Evan Williams, a prominent racehorse trainer, has been jailed for three years after attacking an elderly dog walker with a hockey stick on his land.
The 55-year-old repeatedly struck Martin Dandridge, 72, during the assault, which left the pensioner with a fractured arm.
The incident occurred on Williams’ property in Llancarfan, Vale of Glamorgan, south Wales, on the evening of 4 December 2024. Mr Dandridge, from Swindon, Wiltshire, sustained significant injuries in the unprovoked attack.
Williams had denied a charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent but was convicted by a unanimous jury at Cardiff Crown Court in March, following 90 minutes of deliberations. On Tuesday, Recorder Angharad Price sentenced Williams to three years in prison for the offence.
Addressing Williams, the judge stated: "This is an appalling offence where you attacked Mr Dandridge causing him serious injuries. I know that you fully understand that he is still living with the impact of your actions on that day 16 months ago."
She highlighted that Williams had a "choice" that day – to confront Mr Dandridge himself or await the arrival of nearby police.
The judge acknowledged Williams’s concerns, noting: "When you gave evidence at trial, you talked very passionately of your champion racehorses and their security, you talked of protecting them from harm. You also talked about protecting your family from harm. However, that protection should not have came at Mr Dandridge’s cost."
Recorder Price also referenced an incident six weeks prior to the assault, where Williams had 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," she added, but stressed: "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."
Williams is a highly successful trainer, boasting multiple Grade One victories and successes at the prestigious Cheltenham Festival. Last month, Ask Brewster, a horse running under the licence of his wife, Cath – who took over after Williams’s conviction – won the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Handicap Chase at Cheltenham.
During the trial, jurors heard that Mr Dandridge and his wife were staying at a holiday cottage near Williams’s yard to be close to their daughter in Cardiff, who had recently given birth. Mr Dandridge was walking their dog in a paddock, part of the stables, and had placed torches on himself and the animal as it was dark.
Williams’s family spotted the lights on their land and mistakenly believed Mr Dandridge was "lamping" – a practice where bright lights are used to find animals like rabbits and foxes, often with a dog. The court heard there had been previous issues with fly-grazing, hare coursing, and poaching on the land.
The pre-sentence report on Williams indicated that his offending was "riven by heightened fear, hyper vigilance and a distorted threat perception" following the earlier incident with trespassers who had threatened to shoot him and burn down his farm.
David Elias KC, representing Williams, told the court that his client’s reaction was "against the background of that terrifying previous incident." Mr Elias also noted an "unprecedented number" of character references in support of Williams, with 500 received by his office and others sent directly to the judge.
Mr Elias argued that the business was likely to fail without Williams at the helm, stating: "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.
“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 maintained his innocence, claiming he did not injure Mr Dandridge. He asserted that the victim was hurt after being pulled over on rough terrain by his dog and falling into a drainage hole.
In a victim personal statement read to the court on Tuesday, Mr Dandridge described the profound and lasting impact of the assault. He explained that he had previously been a "healthy individual" who enjoyed hobbies such as 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. "There has not been a single day since the assault that I have not thought about it. What happened that day and its consequences have had a profound impact on my life."
