Justin Bergman sentenced for track invasion on Wellington Cup day

The man who invaded the Trentham race track and stood among the galloping horses on Wellington Cup day in a moment of “alcohol-fueled insanity” has admitted the crime, as well as having tried to scare the horses beforehand. .

Justin Bergman, 24, appeared in Hutt Valley District Court this morning, where he pleaded guilty to creating a criminal nuisance by unreasonably disrupting a public meeting, knowing it would endanger the safety of the public.

He also pleaded guilty to disrupting a meeting at Trentham racecourse.

Before hitting the track, Bergman entered a private area where horses are displayed and paraded.

He started yelling and yelling at the horses in an attempt to scare them away, but was unsuccessful.

“He leaned on the barrier to make himself look bigger and continued to growl loudly at the passing horses,” the police prosecutor said.

He then jumped three hurdles and ran onto the track and stopped on the road as the 500kg horses and their jockeys passed like thunder.

They had been traveling at around 60-65 km / h and had to take “evasive action”.

Then Bergman “raised his arms to the crowd victoriously.”

As a result, the bet on one of the horses had to be refunded. The cost to the racing industry was $ 8,880.

Bergman, who had been drinking all day with his friends, told police that he had been thinking about running out on the track all day.

He also claimed to be a protester for animal rights.

Bergman declined to speak to the media outside of court.

However, he told the Herald that he was “sorry” and that he was sorry for what happened.

After pleading guilty, he was sentenced to 100 hours of community service and 12 months of supervision, and ordered to pay a $ 8,880 repair.

Judge Craig Thompson said the incident received “intense publicity” and that Bergman “posed a very significant danger to jockeys and horses, and no less important to you as well.”

“It can only be explained as a moment of utter madness fueled by alcohol.”

He said Bergman immediately apologized and had referred himself to alcohol and drug counseling.

Both bettors and animal rights activists were outraged in January after a video surfaced of Bergman jumping the fence at the Wellington Cup Day races and pacing the middle of the track as the racehorses they galloped by.

The video shows horses and their riders flying close to the man.

Wellington Race Group President Paul Humphries said about 12,000 people were enjoying Cup Day at the time.

“Horses can be shy, go up the ramp and when you have riders on top of horses at 60 km / h, it’s crazy.”

The riders had to flee quickly and came within inches of trampling Bergman while he was in the middle of the track.