An individual who previously owned racehorses and was convicted of sexual offenses has been banned by the British Horseracing Authority for attempting to secure employment at racing establishments. Michael Thomas, a resident of Hereford, was sentenced to a 16-year imprisonment in 2013 for multiple counts of rape involving three women.
In addition to the rape charges, Thomas was found guilty of other offenses such as attempted rape, sexual assault, making threats, indecent assault, bodily harm, and false imprisonment, some of which date back 21 years. The presiding judge in Cardiff Crown Court ordered Thomas to be registered as a sex offender for life.
Formerly residing in Abergavenny, Gwent, Thomas, a 44-year-old haulage contractor, owned a small group of racehorses near Chepstow and was a regular attendee at horse races.
During his trial for raping his ex-girlfriend, additional victims came forward, leading to a halt in proceedings. Subsequently, Thomas was found to have hidden in his ex-partner’s garden shed for ten days before assaulting her with a hammer.
After holding her captive, Thomas eventually allowed her to go to a petrol station, where she alerted the authorities leading to his arrest. The sentencing judge, Christopher Llewellyn-Jones, emphasized Thomas’s danger to the public and the necessity of protecting society from him.
Following his release from prison, the British Horseracing Authority imposed an indefinite exclusion on Thomas due to his behavior posing a risk to the racing community. It was reported that Thomas attempted to secure employment at a racing facility and was later discovered on the premises against the conditions of his parole.