Garritty

[Pinny]

9 hours ago, Jonny the spud said:

He’s not the only rider to have known *sniff substance issues 

No, far from it. But he is the only rider, as far as I know, that has robbed an elderly woman armed with knives whilst out of his head on crack cocaine.

There have been many instances where a rider can come back from a drugs ban. Smarty came back from missing a season and a half and was better than ever after it. Roger Lobb made a successful comeback and Nick Morris seems to of done okay. I do think the ban should be longer for being caught under the influence and they should be tested every meeting for the rest of their career.

People say its expensive but it really isn't, I was working in the mines in Australia a few years back and drug tests cost them next to nothing.

It is mad how it gets out that drug testers are in attendance at tracks which causes riders to suddenly have a van break down on them. 

Its criminal how a plank like Garrity can do what he has and now seemingly has Havelock and Wilson backing him on his comeback whereas genuine decent lads with equal ability get next to nothing to help them.

[secsy1]

On 12/29/2025 at 3:37 AM, Pinny said:

I find it absolutely astonishing that people think this piece of dirt should be allowed back into speedway.

There are lines between crimes and getting pissed and jumping on a bike, whilst completely irresponsible, is not in the same league as smoking crack and holding up an old woman at gunpoint. He is the lowest of the low.

People need to hang their heads in shame comparing him to a rider who has failed a booze or drug test.

It is crazy how he didn't get banned before he completely and utterly ballsed his life up. Have heard many stories about his behavior and drugs etc from well before he got banged up.

So is it okay that after a young lady is sexually abused the perpetrators are all still actively involved in speedway?

[Pinny]

7 minutes ago, secsy1 said:

So is it okay that after a young lady is sexually abused the perpetrators are all still actively involved in speedway?

They were found not guilty of all charges. 

[Pinny]

7 minutes ago, secsy1 said:

So is it okay that after a young lady is sexually abused the perpetrators are all still actively involved in speedway?

They were found not guilty of all charges. 

[Dave67]

Let's just hope he grasps the opportunity he's been presented with.  Having Wilson & Havelock backing him can only because good thing.

The argument he should find work elsewhere, when has has proven ability at speedway & no legal bar to do it doesn't seem especially bright.

As to his future when he eventually retires, well that's purely up to him.  Hopefully a good few years racing will lead him down a path that sees him stay clean.

Once again, one person drug free & contributing has to be better than the alternative for everyone from JG to every tax payer in the country.

[IainB]

30 minutes ago, Dave67 said:

Let's just hope he grasps the opportunity he's been presented with.  Having Wilson & Havelock backing him can only because good thing.

The argument he should find work elsewhere, when has has proven ability at speedway & no legal bar to do it doesn't seem especially bright.

As to his future when he eventually retires, well that's purely up to him.  Hopefully a good few years racing will lead him down a path that sees him stay clean.

Once again, one person drug free & contributing has to be better than the alternative for everyone from JG to every tax payer in the country.

It's very rare for released prisoners to reappear in the entertainment industry once they've served their sentence, in fact I can't think of a single one. Of course there are those that had previously served time and then gone on to better things, Stephen Fry, David Dickinson, Gino di Campo. But could you imagine Rolf Harris reappearing after he got released?

[Dave67]

28 minutes ago, IainB said:

It's very rare for released prisoners to reappear in the entertainment industry once they've served their sentence, in fact I can't think of a single one. Of course there are those that had previously served time and then gone on to better things, Stephen Fry, David Dickinson, Gino di Campo. But could you imagine Rolf Harris reappearing after he got released?

From a brief Google search.

Tim Allen - Hollywood actor

Robert Downey jr

Kiefer Sutherland 

George Michael 

Mark Wahlberg

Stephen Fry

Ozzy Osbourne (Burglary!)

Leslie Grantham 

Jeffrey Archer

Johnny Vaughan 

Finally, are you seriously comparing him to Rolf Harris?

At least try and think before you post!

Edited 10 hours ago by Dave67

[IainB]

6 minutes ago, Dave67 said:

From a brief Google search.

Tim Allen - Hollywood actor

Robert Downey jr

Kiefer Sutherland 

George Michael 

Mark Wahlberg

Stephen Fry

Ozzy Osbourne (Burglary!)

Leslie Grantham 

Jeffrey Archer

Johnny Vaughan 

Finally, are you seriously comparing him to Rolf Harris?

At least try and think before you post!

I'm not sure all of those were in the entertainment industry, went to prison for a crime and then returned to the entertainment industry. And even for those that did 2026 is a very different time to when those in your list served their time in today's age it's quite a rarity. 

I'm comparing Garrity to Rolf Harris in as much as he was an entertainer and went to prison and never returned to the industry. 

[Petecc]

5 hours ago, IainB said:

I'm not sure all of those were in the entertainment industry, went to prison for a crime and then returned to the entertainment industry. And even for those that did 2026 is a very different time to when those in your list served their time in today's age it's quite a rarity. 

I'm comparing Garrity to Rolf Harris in as much as he was an entertainer and went to prison and never returned to the industry. 

So pleased you cleared that up. I was beginning to wonder what average we was going to get rolf on. 😁

[Lefty]

1 hour ago, Petecc said:

So pleased you cleared that up. I was beginning to wonder what average we was going to get rolf on. 😁

He woukd have ridden under an alias, Jake Pegg, to avoid a backlash from this forum. Perhaps Freddie Dreamer could be used for another option?

 

[M.D]

8 hours ago, IainB said:

It's very rare for released prisoners to reappear in the entertainment industry once they've served their sentence, in fact I can't think of a single one. Of course there are those that had previously served time and then gone on to better things, Stephen Fry, David Dickinson, Gino di Campo. But could you imagine Rolf Harris reappearing after he got released?

Mark Courtney, went to prison for importing drugs into the country and made a successful track return and still works in the sport today .

[IainB]

1 minute ago, M.D said:

Mark Courtney, went to prison for importing drugs into the country and made a successful track return and still works in the sport today .

Did Michael Lee do time during his career as well?

[M.D]

2 minutes ago, IainB said:

Did Michael Lee do time during his career as well?

Not sure if he did time or not

[IainB]

11 minutes ago, M.D said:

Not sure if he did time or not

Different times anyway though, In this age of cancellation you don't even have to be found guilty of a crime to be cancelled. Speedway is currently so low profile it probably wouldn't make much difference anyway 🤷‍♂️

[enotian]

9 hours ago, Dave67 said:

Let's just hope he grasps the opportunity he's been presented with.  Having Wilson & Havelock backing him can only because good thing.

The argument he should find work elsewhere, when has has proven ability at speedway & no legal bar to do it doesn't seem especially bright.

As to his future when he eventually retires, well that's purely up to him.  Hopefully a good few years racing will lead him down a path that sees him stay clean.

Once again, one person drug free & contributing has to be better than the alternative for everyone from JG to every tax payer in the country.

You miss the point. We'd all love to earn money doing what we enjoy or are best qualified to do. Given the opportunity anyone would.

The point is that doing what he enjoys or is most qualified to do is not his only option to make a useful contribution to society as is being presented by some on here. "If you don't let him ride he'll resort to drug abuse and crime". Utter nonsense. He very well might but that would be on him and not those who decided it wasn't appropriate to employ him. Imagine if we all resorted to drugs and crime if we didn't get what we wanted to do? The vast majority of us just get on with it. Nobody owes this lad a living because he's was a half decent speedway rider,

If any promoter is happy enough to accept the negative publicity and risk associated with the lad then that's  entirely up to them. If none are willing to do so then he should accept that as a consequence of his own misdemeanours and move on and find another way of being a useful member of society.    

Perhaps the best comparison is ex footballer Adam Johnson. He made a despicable mistake served his time and has moved on knowing that he'd never be able to do what he was best qualified to do such was the nature of his crime.

To say Garrity should be given an opportunity despite the nature of his crime because it's what he does best shows a complete lack of empathy for the victims of his crime and indeed the general public. Who naturally don't like to see people who have behaved despicably being rewarded.

I say fair play to any promoter willing to give him a chance. Hopefully he takes it and lives a successful life from this point forward. But let's be clear, any promoter who does so is taking a risk and Garrity should consider himself extremely fortunate to be given an opportunity he is most certainly not entitled to just because he happens to be good at it.