FORMER trainer David Dunne has been sentenced to 15 months in jail for assaulting a former employee in his yard at Garristown.

Dunne (36) committed the offence in May 2021, kicking, punching and headbutting an 18-year-old male stable staff member during a four-hour row about a car, missing veterinary medicine and money.

At Trim Circuit Court, Judge John Martin handed Dunne a custodial sentence which is due to begin on April 22nd. Dunne has not had a runner since January and has not renewed his trainer’s licence, according to the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board.

He was banned from training for six months last year having been involved in the Ronan McNally case. Dunne was found by the Referrals Committee to have conspired with McNally to deceive punters and racing officials.

His original penalty was a two-year ban but the final 18 months were suspended. He was also fined €5,000 and lost over €25,000 in prize money won by his runners All Class, Full Noise and Petrol Head. It was found that Dunne had conspired with McNally to conceal the real ownership of those horses and that Dunne had given misleading or false information to the stewards.

Dunne appealed the severity of the penalties, claiming that the six-month ban “could end my career”. He also believed the prize money won by the horses trained by him should not be taken away as “the horses ran on their merits and therefore any prize money won was won legitimately.”

The Appeals Committee found that the penalties imposed by the Referrals Committee were reasonable and proportionate, and so the appeal was dismissed.

They ordered that Dunne should pay the legal costs of the appeal but, taking his personal circumstances into account, they limited this to €2,000 and allowed Dunne 18 months to pay.

Passing sentence in Trim District Court, Judge Martin noted that Dunne had not offered the victim any compensation.

Dunne’s barrister told the judge that his client was a hard worker who was in financial difficulties. Dunne was remorseful and ashamed of his violent behaviour, the barrister said, and the chances of him reoffending were low, according to a probation report.