GRAND NATIONAL HORSE TRAINER JAILED FOR BEATING A 72 YEAR OLD MAN WITH HOCKEY STICK
Richard Evan Rhys Williams, known as Evan Williams, aged 54, was found guilty of assaulting Martin Dandridge during a night time incident in Llancarfan, Vale of Glamorgan, where he struck him multiple times.The assault in December 2024 resulted in Williams fracturing Dandridge’s arm.
Recorder Angharad Price called the act "an appalling offence." After deliberation, a jury at Cardiff Crown Court convicted Williams of causing grievous bodily harm with intent in under two hours.
On the night of the attack, 72-year-old Dandridge, from Swindon, was staying at a holiday cottage near Williams’s racehorse training facility.
He was walking his cockerpoo, Gulliver, within a paddock connected to the stables, using a torch because it was dark.
Williams’s land has a history of fly-grazing animals illegally left on the property as well as incidents of hare coursing and poaching.
The court heard that Williams’s family observed the lights on their land and suspected Dandridge was lamping, a method involving bright lights to locate animals such as rabbits or foxes, often with a canine.
During the court proceedings, it was revealed that Williams passed police officers as he drove to the paddock, warning them about lampers being present.
When he reached the scene, the moving lights drew his attention, and he recognised a person with a dog.
He shouted at Dandridge to turn out his light, worried it would disturb his horses.
At that point, Williams was caring for approximately 120 horses across two sites.
He explained that flickering lights could agitate his horses and that he was trying to seize the dog’s extendable lead.
Williams claimed that Dandridge was injured after being pulled over by his unrestrained dog on rough terrain, falling into a drainage ditch.
Prosecutor William Bebb dismissed this explanation as "nonsense," suggesting Williams was enraged due to the history of lamping activities and intended to punish the offenders.
Dandridge described how he and his wife had been staying at the cottage for three weeks before the incident, which happened three days prior to his 71st birthday.
He said Williams was wielding a hockey stick with both hands, while Dandridge was kneeling with a dog lead in hand, feeling helpless and fearing for his life.
He recalled that the attack lasted about a minute but seemed endless.
Since then, he has experienced ongoing pain and issues with his left arm, which serve as constant reminders of the assault.
The defence, represented by David Elias KC, argued that a custodial sentence would adversely affect Williams’s family members, associates, and the business, which employs around 30 staff.
Elias highlighted Williams’s good character, citing over 570 references, and described his training business as the largest rural employer in the Vale of Glamorgan.
Williams, who started in farming as a young man before turning to racehorse training in 1996, founded Evan Williams Racing in 2003.
He achieved notable success including five consecutive top-four finishes in the Grand National between 2009 and 2013, and training the Welsh Grand National winner in 2020.
His wife took over his license immediately after his conviction, although her license is due to expire the following month, making continuation of the operation unlikely.
Elias emphasised that Williams’s expertise is irreplaceable, and his business is integral to the local rural economy.
The court also noted Williams’s mental health issues, which contributed to the incident following a prior threat from poachers armed with a shotgun, who threatened to burn his house.
In her sentencing remarks, Recorder Price acknowledged Williams’s heightened state of alert due to the earlier threats but condemned the attack as "an appalling offence." She pointed out that Williams had a choice to wait for police rather than taking matters into his own hands, emphasising that such personal interventions are never justified under the law.
