Augustus Weekes pleaded not guilty to fixing Bathurst greyhound race

Molong greyhound trainer Augustus Leslie Weekes has pleaded not guilty to corrupting a betting outcome, two counts of using corrupt conduct and information to bet on an event and communicating corrupt information to another in 2021.

The then 63-year-old is accused of nobbling a greyhound, Winlock Lloyd, by giving it alcohol before a race and betting $1000 on another dog he was running in the same race.

The hearing started in Orange Local Court on Friday where Weekes is contesting the allegations.

Weekes had a good record in harness racing and greyhound racing before these charges were laid.

Magistrate David Day said there is "a lot riding on" this case, particularly Weekes' reputation and his business.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Edward Knight said Weekes had three dogs from the same litter entered in a maiden race at Bathurst on June 14, 2021.

The favourite, Winlock Lloyd and Winlock Crocker were owned by Weekes' son Kaleb Weekes, who did not attend the race meeting and is not accused of involvement in the alleged offences.

Weekes owned the third dog, Winlock Moment, which he bet $1000 at odds of $4 and ultimately made a $3000 profit after it won the race.

Sergeant Knight said the alleged corruption came to light during an unrelated investigation into another of Weekes' sons, Toby Weekes, when phone intercepts caught them discussing methods to give a dog a "quiet run".

"I've got these three dogs in tomorrow, one cannot run, and another one I want to give a quiet race to," Weekes was heard saying when the recording was played in court.

One of the options put forward was to give the dog 250ml of Scotch with a bit of water and milk before getting to the track so the dog gets "a bit tipsy" in the legs.

Sergeant Knight revealed the outcome of the race saying the favourite Winlock Lloyd came sixth after running up the back of Winlock Crocker, which came third.

Sergeant Knight said in addition to Weekes putting his money on Winlock Moment he also gave a tip-off to another punter to put their money on the winning dog.

Winlock Lloyd raced again in a maiden at Bathurst on June 21, 2021, a week after he came sixth. This time he won by three lengths. Weekes placed a $250 cash bet on him ahead of that race at odds of $4.60 and $1150 was redeemed.

In other intercepted phone calls between the father and son, Weekes told his son he gave the dog liquor.

"He wouldn't drink it, I had to squirt it down the back of his mouth with a syringe," he said.

Other conversations involved discussing prices for selling the dogs involved in the race.

However, a recording of Weekes being questioned following his arrest was also played in court and although he admitted to asking for tips to give a dog a quiet run and said "the thought was there", he denied following through with the advice.

"I wanted some knowledge on what some fellas do but I didn't go through with it," Weekes told the detective in the interview.

"It's no good for the sport, I've been a straight shooter all my life, I've never been in trouble with the dogs.

"I would never do anything to my dog, I treat my dogs well after a race, before a race you cannot give them anything.

"I know it doesn't look real good but if someone was going to do it they would have put more than $1000 on it."

He said vets at the track conduct swabs and check the dogs before races. Winlock Lloyd was not swabbed before the race on June 14, 2021 but was cleared to run after a vet check.

When it came to him telling his son he gave the dog liquor he said, "I was just trying to big note myself".

He went on to say what he did give the dog was a medication the dogs don't like to take.

"I've always called it liquor," he said and described it as thick and looking and smelling like liquor.

In regard to the dog's poor performance in the race Weekes told the detective, "dogs in maidens will run into each other and run wide".

The hearing will resume in November.

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