Nikolic fined over rider, police assaults

By Joel Cresswell

MELBOURNE, Sept 5 AAP - Caulfield Cup-winning jockey Danny Nikolic has been fined $1500 for assaulting a fellow rider and a police officer, with a magistrate rejecting his self-defence claims.

Magistrate Angela Bolger questioned the reliability of Nikolic's evidence and found he punched the jockey and assaulted the detective as they stood toe-to-toe.

Nikolic, 38, was convicted and fined $1200 for recklessly causing injury to jockey Mark Pegus in January 2011.

He was also convicted of unlawfully assaulting Detective Senior Constable Julio Salerno after a police interview and fined $300.

"It's about what I expected," the former top jockey said as he left the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Thursday.

Nikolic is serving a two-year ban from racing for threatening Victoria's chief racing steward, but can return to trackwork from this week.

He must reapply for a licence to once again ride in competitive races, and it's unclear how these convictions will affect that process.

Nikolic was being interviewed over the Pegus allegation at St Kilda Rd police station in April 2011 when he made slight contact with the forehead of Det Sen Const Salerno as they faced off in the interview room.

Nikolic claimed the detective had pushed him backwards into a chair, then grabbed him by the throat and pinned him to the wall when he stood back up.

Ms Bolger rejected Nikolic's claim but said the detective could have handled the situation better.

"There was intemperate and inflammatory language used by all in this exchange," she said.

"Whether this incident ought to have been handled better by police, of that I have no doubt."

Det Sen Const Salerno was a member of the Purana taskforce when he participated in the routine interview as a corroborator.

He told court the true purpose of his presence was to gather intelligence in relation to the murder of Sydney racing identity Les Samba.

Nikolic had earlier been interviewed by police in connection with the Samba murder but cleared of any involvement.

Nikolic had also claimed Pegus was the instigator of their confrontation.

He told the court he had been working on a horse with Pegus but became infuriated when Pegus claimed he was injured and refused to ride.

He said he phoned Pegus to tell him their partnership was finished and warned him not to come to trackwork at Caulfield racecourse the following day.

"You've got f***ing life," Nikolic said he told Pegus.

But Pegus arrived and Nikolic took him into an office where he repeatedly punched him.

"As a result Mark Pegus sustained injuries that included a cut lip and blackened eye," Ms Bolger said.

Nikolic told the court Pegus had shoved him in the office and he had pushed him against the wall, then wrestled him onto a desk in self-defence.

But in rejecting his defence, Ms Bolger noted "various inconsistencies" between Nikolic's initial statement to police and his evidence in court.