Top racehorse trainer Jamie Osborne has been handed a three-month suspended sentence of his training licence after taking a photograph of a woman's 'clothed bottom' at a racecourse. Osborne was observed taking the photograph of a woman without her consent in the paddock before an evening race meeting last summer.
Incident Details
The 58-year-old former National Hunt jockey initially denied taking the picture, but later apologised and deleted the photograph after a 'heated discussion'. Osborne's actions were reported to stewards on the day, and at a disciplinary hearing, he later apologised to the woman, identified as 'Person A', who was attending the event with her partner, 'Person B'.
In a separate interview, Osborne later admitted he had intended to share the image within a WhatsApp chat group he belonged to, which bore the name 'Great Bums' or similar.
Penalties Imposed
Osborne's three-month ban has been suspended for six months, while the trainer has also been forced to make a £3,000 donation to racing charities, provide a written apology to Person A and Person B, and attend a course on sexual harassment in the workplace.
In its ruling released on Friday, the British Horseracing Authority outlined the sequence of events which led to Osborne's ban. The report began: 'On a single date in summer 2025 Mr Osborne was present at a racecourse in the parade ring for an evening meeting in his capacity as a licensed trainer and racehorse owner. He met Person A and her partner; Person B. Friendly conversation took place. Person A and Person B observed Mr Osborne taking photographs of Person A on his mobile phone including one photograph of her clothed bottom without her consent.'
'A heated discussion ensued between Person B and Mr Osborne which drew the attention of a member of the racecourse staff, to whom Person B reported what he and Person A had witnessed. Mr Osborne initially denied taking any photographs and refused to show his telephone, however, he subsequently admitted that he had taken photographs and deleted them when he was asked to do so.'
'He showed his telephone to Person A and Person B as he was doing this to confirm that the photographs had been deleted from his phone. Person A, Person B and the racecourse employee could see that at least one of the photographs was of Person A's clothed bottom.'
'Following receipt of advice regarding reporting of the incident, Person A and Person B made a report to the stewards and an inquiry took place the same evening in which all parties participated. Mr Osborne apologised for his actions and confirmed that any photographs had been permanently deleted. He was not asked by the stewards to give access to his telephone.'
'The incident caused substantial embarrassment and upset to Person A and Person B. Each of them felt that the initial response of Mr Osborne was to seek to downplay the conduct, and both stated that they would not wish for any other participant in the sport of horseracing to have this happen to them, particularly a young woman. Both expressed the view that it was not conduct to be expected of a respected trainer in the industry.'
In a statement, Osborne said: 'I completely accept the BHA judgement and I would like to repeat my heartfelt and genuine apology for my actions.'
