Judge: woman "lied" in horse case

4:14pm Wednesday 14th May 2008

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A HORSE-RIDER was today branded a liar by a High Court judge after losing a case against a Buckinghamshire vet.

Eddie Blass's evidence was a "fabrication" a judge ruled and the dressage rider was "well capable of setting out to mislead others".

Dr Blass last month accused Sarah Randall, a vet of 15 years, of not telling her that a horse she wanted to buy had a debilitating medical condition.

The rider bought pinky' for £45,000 in June 2005 - but it went lame within months and is now worth £3,000, the court was told.

This dashed the chance of the horse competing in top-class dressage events, she said.

Sarah Randall, of the Chiltern Equine Clinic, Chalfont St Giles denied this and said she gave Dr Blass a full medical history of the animal.

Today Dr Blass, of Station Road, Amersham, lost her case.

Judge Richard Seymour QC said her accusation was that Ms Randall had "deliberately lied" and "fraudulently misled" Dr Blass.

But he said he was "not impressed" with Dr Blass' evidence and said: "I formed the view that Dr Blass was a person well capable of setting out to mislead others...and to lie to achieve her ends."

He said: "I am confident that her claims in this action are founded upon falsehood and that her evidence where it conflicted with the testimony of Miss Randall and other witnesses was a fabrication."

He said: "In marked contrast, in my judgement, Miss Randall is an open, frank and honest individual who told the truth. I accept her evidence without reservation".

"I was impressed by the thoroughness and competence of Miss Randall in conducting the examination of Pinky and in reporting fully and comprehensively to Dr Blass.

"The suggestions made that Miss Randall had fallen below the standard of ordinarily competent veterinary surgeons ...lacked substance.

"I am confident that Miss Randall is a thoroughly competent veterinary surgeon, albeit perhaps wiser and less trusting as a result of her unhappy experience in this action."

Dr Blass sought more than £65,000 damages from Ms Randall.

She said the vet did not tell her the horse had undergone a double neurectomy operation which disqualified it from top-class dressage riding.

The operation is on the horses front legs and involves cutting nerves to kill pain.