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Almost a decade later, it was alleged that Hobby was paid over $ 1 million by
Connell to travel around the world for several years to avoid returning to Australia and facing an inquiry. Ultimately Hobby did return and Connell was tried and sentenced to five years jail for conspiracy to pervert the
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Mr
Dowding, as premier, presided over a disastrous series of decisions designed to support Rothwells when it was or should have been clear to him and to those ministers closely involved that Rothwells was no longer a viable financial institution. This culminated in the decision to involve the
192:, won the race by nine lengths and couldn't be pulled up, doing nearly another lap of the course. Connell had backed the horse, initially at long odds, down to a 2/1 favouritism, and was believed to have collected $ 500,000 from bookmakers, as well as the $ 210,000 prize money for the win.
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to inquire whether there has been (a) corruption; (b) illegal conduct; or (c) improper conduct, by any person or corporation in the affairs, investment decisions and business dealings of the
Government of Western Australia or its agencies, instrumentalities and corporations, part II, page
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Connell died bankrupt. At the date of bankruptcy there was a deficiency of $ 341 million and additional pending claims of $ 60 million. In 1998, the trustee seized artworks which were sold for about $ 30,000. In 2000 the trustees raised a further $ 120,000 from sale of artworks.
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Government, through WAGH, in the
Kwinana petrochemical project as a means of removing the Government's contingent liability for certain of the debts of Rothwells. Electoral advantage was preferred to the public interest.
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course of justice during the investigation into the horse race. Hobby received a three-year term. Found not guilty of fixing the race, Connell served one year of his sentence in jail before being released.
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The horse's performance, and subsequent collapse and death from unknown causes a few weeks later, was never fully investigated or explained, although it is generally assumed that it had been injected with
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The political fallout from the collapse, as well as other government dealings during the period, dominated media and political discourse in
Western Australia during 1990, and premier
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During the 1980s, Connell started acquiring numerous local businesses through aggressive takeovers, before setting himself up as a deposit taker for investors under the name of
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races. Despite that, he became well connected in the Perth racing establishment and, in 1984, he sought election to a position on the committee of
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150 million government guarantee to provide short-term relief. Despite that, after Burke's resignation on 25 February 1988, incoming premier
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Connell put together a rescue package involving numerous
Australian businessmen, and approached the premier, Brian Burke, who provided a
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was required to enter very complicated and controversial dealings in an attempt to protect the government's interests.
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In 1994, Connell was jailed for conspiring to pervert the course of justice by paying a jockey to leave the country.
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Rothwells ultimately went into liquidation, resulting in heavy losses to the government and
Rothwells investors. A
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business entrepreneur. As chairman of the
Rothwells merchant bank, he was well known for his dealings with the
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200:("elephant juice"). Rocket Racer was trained by Buster O'Malley, but another Connell-owned horse trained by
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204:, had tested positive to etorphine a few weeks earlier, which had led to a long disqualification for Way.
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ultimately called the royal commission in
November 1990 to investigate. The inquiry became known as the
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royal commission and resulted in the jailing of
Connell and a number of other involved parties.
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Connell was reportedly warned off by stewards in 1975 for involvement in a betting scam at the
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168:. Hobby later claimed he jumped after accepting a bribe of $ 5,000 from Connell to do so.
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216:, which had begun its life as a Brisbane-based menswear chain. Immediately after the
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Brown, Kevin (20 November 1990). "W Australia to mount corruption inquiry".
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140:, with the support of the committee's retiring chairman Sir
366:""The Track" (transcript) Episode five: "Follow the Money""
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27 June 2009, pp. 13–14, at Sally Nash & Co, Lawyers
469:"Putting to rest a myth about a controversial stayer"
220:, there was a run on the bank by local investors.
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50:
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108:Laurie Connell was the grandson of a long-serving
390:Paul Daffey's Item 9' 'The Bunbury Hop-off' at
550:"Connell's seized art goes to auction.(Local)"
188:, ridden by leading Western Australian jockey
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637:Businesspeople from Perth, Western Australia
581:, News Limited, p. 008, 31 January 2000
556:, News Limited, p. 008, 26 January 2000
89:and his close relationships with a former
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575:"Bids fly for piece of Connell.(Local)"
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662:20th-century Australian businesspeople
657:People from Bunbury, Western Australia
605:The Godfather: The Life of Brian Burke
323:. Sydney Morning Herald. 14 April 2005
110:Western Australia Police Commissioner
7:
180:In the 1987 3,200 -metre (two-mile)
116:(1867–1956) commissioner 1913–1933.
507:"WA Inc gets an inquiry, at last".
281:Webb, Richard (16 November 1990).
14:
105:period in the mid to late 1980s.
652:Criminals from Western Australia
419:from the original on 1 June 2023
407:Dixon, Mark (28 February 1996).
284:"Connell & cohorts in court"
138:The Western Australian Turf Club
79:Lawrence Robert "Laurie" Connell
59:Perverting the course of justice
511:. 21 November 1990. p. 14.
289:The Australian Financial Review
87:Government of Western Australia
494:Report of the Royal Commission
438:Presnell, Max (30 July 2011).
81:(died 27 February 1996) was a
16:Western Australian businessman
1:
537:Insolvency and Succession Law
409:"The man who 'copped it all'"
642:History of Western Australia
466:Bourke, Tony (3 June 2008).
321:"Businessmen behaving badly"
91:premier of Western Australia
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603:Quentin Beresford (2008).
441:"Tale of a true scoundrel"
509:The Sydney Morning Herald
446:The Sydney Morning Herald
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97:, and with entrepreneur
218:1987 stock market crash
214:Rothwells Merchant Bank
415:. Nine Entertainment.
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164:jumped from his mount
647:Australian fraudsters
607:. Allen & Unwin.
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128:1975 disqualification
123:Horse-racing scandals
152:At the January 1983
68:5 years imprisonment
259:Dispersal of estate
349:, 28 May 1989, at
346:The Canberra Times
184:, Connell's horse
83:Western Australian
614:978-1-74175-556-5
397:, 31 October 2004
238:later found that:
142:Ernest Lee-Steere
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579:The Australian
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114:Robert Connell
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25:Laurie Connell
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372:. August 2000
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166:Strike Softly
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53:Conviction(s)
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526:. p. 4.
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477:. Retrieved
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292:. Retrieved
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190:J. J. Miller
186:Rocket Racer
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176:Rocket Racer
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42:Entrepreneur
18:
632:1996 deaths
479:21 February
376:18 November
162:Danny Hobby
148:Danny Hobby
95:Brian Burke
626:Categories
268:References
202:George Way
134:Kalgoorlie
39:Occupation
309:WA Police
208:Rothwells
198:etorphine
182:Perth Cup
160:, jockey
99:Alan Bond
417:Archived
585:26 June
560:26 June
474:The Age
451:22 June
395:The Age
392:The Ten
327:26 July
294:22 June
158:Bunbury
154:AHA Cup
611:
423:20 May
253:WA Inc
103:WA Inc
351:Trove
609:ISBN
587:2012
562:2012
481:2009
453:2020
425:2024
378:2007
329:2006
296:2020
31:Died
225:A$
156:in
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357:^
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.