Horse Trainer Evan Williams Faces Trial Over Alleged Hockey Stick Assault
Prominent Cheltenham Festival-winning racehorse trainer Evan Williams stands accused of a violent assault on a dog walker he mistakenly believed was a rural criminal trespassing on his property. The 54-year-old trainer denies causing grievous bodily harm with intent to 72-year-old Martin Dandridge during an incident in the rural village of Llancarfan on December 4, 2024.
Dark Evening Walk Turns Violent Confrontation
Cardiff Crown Court heard that Mr Dandridge was staying at a holiday cottage near Evan Williams Racing, the racehorse training centre in the Vale of Glamorgan where Williams works and resides with his family. At approximately 9:30 PM, Mr Dandridge took his daughter's cockerpoo Gulliver for a walk on the gallops, wearing a headtorch and placing a light on the dog due to the darkness.
Williams' family reportedly spotted the lights and believed Mr Dandridge was engaged in "lamping" – a practice where people use bright lights to locate animals such as rabbits and foxes, often accompanied by dogs. This misunderstanding triggered the subsequent confrontation.
Alleged Aggressive Approach With Weapon
Prosecutor William Bebb told the jury that Williams, accompanied by jockey Conor Ring, set off in a 4×4 vehicle toward Mr Dandridge. They passed two police officers conducting a rural crime patrol nearby, with Williams informing them that there were "lampers in the field" and that they intended to challenge them.
"Mr Dandridge noticed vehicles arriving at the entrance of the paddock," Mr Bebb stated. "He saw an individual get out of one of the vehicles and approach him aggressively, practically charging towards him, shouting words to the effect of 'who are you and what are you doing?' Evan Williams was carrying with him a weapon, a hockey stick."
Frenzied Attack Allegations and Injuries
The prosecution alleged that Williams was "looking to impart his own justice on someone who he thought was trespassing on his land" and began "raining blows on Mr Dandridge." According to Mr Bebb, the attack was "frenzied" and caused Mr Dandridge to fall to the floor.
Despite Mr Dandridge explaining that he was staying at the nearby cottage and simply walking his dog, Williams allegedly continued the assault. The prosecutor claimed Williams then swung the hockey stick "with full force," resulting in a fracture to Mr Dandridge's left forearm.
Mr Ring is said to have told Williams "that's enough," at which point the two police officers who had been nearby attended the scene. One officer reportedly witnessed Williams "strike Mr Dandridge with an object to his body, making a thudding sound," while the other noted Williams was carrying a hockey stick but did not see the actual attack.
Medical Treatment and Conflicting Accounts
Mr Dandridge, from Swindon, Wiltshire, was taken to hospital by police where his fractured forearm was placed in a cast. He made a formal complaint against Williams the following day, leading to the trainer's arrest.
During police interviews, Williams denied assaulting Mr Dandridge and claimed he did not have a hockey stick. He suggested instead that Mr Dandridge had fallen into a drainage hole measuring two to three feet deep after being pulled by his dog on a lead.
"He denied assaulting him in any way and stated he believed he sustained his injuries by falling into the drainage," Mr Bebb told the court regarding Williams' account.
Legal Proceedings and Charges
Evan Williams denies one charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and an alternative charge of inflicting grievous bodily harm. The trial, expected to last four days, continues at Cardiff Crown Court with a jury of seven women and five men hearing the evidence.
The case highlights tensions in rural areas between property owners and those accessing land, with the prosecution alleging that Williams took matters into his own hands rather than allowing law enforcement to handle the situation. The defence maintains Williams' innocence, setting up a contentious legal battle over what transpired on that December evening in Llancarfan.
