Frost slams PJA for ‘wanting to ignore’ Dunne bullying claims

Jockey Bryony Frost says the Professional Jockeys Association (PJA) “weren’t there for me” and made her feel like an “inconvenience” when she first reported she had been bullied by fellow rider Robbie Dunne.

Frost has spoken in detail for the first time after Dunne was banned for 18 months, three of which are suspended, after being found guilty of bullying and harassing Frost over a seven-month period last year.

The PJA argued for the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) investigation to be thrown out after details of the case were leaked to the Sunday Times earlier this year.

Frost-Dunne: How the bullying and harassment case unfolded

As jockey Robbie Dunne is found guilty of bullying and harassing fellow rider Bryony Frost over a seven-month period, here is a look at how the BHA investigation unfolded.

PJA chief executive Paul Struthers told Sky Sports Racing’s the Racing Debate on Sunday that Frost’s trust in them has broken down and promised to “reach out” to the jockey.

The PJA declined to comment on Frost’s criticism when approached by Sky Sports Racing on Tuesday.

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Dunne has been banned from racing for 18 months, with three months suspended

“They [The PJA] weren’t there for me and their system isn’t good enough,” Frost told The Sun. “I felt like an inconvenience. There was no care or interest from them even when it reached the stage of the hearing.

“They just basically said that time would fix it. They wanted to ignore it until it went away. I don’t feel they saw what I was going through as being as serious as it was.

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PJA chief Paul Struthers will reach out to Frost following Dunne’s ban for bullying and harassing her and admits there has been a breakdown of trust from Frost to the organisation.

“They were meant to be neutral; they weren’t there to pick sides.

“It wasn’t about me versus Robbie Dunne, or about girls having to back girls, or trainers having to back trainers. It was about human beings.

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Struthers joined the Racing Debate as he reflected on the fallout from the Frost-Dunne case and the BHA’s use of the word ‘rancid’ in its closing statement.

“There has to be a line you can’t cross. You’re not going to get on with everyone but it’s about treating people with respect and dignity.

“There were times I thought life shouldn’t just be about day-to-day living. My last resort was taking it to the BHA. I knew it was never going to stop but I had to give something a go because it was getting worse.”

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