The first greyhound trainer to appear in court on criminal charges stemming from the live baiting scandal intends fighting the allegations against him.
Disgraced Veteran trainer Tom Noble has been slapped with seven counts of serious animal cruelty by a taskforce investigating live baiting in Queensland's greyhound racing industry.
He was granted bail when he appeared before the Ipswich Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
Outside the court, his lawyer Daniel Hannay said the 68-year-old intended to challenge the charges.
They followed last month's ABC Four Corners expose on the use of live animal bait in greyhound training, which caused outrage and rocked the industry nationwide.
"We are fundamentally denying the allegations that he is facing," Mr Hannay said.
Noble had previously spoken candidly about using live bait to help make greyhounds more competitive, and save them from being put down for lacklustre track performances.
But he was now stressed after being drawn into the legal system, and had significant health issues that meant it was best he return to his farm immediately, Mr Hannay said.
He confirmed there were "six or seven" charges personally linking Noble to the use of live animals as bait.
While bail was unopposed, police prosecutor Brad Dick made an order requesting Noble be prohibited from possessing or purchasing any animals other than the six greyhounds now being held by Queensland Racing, unless approved by the RSPCA.
This was approved by Magistrate Virginia Sturgess.
The charge is included in the criminal code to reflect particularly bad cases of animal cruelty and carries a maximum penalty of seven years' jail.
Noble, along with four other Queensland trainers, has already been banned for life after the live baiting scandal.
Reg Kay, Debra Arnold, James Harding and Tony McCabe all also received bans earlier this month by the Queensland All Codes Racing Industry Board.
Noble's court appearance comes as Queensland Police and RSPCA investigators examining the use of live bait flagged the likelihood of further charges.
"Charges will be occurring on a regular time frame from here on in," Detective Superintendent Mark Ainsworth said on Tuesday.
Noble is due back at Ipswich Magistrates Court on March 31.
Share
