Jockey Club rejects security fears

The Jockey Club yesterday described the phone-tapping of trainers and jockeys as amateurish, but it rejected claims that lax security had let the eavesdroppers in.

Trainers living in Racecourse Gardens, Sha Tin, where the bugs were found in a ground-floor junction box on Wednesday, criticised security and claimed to have heard 'strange noises' on their lines.

It was also revealed that closed-circuit TV footage would prove of little help as the junction box used to tap into the lines was out of camera range.

As police examined the bugs last night, director of racing Phillip Johnston described the bugging as 'pretty amateurish'.

He dismissed claims of people hearing strange noises on their lines. 'People in the racing world always think their phones are behaving strangely,' he said.

Sixth-floor resident, trainer Derek Cruz, claimed every line in the block was being bugged. Two months ago, the trainer had his car stolen outside his flat and he was the victim of an attempted break-in.

'It has been going on for at least two months. I always hear clicks on my line. But I didn't go to the police because I had no proof,' said Cruz. Overall security here is a problem and I think it should be looked at.' Jockey Club spokesman Wilson Cheng Kwok-ming rejected the criticisms.