A Welsh Grand National-winning horse racing trainer has been convicted of assaulting a dog walker with a hockey stick, breaking the man's arm. Evan Williams, 54, faces sentencing next month after a jury deliberated for less than two hours. The incident occurred on his property amid concerns over trespassing and poaching.
Richard Evan Rhys Williams, known professionally as Evan Williams, was found guilty at Cardiff Crown Court of causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Martin Dandridge, a 72-year-old from Swindon. The assault took place in December 2024 in Llancarfan, Vale of Glamorgan, where Dandridge was walking his cockerpoo, Gulliver, in a paddock near Williams's racehorse training centre during a stay at a holiday cottage.
The court heard that Williams's family had spotted lights on the property and suspected 'lamping'—using bright lights to hunt animals like rabbits and foxes—due to prior issues with fly-grazing, hare coursing, and poaching. Williams approached Dandridge, who was using a torch in the dark, and shouted for him to extinguish the light, citing concerns that it could unsettle his horses. 'The light would have been flickering in the stables and that can trigger horses,' Williams told the jury.
Williams claimed he attempted to control Dandridge's dog by grabbing its extendable lead and that the victim fell into a drainage hole due to the uneven terrain and an out-of-control pet. However, prosecutor William Bebb described this account as 'nonsense,' suggesting Williams acted out of rage linked to past encounters with intruders. 'You were filled with rage due to the nature of the background you had with lampers,' Bebb said. 'Whether a broken bone or a wound, you wanted to teach those lampers a lesson.'
The jury took one hour and 45 minutes to convict Williams, who repeatedly struck Dandridge with a hockey stick, fracturing his arm. Williams, who took over his family's dairy farm at age 18 and entered racehorse training in 1996, founded Evan Williams Racing in 2003. He trained Secret Reprieve to victory in the rearranged 2020 Welsh Grand National at Chepstow and oversaw 120 horses across two locations at the time of the incident.
David Elias KC, defending, requested an adjournment for reports and business contingency plans, noting Williams's risk of imprisonment and upcoming racing commitments. 'He has his business and he will need to consider how that will be looked after, bearing in mind the risk of him losing his liberty,' Elias said. Recorder Angharad Price granted conditional bail until the sentencing on 14 April.
