Disgraced harness racing trainer admits dishonesty charges

Sam Sherwood and Martin Van Beynen of Stuff report that a disgraced harness racing trainer banned from the industry for life has admitted a series of deceptions including selling a non-existent horse and then charging its new owners for expenses.

Christchurch trainer Mitchell Kerr pleaded guilty to two charges of obtaining by deception and one representative charge of forgery in the Christchurch District Court on April 6. He is due to be sentenced on June 14.

On Friday, the court released the summary of facts for Kerr’s offending.

In September 2019, Kerr agreed to sell someone an unraced 3-year-old horse for $40,000. However, the horse did not exist.

Over the next nine months Kerr sent multiple invoices to the victim for training fees, incidentals and insurance to a total value of $26,000.

In late 2020, the victim became suspicious as he had not seen any ownership papers or proof that the horse existed. When asked to provide proof, Kerr said the horse would not make the grade and should be sacked.

The victim became “more insistent”, and again asked for proof.

Kerr found a horse that matched the breeding and description of the non-existent horse he had sold to the victim, sending photographs of the horse in an attempt to convince him the horse was actually the non-existent horse.

Between 2017 and 2020 Kerr trained several horses, sending invoices to the horses’ owners for costs associated with the training process.

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by Sam Sherwood and Martin Van Beynen, reprinted with permission from Stuff