An EBU Disciplinary Committee considered the following charge against Ian Hart (BBO account name: Ian273) and Richard Peate (BBO account name: palindrone) in September 2023:
That when the defendants played in some online games on the Bridgebase Online (“BBO”) platform, they had knowledge of some aspects of each other’s hands obtained by illicit information. They both took advantage of this information to take bridge actions which they might not have taken in the absence of such knowledge. These actions constituted an offense under Rule 3.2(iii), unfair or dishonest play in an organised duplicate bridge event, whether online or face to face.
The defendants initially denied the charges when first asked to comment but later admitted to the charges. A disciplinary meeting was held. The Disciplinary Committee found the charges proved to their comfortable satisfaction, and that the defendants' conduct constituted an offence under paragraph 3.2(iii) of the EBU Disciplinary Rules, being unfair or dishonest play. They considered the mitigation offered.
The Committee imposed a sanction of suspension of EBU membership for a period of two years and a ban on representing England for ten years.
October 25, 2023