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A horse trainer involved in the Grand National is currently on trial at Cardiff Crown Court after allegedly assaulting an elderly man with a hockey stick, mistakenly believing the man was poaching on his property. Richard Evan Rhys Williams, who goes by Evan Williams and is 54 years old, faces charges related to causing grievous bodily harm with intent, along with an alternative charge of inflicting grievous bodily harm on 72-year-old Martin Dandridge. The incident took place on December 4, 2024, in Llancarfan, Vale of Glamorgan.
The prosecution revealed that Williams had intended to seriously injure Dandridge, who was renting a holiday cottage near Williams’ horse training facility. On the night in question, Mr. Dandridge was walking his daughter’s dog near the paddock and gallops associated with Evan Williams Racing. Despite photographing himself with a head torch and the dog wearing a light on its collar, their presence sparked Williams’s suspicion. Two police officers on patrol for rural crime were also nearby at the time. Williams reportedly approached the officers, saying that “they are lamping in my field and we’re going to challenge them,” before driving after the group.
According to prosecutor William Bebb, a man—later identified as Williams—exited a vehicle holding what was described as a hockey stick. Williams confronted Dandridge, asking why he was in the field with a lamp and a dog, and then began to strike him repeatedly with the stick. The blows landed on Dandridge’s chest, leg, arm, and face during the assault. Despite Dandridge’s efforts to explain that he was simply staying in a nearby holiday cottage, Williams continued the attack. Present at the scene, jockey Connor Ring, who is Williams’ daughter’s partner, attempted to intervene and pull Williams away.
Following the assault, Dandridge sought medical attention at the Princess of Wales Hospital, where X-rays confirmed he had suffered two fractured bones in his arm. When questioned by police, Williams denied the allegations, claiming that the injuries resulted from Dandridge falling into a drainage ditch after being pulled by the dog. He disputed carrying a hockey stick, instead stating he had a rope intended for guiding horses or restraining the dog. However, the prosecution maintained that this was a deliberate attack with a hockey stick.
Dandridge testified that he was staying at the holiday cottage with his wife for three weeks prior to the event and that he regularly walked the dog near the horse racing stables. He recounted that on the night of the incident, the weather was poor, and while walking the dog on an extendable lead, Williams suddenly appeared from a vehicle carrying a hockey stick and began hitting him violently. Describing the assault, Dandridge said it lasted about 60 seconds but felt much longer, and he feared for his life as he dropped to his knees pleading for the attack to stop.
When police arrived, Dandridge was instructed to lie on the ground despite the presence of his attacker nearby, which he found confusing. His wife, present at the holiday cottage, questioned the police’s treatment of her husband, noting the injuries as they were told he was trespassing. During the trial, Williams’ defense lawyer, David Elias KC, challenged Dandridge’s claims, suggesting the injuries might have been caused by a fall rather than an assault. Dandridge vehemently denied this, insisting the harm came solely from the blows inflicted with the hockey stick
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
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