Grand National trainer who beat pensioner with hockey stick jailed for 3 years

A champion horse trainer has been jailed for three years after attacking a pensioner who was walking his dog on his land.

Richard Evan Rhys Williams, known as Evan Williams, 55, repeatedly struck pensioner Martin Dandridge, 72, with a hockey stick during the assault.

Mr Dandridge, from Swindon, Wiltshire, a fractured arm and other injuries after the attack in Llancarfan, Vale of Glamorgan, south Wales, on December 4, 2024.

Williams denied a charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, but was convicted by a unanimous jury after 90 minutes of deliberations following a trial at Cardiff

Recorder Angharad Price sentenced Williams to three years in prison and slammed what she called an ‘appalling offense’.

‘I know that you fully understand that he is still living with the impact of your actions on that day 16 months ago,’ she said.

The judge told Williams that he had a ‘choice’ on that day – to confront Mr Dandridge himself or wait for nearby police to attend.

‘When you gave evidence at trial, you talked very passionately of your champion racehorses and their security, you talked of protecting them from harm,’ she said.

‘You also talked about protecting your family from harm. However, that protection should not have come at Mr Dandridge’s cost.’

The judge described an incident that had taken place six weeks before the assault, in which Williams disturbed poachers on his land and was threatened with a shotgun.

‘The earlier incident you experienced with threats of violence to you and your home must have been very frightening,’ the judge added.

‘It is never acceptable to take the law into your own hands. This sentence will be a lesson to you that it is always better to call the police if you think a crime is being committed.’

Jurors heard Mr Dandridge and his wife had been staying at a holiday cottage near Williams’ training center to be close to their daughter in Cardiff, who had recently had a baby.

Mr Dandridge took their cockerpoo, Gulliver, for a walk in a paddock that was part of the stables, placing torches on himself and the dog as it was dark.

Williams’ family spotted the lights on their land and believed Mr Dandridge was lamping, where people use bright lights to find animals such as rabbits and foxes, often with a dog, which had reportedly happened before on Williams’ land.

The judge said Williams was ‘driven by heightened fear, hyper vigilance and a distorted threat perception’.

David Elias KC, representing Williams, told the court that his client’s reaction was ‘against the background of that terrifying previous incident’.

Mr Elias said he had been provided with an ‘unprecedented number’ of character references in support of Williams, with 500 of these received by his office and others sent directly to the judge.

These included statements from Williams’ wife, Cath, who took over the license at his yard. Mr Elias said the business was likely to fail without Williams at the helm.

‘Evan Williams has worked all his life, he has built a business from scratch which has become very important to the wider community in the Vale of Glamorgan,’ Mr Elias said.

‘He is a man who goes out of his way to help people and is much loved by his staff, suppliers and the locals in his community.

‘If that business were to fail, there would be a much wider knock-on effect not only to employment in that area but to many other businesses in that area.’

During the trial, Williams insisted he did not injure Mr Dandridge and claimed he was hurt after being pulled over on rough terrain by his dog and falling into a drainage hole.

In a victim’s personal statement read to the court on Tuesday, Mr Dandridge said he was previously a healthy man who enjoyed golf, DIY and metal detecting.

‘Sadly, because of the assault and what has followed, I don’t feel like the same person I was before,’ he said.

Mr Dandridge told the court he had lasting problems with his left arm and hand, with everyday tasks such as opening jars and using tools, leaving him in pain.

He also described an impact on his mental health, suffering from anxiety, disturbed sleep and intrusive thoughts since the attack.

‘There has not been a single day since the assault that I have not thought about it,’ he added. ‘What happened that day and its consequences have had a profound impact on my life.’

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