Jamie Osborne, a well-known Group One-winning horse trainer, has been handed a three-month suspension of his training licence, which will be suspended for a period of six months. The disciplinary action follows an incident last summer where Osborne admitted to taking an unauthorised photograph of a woman’s ‘clothed bottom’ at a racecourse. The 58-year-old was observed taking the image in the paddock prior to an evening race meeting and was subsequently reported to stewards on the day of the incident.
Initially, Osborne denied taking the photograph but later admitted to the action when confronted, subsequently deleting the image from his mobile phone. He offered an apology to the woman, referred to as ‘Person A’ in the disciplinary panel’s ruling, who was attending the event with her partner. The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) published the written reasons for a plea agreement between Osborne and the BHA on Friday, detailing the sequence of events.
According to the BHA's findings, 'Person A' and her partner, 'Person B', observed Osborne taking multiple photographs, including the one of her 'clothed bottom', without her consent. A heated discussion ensued between Osborne and 'Person B', which drew the attention of racecourse staff. Despite his initial denial, Osborne eventually showed his phone to 'Person A' and 'Person B' as he deleted the images, confirming their nature.
The incident caused considerable embarrassment and upset to both 'Person A' and 'Person B', who felt Osborne's initial response was to downplay the seriousness of his conduct. They expressed the view that such behaviour was not to be expected from a respected figure within the horseracing industry, particularly towards a young woman. Following advice, they reported the incident to the stewards, leading to an inquiry the same evening.
Further investigation by the BHA three weeks later revealed that Osborne intended to share the image within a WhatsApp group he belonged to, reportedly named ‘Great Bums’ or a similar title. In addition to the suspended ban, Osborne has been mandated to contribute £3,000 to racing charities, provide a written apology to 'Person A' and 'Person B', and undertake several educational courses, including one specifically focused on sexual harassment in the workplace.