Horse racing trainer tried to help not hurt man - court

A Welsh Grand National winning trainer has denied attacking a man with a hockey stick, instead telling a court he was trying to help him from a ditch.

Richard Evan Rhys Williams, known as Evan Williams, 54, denies causing grievous bodily harm with intent, and an alternative charge of inflicting grievous bodily harm, to Martin Dandridge on 4 December 2024 in Llancarfan, Vale of Glamorgan.

He is alleged to have used a hockey stick to hit Dandridge, 72, from Swindon, causing injuries including a fractured left forearm.

South Wales Police's Insp Gareth Childs told Cardiff Crown Court he saw Williams use an object to strike Dandridge after being called to the scene.

But when Williams's home was searched by police no hockey stick was found.

Williams denied hitting him with a rope used for leading horses and denied owning a hockey stick.

Dandrige, wearing a light, went for a walk with his cockerpoo Gulliver in a paddock that was part of the stables at about 21:30 GMT.

Father-of-three Williams told the court he had a phone call from daughter Isabelle, who had seen lights moving on the family's land at about 21:00.

Williams, who had been at Ludlow Racecourse that day, changed his clothes before heading towards the light in his truck with his daughter's partner, jockey Conor Ring.

The court previously heard Williams passed two police officers as he drove to the paddock, telling them "there's lampers on my gallop, they are there now".

Lamping involves people using lights to find animals such as rabbits and foxes, often with a dog.

Williams said there were problems locally involving fly-grazing - where animals are left on land without permission - as well as hare coursing and poaching.

Insp Gareth Childs, of South Wales Police, and his colleague PC Stuart Elson turned their car around and drove to the paddock where Williams had parked.

PC Elson told the jury he saw Williams with a hockey stick-type object.

The court heard when Williams arrived the lights began moving towards him and he became aware there a person and a dog.

Approaching the man, Williams told the court, he shouted to him to put out his light as he was worried it would upset his horses.

"The light would have been flickering in the stables and that can trigger horses," Williams said.

He wanted to get control of the man's dog, the court heard, and was "trying to grab his extendable lead".

The court was told the dog was pulling the man and Williams heard him fall into a drainage ditch.

David Elias KC, defending, asked what happened when he fell.

Williams said: "He was squealing and making a lot of fuss. I tried helping him out of the ditch and he was grabbing me and trying to use me as a ladder to get out of the ditch."

Mr Williams said police arrived and held Dandridge on the ground.

Elias asked Williams if he either struck Dandridge with his rope or if owned a hockey stick.

Each time he replied: "No."

Williams said: "Safety is paramount to me, and he was on my land and he was hurt, so I wanted to get him to safety."

He admitted he had sworn during the incident, telling the court: "My language was terrible. The man was obviously hurt and it was just the situation that was so stupid, no need of."

The court heard he and the police took Dandridge to the holiday cottage he was renting and Williams was apologising as he had hurt himself on his land.

Elias asked Williams whether he wanted to hurt anyone that night.

"100% no," he said.

Earlier, he had told the court he had taken over the family dairy farm as an 18-year-old before moving into racehorse training in 1996.

He established Evan Williams Racing in 2003 and trained Secret Reprieve, which won the rearranged 2020 Welsh Grand National at Chepstow.

By the time of the alleged offence, he was in charge of 120 horses over two locations.

The case continues.