How many chances does Oisin Murphy need? The drink driving charge is the latest bleak chapter in a disheartening story
TURF TALK How many chances does Oisin Murphy need? The drink driving charge is the latest bleak chapter in a disheartening story
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
HOW many chances does Oisin Murphy need?
Of course, I must caveat this entire column by saying he has not been found guilty, or admitted guilt, to the Thames Valley Police charges of drink driving and failing to provide a roadside breath test.
Sign up for Scottish Sun
newsletter
Sign up
1
Oisin Murphy has been charged with drink driving
Credit: Getty
He will appear in court next week, and if he does plead guilty he will lose his drivers' licence and could, in theory, face more serious punishment. We will have to wait and see how it plays out.
But his career has been chequered, to say the least.
Let's first consider the positives — Murphy is a tremendous talent.
He was one of those jockeys who always looked destined for the top while he was an apprentice, and he shot to prominence with a four-timer on Ayr Gold Cup day as an 18-year-old.
He was given the opportunities and took them, ending up as stable No1 to Andrew Balding and as retained jock for Qatar Racing.
Murphy, 29, is aware of his obligations as one of our leading jockeys to engage with the public, and he does it very well on social media.
His ability was on full show at Royal Ascot, when he rode five winners and was especially lethal over the straight track.
But it was during the Royal meeting that a letter dropped onto his doormat from the Crown Prosecution Service saying they were charging him, and so began the latest bleak chapter of one of racing's most disheartening storylines.
It is quite clear there is another — how can I put it — less polished side to Murphy than the one you see in public. I've experienced it first hand over the years.
Of course it is sad to see a person struggle with an addiction to alcohol — I know what it's like to battle addiction — but if it transpires he had been drinking and got behind the wheel of a car, it's hard to comprehend.
Murphy needs help as he quite clearly isn't ready to help himself.
He has the world at his feet, but it appears he can't stop pushing the self-destruct button.
And too many people around him have covered for him and brushed his issues under the carpet. And they keep surfacing again and again.
First, he was banned for three months in 2020 for testing positive for cocaine. He said he was contaminated after having sex with a girl who had taken the drug, so he was given a lenient sentence.
Then issues with the bottle began to surface.
He failed multiple breath tests and — as exclusively revealed in Sunracing on 2021 Qipco Champions' Day — was involved in an ugly scrap outside a boozer in Newmarket.
This was after he had completely disregarded Covid-19 regulations to travel to Mykonos, Greece, in the September of 2020, which, at that time, was on the government's 'red list'.
He lied to the BHA about where he had been, returned to the UK and went straight back into the weighing room without isolating himself, potentially putting his colleagues at risk of infection.
He was banned for 14 months, during which time he did a lot of media work and spoke about his problems with drink, how he had started attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and would never touch the stuff again.
So when he was re-granted his licence, the BHA attached strict conditions, including increased breath testing and a requirement for Murphy 'to remain sober'.
After all, it was not that long ago that Graham Gibbons was blamed for a pile-up at Kempton which left Freddie Tylicki in a wheelchair, and in court it was alleged his breath smelled of alcohol on the day. In racing, riding while even slightly impaired is incredibly dangerous.
More recently, eyebrows were raised when Murphy failed to turn up at Kempton Park for scheduled alcohol breath testing because, allegedly, he was suffering from especially painful haemorrhoids which required A&E attention.
He was back in the saddle shortly after and, as far as I'm aware, the old Chalfont St Giles haven't bothered him to the same extent before or since the missed test.
And now he has been involved in a car crash while allegedly over the limit with a passenger in the car — there has been a theme of apparent disregard for the safety of others which is unacceptable.
Is it just 'demons'? Or, which is an uncomfortable question to pose, does he just not care?
If he is found or pleads guilty on Thursday, the BHA will have no option but to immediately suspend his riding licence in my view.
Every time Murphy has done something wrong, his actions have been excused one way or another. How many more chances does he need?
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
7 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Spy chiefs probed ‘Russian double agent' at the heart of MI6 in huge 20-year global operation – and never caught ‘mole'
A source claimed MI6 'still [potentially] has a mole to find' FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE Spy chiefs probed 'Russian double agent' at the heart of MI6 in huge 20-year global operation – and never caught 'mole' Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) SPY chiefs probed a suspected "Russian double agent" at the heart of MI6 in a 20-year global operation. An investigation launched into the alleged mole, dubbed Operation Wedlock, sent surveillance officers around the world. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 6 High-ranking member of British intelligence and double agent Kim Philby Credit: Getty 6 A KGB guide smuggled him into Russia where he lived out the remainder of his life and was treated as a 'hero' Credit: Getty - Contributor 6 The MI6 Building in Vauxhall, London Credit: Getty It included a team of over 30 MI5 officers, as reported by the Guardian, whose work spanned up to two decades. One on occasion, they were sent to the Middle East and sheltered in a CIA safe house. It is understood they were sent on the mission under terms that would have been illegal according to international law. Despite their work, MI5 were unable to conclude whether there had been a mole spying for Russia. Read More VLAD'S DINGHY PLOT Migrant crisis fuelled by Russia in secret plot to destabilise Britain A source told the Guardian: "We thought we had another Philby on our hands". Kim Philby was a prominent member of the notorious Cambridge Five, a ring of spies who passed information to the Soviet Union. With fascism plaguing Europe, Philby headed for Austria where he became active in helping the oppressed working class socialists. Alongside his wife, Jewish socialist Litzi Friedmann, the couple helped the anti-fascist cause in Vienna but later fled to London to escape the Nazis. Philby's life changed when he was introduced to a resident Soviet agent, code-named "Otto", at Regents Park. Along with four other Cambridge students, they were persuaded to start double lives as spies for the Soviets. Through the help of the KGB they worked their way into government jobs and passed on state secrets to the Russians. Philby was so good at his job he even secured a high-level job with MI6. In 1949 he was sent to Washington where be became a liaison intelligence officer 'combating Soviet subversion in Western Europe'. However, after two members of the Cambridge Five defected, suspicion grew over Philby and he resigned from the Foreign Office. Cleared of treason allegations, MI6 posted him to Beirut, where he worked as a correspondent for The Observer. In 1962, his cover was blown during a conversation with a MI5 officer at a party and he later made a 'sham' confession to be granted immunity. A year later a KGB guide smuggled him into Russia where he lived out the remainder of his life and was treated as a 'hero'. MI6 is the intelligence agency which supplies the Government with foreign intelligence (as opposed to MI5 which deals with domestic security threats). Its existence was not formally acknowledged until 1994. It is regarded as one of the best spy agencies in the world. Describing its work on its official website, the agency says: 'Our mission is to provide Her Majesty's Government with a global covert capability. 'We collect secret intelligence and mount operations overseas to prevent and detect serious crime, and promote and defend the national security and economic wellbeing of the United Kingdom.' Meanwhile, MI5 is widely understood to focus its intelligence efforts inside the UK but that isn't always the case. With threats to Britain's security often coming from abroad, the agency says it does "work outside the UK where it's necessary to protect the UK's national security or to counter security threats". It describes itself as a "publicly accountable civilian intelligence organisation", not a "secret police force", as it does not have the power to arrest people. Reporting to the Home Office, it was formed in 1909 under British army captain Vernon Kell to identify and counteract German spies in the country, according to the Britannica. The MI5 probe into an alleged mole was sparked in the 1990s and continued to at least 2015. It was launched after a tip off from the CIA in America, where they believed a British intelligence officer was working for Russia. Vladimir Putin was in charge of the FSB, Russia's secret intelligence service, at one point in the investigation. A source said: '[We were told] the target was a Russian spy. The US believed he was leaking information to the Russians. "He was suspect 1A. The job was taken more seriously than any other [MI5] was involved in. Wedlock eclipsed them all.' As reported by the Guardian, it has been revealed the UK believed they had identified the alleged spy. MI5 specialists were put in charge of tracking him down, although they did not operate from the Westminster HQ. The mission was so top secret, one insider claimed the officer in charge was briefed about the task in a church. Instead, the team were based in Wandsworth, south London, which was near an MI6 base. The officers were told the suspected mole held a senior role at MI6 and listening devices were planted inside his home, as well as secret cameras. He was tracked across the world, with officers travelling as far as Asia and the Middle East. The agents were given authentic passports, but fake names, and told they would be "on their own" if caught. A source also claimed the suspect was not thought to have been working by himself, but aided by two other people. The insider added how Wedlock was a 'highly unusual operation, the longest in recent memory and probably the most expensive'. 'MI5 never got the conclusive proof it was looking for,' they added, and MI6 "still [potentially] has a mole to find". 6 Photos, of clockwise from top left: Anthony Blunt, Guy Burgess (who died in Moscow in 1963), Donald MacLean and Kim Philby, who tipped off Burgess and MacLean in 1951 forcing them to defect and then defecting himself in 1963 Credit: PA 6 Harold Philby, 43-year-old former First Secretary at the British Embassy in Washington Credit: PA
Scottish Sun
7 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Funeral home owner who stashed 190 decomposing bodies in abandoned building and sent families fake ashes jailed
Jon Hallford fleeced clients and splashed out Covid relief funds on luxury cars and laser treatment CORPSE HORROR Funeral home owner who stashed 190 decomposing bodies in abandoned building and sent families fake ashes jailed Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A TWISTED funeral home owner who stashed 190 decomposing bodies in a bug-infested building and handed grieving families fake ashes has been jailed for 20 years. Jon Hallford, co-owner of the Return to Nature Funeral Home in southern Colorado, was sentenced in federal court on Friday. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 7 Jon and Carie Hallford (pictured) were arrested after 190 rotting bodies were discovered at their funeral home Credit: AP 7 A hearse and debris at the rear of the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose, Colorado Credit: AP 7 Some of the remains of the dozens of decomposing bodies discovered arriving via police escort in Colorado Springs in 2023 Credit: AP The 44-year-old pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud over a gruesome scheme that shocked the nation. He admitted fleecing clients and siphoning nearly $900,000 in Covid-19 relief funds meant for struggling businesses — splurging the cash on luxury shopping sprees, laser body sculpting, flashy cars and cryptocurrency. His sentence is five years more than prosecutors requested, and double what his own lawyer pushed for. 'I am so deeply sorry for my actions,' Hallford told the judge. 'I still hate myself for what I've done.' He added that he opened the funeral home hoping to 'make a positive impact in people's lives,' but admitted: 'Then everything got completely out of control, especially me.' Bodies piled up 'like lumber' Hallford and his wife, Carie Hallford, who co-owned the funeral home, ran their grisly scam between 2019 and 2023. Investigators were first alerted in October last year when neighbours in Penrose, a tiny town two hours south of Denver, complained of a foul stench. Cops who turned up made a stomach-churning discovery — at least 190 bodies stacked atop each other in various states of decay, so badly decomposed that FBI agents had to lay boards over the sludge to navigate the rooms. Some corpses had been left there for years, including the body of Colton Sperry's grandmother who died in 2019. Chilling details emerge after number of rotting bodies found at 'green' Colorado funeral home rises to 189 In court on Friday, the young boy tearfully told the judge he fell into a deep depression when he found out. He told his parents at the time: 'If I die too, I could meet my grandma in heaven and talk to her again.' His father later rushed him to hospital for a mental health check, which led to therapy and an emotional support dog. Another victim, Derrick Johnson, travelled nearly 3,000 miles to tell the court how his mother was 'thrown into a festering sea of death'. 'I lie awake wondering: was she naked? Was she stacked on top of others like lumber?' he said. 'While the bodies rotted in secret, [the Hallfords] lived, they laughed and they dined. 'My mom's cremation money likely helped pay for a cocktail, a day at the spa, a first-class flight.' Two families even buried the wrong bodies after being sent urns of worthless dust — devastating relatives who said it destroyed their ability to properly grieve. 7 Authorities walk outside a closed funeral home where 190 bodies have been stored Credit: AP 7 Crews wade through the horror in Penrose, about two hours south on Denver Credit: AP Lavish spending spree Federal prosecutors revealed the Hallfords drained the pandemic aid and clients' money to bankroll a lavish lifestyle. They splashed out on a GMC Yukon and an Infiniti worth over $120,000 combined, snapped up Gucci and Tiffany jewellery, spent $31,000 on cryptocurrency, and paid for laser body sculpting treatments. The sentencing also included an order for Jon Hallford to pay more than $1 million in restitution — with $193,000 to be divided among the victims' families and the rest to the Small Business Administration. Hallford will serve his 20-year term concurrently with a state sentence expected in August, after he pleaded guilty to 191 counts of corpse abuse and hundreds of other state charges including forgery and money laundering. Meanwhile, his wife Carie withdrew her guilty plea in the federal case earlier this year and will now go to trial in September. She also faces 191 counts of corpse abuse in the state case. The pair were arrested in Oklahoma last November after going on the run. By then, the decaying funeral home had already been torn down. 7 Privacy fences are set up on the perimeter of the Return to Nature Funeral Home on October 9, 2023 Credit: AP
ITV News
9 hours ago
- ITV News
Two pedestrians killed after being hit by a car in Reading
Two pedestrians have died after being hit by a car in Reading. Two women, aged 68 and 72, were struck by a blue Volkswagen Tiguan and died at the scene. The fatal crash happened just before 8am on Friday 27th June on Peppard Road, close to the junction with Cedar Wood Crescent in Caversham. A 47-year-old woman from Reading has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving, and remains in custody, at this time. Thames Valley Police has launched an investigation and is appealing for witnesses. Investigating officer PS Matthew Cadmore, of the Roads Policing Unit, said: 'Firstly, I want to express my deepest condolences to the families of those who tragically died in this collision. 'An investigation has been launched and we have already made an arrest. 'I am appealing to anyone who witnessed this incident and hasn't already come forward, to please get in touch. 'I am also appealing to anyone with dash-cam, CCTV or doorbell footage, or any information that may assist our investigation, to please contact us."
