarket three weeks before.

The newspaper said the piece, by top writer Alastair Down, was justified and fair comment on a "scandal" that was a matter of public interest.

After jury's verdict yesterday, Jack Ramsden, 56, said: "I'm thrilled for Lynda, I'm thrilled for Kieren, I'm pleased for myself and I'd like to thank the jury for reaching what we consider to be a fair result.

"I'm pleased in a small way that the main race was the Swaffham Handicap. The Jockey Club cleared us, then they looked at it again under a lot of pressure from the media and they cleared us again and I feel they've been vindicated so I'm happy for them.

The Ramsden's assistant trainer, Andrew Balding, said everyone at the stables at Sandhutton, near Thirsk, believed the couple would be vindicated.

The case turned on the "crucial" evidence of Channel 4 racing commentator Derek Thompson. He was subpoenaed by The Sporting Life to recount a conversation he had with Mr Fallon at The Old Plough pub, near Newmarket, on the night of the race when he claimed the jockey confided that Mr Ramsden, a well-known gambler, had told him to pull Top Cees.

But in his summing up to the jury, Mr Justice Morland warned it to treat Mr Thompson's evidence "with caution" because of its inconsistency with an earlier version filed with the defence.

The judge said the jury might feel this threw "serious doubt" on the reliability of Mr Thompson's evidence.

Mr Fallon denounced Mr Thompson's claim as "a lie", insisting that neither Mr Ramsden nor his wife had ever asked him to stop a horse. He maintained that he could not find a gap to make a run in the Swaffham because, with the benefit of hindsight, he had waited too long.

The jury foreman said they had found, by a majority of 10-2, that the newspaper had not established that the words were substantially true in relation to Mr Fallon or Mr Ramsden.

Their finding in favour of Mrs Ramsden on this basis was unanimous.

They found against the newspaper on fair comment by a majority of 10-2 in the case of Mr Fallon and Mrs Ramsden.

Again their finding was unanimous on this point for Mrs Ramsden.

The foreman went on to find that the plaintiffs had not established that editor Tom Clarke or writer Alastair Down were malicious in publishing the words complained of.

The jury awarded Mr Fallon £70,000, Mr Ramsden £50,000 and Mrs Ramsden £75,000.

Sporting Life editor Tom Clarke said afterwards: "We have to accept the jury's verdict and we do. We are bitterly disappointed. The jury accepted that we honestly believed in the truth of our allegations which were honestly made.

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