Victoria's sports integrity regime has been called into question, with the participants in a major race-fixing scheme set to become the latest police targets to receive a minor penalty for organised criminal behaviour.
Fairfax Media can reveal that leading harness racing figures Shayne and Greg Cramp have agreed to plead guilty to illegal betting charges in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Thursday, on the basis they will be handed community correction orders, rather than jail terms. They may also avoid convictions.
Well-placed sources fear it means there is zero deterrent for those involved in sports corruption.
The pair are the latest sporting figures, including tennis and soccer players and coaches, to get what one senior official described as "slaps on the wrist" despite being subject to lengthy, resource-intensive investigations by Victoria Police – the sorts of investigations usually reserved for organised crime figures.
Fairfax Media reported on Wednesday that leading harness racing trainer Paul Sequenzia had not been banned from racetracks, despite being linked to a series of scandals, including the cobalt saga, and his links to organised crime.
Shayne Cramp and his father Greg were two of the leading figures in Australian harness racing, with Shayne winning the Victorian trainer's championship in 2013/14. He was placed second in last year's championship and had recently made history as the only person to train every winner in one meet.
However, the Mildura-based pair were charged after a 10-month investigation that allegedly found they fixed races and gambled on the outcome. They faced charges relating to the corrupting of a betting outcome, which has a maximum penalty of 10 years' imprisonment.
Sports corruption probes include phone taps and surveillance, which, in the force's resource-strained environment, would have meant other targets were ignored.
Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton, who initiated a crackdown on sports integrity during his time as deputy commissioner, said Victoria Police remained committed to investigating corruption in sport. He would not comment on whether lenient sentencing had undermined this focus.
"Victoria is known for being the sporting capital of Australia and it is important we preserve the integrity of that reputation," Mr Ashton said.
"It doesn't matter if it is happening at major events in Melbourne or in small events in country towns. We will continue to focus on those who are willing to engage in criminal activity that undermines the reputation of our sporting events."
He said relationships with sporting bodies remained strong.
"Victoria Police work closely with all of the relevant codes and sporting bodies to ensure we are aware of any potentially criminal behaviour early and to ensure they have the appropriate preventative measures in place."
In 2013, the Baillieu government said "tough" new laws were vital to protect the integrity of sport in Victoria. Since then, six people have been sentenced for breaching the laws, but only one has received a prison term.
The only person to have been jailed for a sports corruption offence in Victoria is Segaran "Gerry" Subramaniam, who was sent to Melbourne by the world's most prolific match-fixer, Wilson Raj Perumal, to organise a syndicate involving the Southern Stars soccer team in the Victorian Premier League.
He was sentenced to three years prison, with two years suspended. It is believed the syndicate netted at least $2 million from gambling on fixed matches involving the Stars.
Subramaniam had replaced Krishna Sanjey Ganeshan as the head of the syndicate in Melbourne. In June last year, Ganeshan was jailed for five years by an English judge after he attempted to establish a similar fixing enterprise in that country.
The investigation into Perumal and tennis match fixing was plagued by an embarrassing hole in Victorian legislation, which meant police could not charge those who had never set foot in the state.
