The Disciplinary Panel and Licensing Committee members
Sarah Crowther KC
Judicial Panel Chair. Has considerable experience across a range of legal practices. Has appeared in proceedings relating to horseracing, as well as in FA safeguarding cases, acting on behalf of individuals and sporting bodies in cases before the National Safeguarding Panel and the High Court.
HH James O’Mahony
HH O’Mahony is a retired Circuit Judge in Kent and the Honorary Recorder of Margate. He has a wide understanding of the horseracing industry, having been a lifelong follower of the sport. HH O’Mahony was appointed to the Judicial Panel in 2020, and was subsequently appointed Deputy Judicial Panel Chair in May 2023. He assumes the role and responsibilities of the Judicial Panel Chair in her absence.
Fiona Horlick KC
Fiona is a practising barrister, who took silk in 2019. She practices across a range of areas including professional discipline, regulatory, Health and Safety and crime. She is the Chair of the Trustees of ASTI (Acid Survivors Trust International). Fiona was brought up around horseracing as her grandfather was closely involved in horseracing both in Ireland and the UK as an amateur rider, manager and handicapper.
Gareth Graham
Gareth is a barrister at 3 Paper Buildings, with a practice in employment and sports law. He has been a Judicial Officer with the RFU since 2014 and with World Rugby since 2017. He has Chaired hearings for the FA, LTA, British Cycling and British Canoeing. He has been on the Sport Resolutions Panel since 2018.
Tim Grey
Tim is a barrister of 24 years and Head of the Inquest & Inquiries Team at 23 Essex Street. He regularly sits as Legal Advisor to a number of professional regulators. He is a member of the RFU Judicial Panel, the British Cycling Disciplinary Board and the CIMA Disciplinary Board. Tim has a long standing interest in horseracing.
Philippa Charles
Philippa is a full-time arbitrator at Twenty Essex chambers in London since 2023, previously a law firm partner specialising in disputes work for 15 years, and with 25 years of dispute resolution experience. She has been working as an arbitrator for over a decade, including in sports-related disputes, and is currently appointed by the International Chamber of Commerce, the London Court of International Arbitration, the Singapore International Arbitration Centre, the Finnish Arbitration Institute, the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce, and the American Arbitration Association.
Rachel Spearing KC
Rachel is a Barrister practising in the area of Regulatory, Inquest and Inquiry work at Serjeants’ Inn Chambers in London. Prior to a career at the Bar she worked in the City, and has over 15 years in criminal work including several as a specialist prosecutor of serious sexual offences, organised crime and fraud. Her judicial roles include appointments to the Football Association, as a specialist member of the safeguarding review panel, an Assistant Coroner for Hampshire. Rachel is an active racing enthusiast and part owner, having owned and ridden for many years.
The Rt. Hon. Sir Gary Hickinbottom - Appeal Board
Sir Gary is a former Court of Appeal Judge and Sole Commissioner in a statutory inquiry into corruption and governance in the BVI. He is the current President of the Welsh Tribunals. He has wide experience in sport disciplinary tribunals and is the current Chair of the Judicial Panels for the Lawn Tennis Association and British Wrestling.
Susan Ahern - Appeal Board
Susan is a barrister, accredited mediator and international arbitrator. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and past Chair of the Sports Law Bar Association of Ireland. As an arbitrator of the Court of Arbitration for Sport, she was appointed to the CAS Anti-Doping Division for the Tokyo Olympic Games 2020. Susan has over 25 years’ experience in commercial and sports law practice, sports administration and corporate governance as both an executive and as a non-executive director on numerous boards including Sport Ireland, Cricket Ireland, RTÉ and 2023 Cycling World Championships. Until 2016, Susan was the General Counsel of World Rugby. She is currently Independent Deputy Chairman of the Appeals Board of the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Authority and is Independent Judicial Chair of World Wheelchair Rugby.
HH Clement Goldstone KC - Appeal Board
HH Goldstone is a retired Senior Circuit Judge and formerly Honorary Recorder of Liverpool with considerable professional and judicial experience of betting and licensing issues generally. He is a former racehorse-owner with a long-standing family interest in the sport, and, since retirement, considerable experience in regulatory and sports disciplinary matters.
Austin Allison
Austin is a retired Senior legal advisor with a major city investment management firm. He has sat as an arbitrator and mediator. He is a frequent race goer in the UK and abroad and has been an owner almost continuously since 1996. He is a current member of the Racehorse Owners Association.
Alison Royston
Alison is an experienced professional sport administrator, specialising in regulatory and compliance matters and has previously been the Head of Football Administration for the FA Premier League and Leeds United Football Club. Alison is currently a member of the FA Judicial Panel, the EFL’s Club Financial Review Panel and an Arbitrator Specialist for Sport Resolutions. Alison grew up around horses and competed from a young age in various equestrian disciplines, and has experience of race riding. Three ex-racehorses are current members of her family menagerie.
Chester Williams
Chester is a former jockey, who rode 65 winners and regularly competed in Grade 1’s and top handicaps. He rode winners at Cheltenham, Ascot, Newbury, Haydock and at Compiegne in France. He has worked as Assistant Trainer at Nick & Jane Williams Horse Racing since April 2020.
Emma Stephenson
Emma is a passionate racing enthusiast who is an assistant trainer to her Mother Dianne, based in the North of England. She is a retired jockey, who hung up her riding boots in 2019 following an 11-year career. Emma now works in education, as Operations Manager for the Scottish Racing Academy.
Grace Cheng
Grace is an English barrister and qualified solicitor in Hong Kong, with rights of audience before the AIFC Court (Kazakhstan), DIFC Courts (Dubai) and Singapore International Commercial Court. She speaks English, Cantonese, Mandarin, French and Spanish. In addition to her practice as counsel, Grace is a sought-after arbitrator and adjudicator and is on a large number of panels worldwide. She has taught law at Oxford, King’s College London, and Warwick. Grace is a keen sports enthusiast and horse rider. She has spent time on ranches in Wyoming, galloped across the plains in Mongolia, and learnt the art of the Icelandic tӧlt.
Hannah Bradley
Hannah is a lawyer, practising exclusively in equestrian matters. She worked in a number of commercial law firms and in house at a FTSE 100 company, before taking the decision to establish an equine law practice. She acts for owners, riders, agents and trainers from all arenas of equestrian sport. Hannah has a lifelong interest in horses and regularly competes. She is a previous winner of the Horse of the Year Show.
Joanna Armstrong
Joanna is a pharmacist, with a postgraduate diploma in Veterinary Pharmacy. She is a current member of the British Harness Racing Club (BHRC) Integrity Panel. Joanna is a British Horse Society Complete Coach and Intermediate Stable Manager. She holds a NVQ level 3 in racehorse care and has worked with horses her whole life. She has been an assistant trainer and ridden out as an amateur.
Judith Findley
Judith is veterinary surgeon and a recognised RCVS and European specialist in equine surgery working with a large thoroughbred population. She regularly lectures at national and international conferences on the subject of surgery as well as acting as an expert witness in veterinary cases.
Kirsty Madden
Kirsty is a registered social worker with safeguarding experience in a wide range of settings including statutory, criminal justice and non-governmental organisations. She is a professional case examiner with the social work regulator, Social Work England. She holds roles within national sport include safeguarding review panel chair for The FA, safeguarding review panel member for The ECB and voluntary safeguarding case management roles for England Golf and England Korfball. Further voluntary roles include trustee (safeguarding) for national charity, Surviving Economic Abuse, and sitting as a Magistrate.
Manuela Ridgeway
Manuela is an equine veterinarian with experience working across Europe. She formerly competed as an amateur jockey representing her home country Austria. She worked for the Veterinary University Cambridge in a clinical and teaching role before starting her own Veterinary business.
Paul Barton
Paul is a former National Hunt jockey, who entered raceday regulation as a Stewards Secretary with the Jockey Club in 1991 and progressed to be Head of Stewarding at the BHA before retiring from that position in 2019. He now performs the duties of Chief Steward for the Rashid Equestrian and Horseracing Club between the months of October and April and is a member of the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia Technical Committee advising them on their Stewarding functions.
Paul Brewster
Paul is a former jockey in the Caribbean – Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and Martinique. He is currently an independent trustee for Racing to School and also sits on a steering committee of the Pony Racing Authority focused on creating new pathways into racing for aspiring young jockeys. He is an academic member of staff at University Campus of Football Business (UCFB)- Football Business and Finance. Paul is an Affiliate of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA).
Rory Niblock
Rory is a safeguarding expert with a criminal investigation and education background. He has considerable experience in the professional sport industry, representing The Football Association and London Stadium as a consultant advisor. He is a safeguarding lead for domestic and international sports tournaments, responsible for promoting good practice and ensuring the safety and wellbeing of children, young people and adults at risk. He has worked with UEFA, Premier League, NFL, Major League Baseball, has experience in managing multi agency safeguarding investigations and delivers safeguarding training to professional sports associations.
Rupert Arnold
Rupert has extensive practical, administrative and governance experience in horseracing, having been a licensed trainer, Chief Executive of the National Trainers Federation. He is a former director of the British Horseracing Authority and Horsemen’s Group (now The Thoroughbred Group). Rupert is a trustee of several racing charities.
Joshua Ingham-Headland - Judicial Panel Executive
Joshua joined as the Judicial Panel Executive in January 2024 after over four years with Sport Resolutions where he provided administrative support to a number of NGB’s and International Federations covering a variety of sports such as football, athletics and tennis in managing their quasi-judicial processes. Joshua holds a Master’s degree in sports law.