Frankie Says (I can't) Relax
- Deception Detection Lab
- Mar 20
- 4 min read
Updated: Mar 24
Date of publication: Thursday, 20th March 2025 at c. 13.00
LinkedIn post link (once published): https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/frankie-says-i-cant-relax-sunil-chadda-t23qe
Last Friday, 14th March, The Independent newspaper reported that Jockey Frankie Dettori had announced he was filing for Bankruptcy.
In December 2024, it was revealed that Dettori was involved in a dispute with HMRC over a scheme to reduce his income tax payments. Dettori said, ‘A few years ago, I employed the services of professional specialist tax advisers to look after mine and my family’s financial affairs’.
This is a sensitive sentence in respect to the context of what is going on. Dettori advises that he employed the ‘services of professional specialist tax collectors.’ That they are professional and specialist is expected, but here it needs to be said which provides added emphasis. We would question if the opposite were true? Dettori then says why they were employed, ‘to look after mine and my family’s financial affairs.’ The priority of appointment for their services is to look after his financial affairs. He knows more than he is revealing. This is expected in context. He adds, ‘A structure was created, and I was told that it had been approved by HMRC’.
There is a lot of passivity in this sentence. We would question what a ‘structure’ is, why it was needed and why it had to be approved of the HMRC? He does not say who told him it had been approved. We know this is a serious issue and information is being withheld. This could be for a number of reasons ranging from context, nefarious reasons or through shame and embarrassment.
He added, ‘Years later HMRC is now challenging that structure. My former advisers have since been dismissed’.
We would question why HMRC were challenging ‘that’ structure which they had approved? Dettori does not say that the HMRC approved the ‘structure’ only that he was ‘told’ that this was the case. Here he linguistically distances himself from the actions of HMRC.
We would ask why his former advisors were dismissed? He doesn’t say. Did they misadvise him?
The scheme was to reduce income tax payments based on what was reported. Why the need to reduce income tax payments?
In announcing he was filing for bankruptcy last week, Frankie Dettori admitted that he is ‘saddened and embarrassed by this outcome’. He said: ‘For the last six months, my advisors have been working with HMRC in an attempt to find a solution to my financial situation. Regretfully, I will be filing for bankruptcy.’
We note the change of language from the previous ‘professional specialist tax advisors’ to ‘my advisors.’ The former was allegedly looking after his financial affairs, whilst the latter were looking to find a solution potentially caused by the former. Both it would appear were unsuccessful.
Dettori added, ‘I am saddened and embarrassed by this outcome and would advise others to take a stronger rein over their financial matters. Bankruptcy is a major decision and its consequences will affect me for many years.”
He is ‘saddened and embarrassed’ by, ‘this outcome’ which was brought about by a ‘scheme to reduce his income tax payments’ to which end ‘a structure’ was created. This reveals the reason for and the earlier sensitivity of ‘a structure’. He used passivity to withhold information about a serious situation which we now know was likely due to ‘embarrassment,’ evidence of which was revealed in his language, which is expected in context.
He then says he would advise others to, ‘take a stronger rein over their financial matters.’ Which is an admission that he did not do so of his.
If you didn’t know Dettori’s profession prior to this comment, he gives us a strong linguistic clue via, ‘a stronger rein.’ This demonstrates how our everyday activities can influence our language. If we follow language carefully, we are able to build up a psycho-linguistic profile of an individual which can reveal their background, experiences, priorities and personality traits.
In closing, he says, ‘I am relieved to be drawing a line on this long-term matter, which enables me to reset and focus on my international riding career’.
We analyse language carefully often going word-by-word and letter-by-letter. Sensitivity is not always nefarious. Language reveals a lot and we have to be careful to listen to it and understand it in context given the expected, what we would expect to hear and the unexpected.
Here, Dettori tells us of the ‘embarrassment’ he is feeling and the effects it will have on him. He does not reveal his full extent of his knowledge of the ‘structure’, but the outcome is sad to read.
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Photo Credit: Pietro Mattia - Unsplash
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