Champion horse trainer denies assaulting dog walker on his land

A Welsh champion horse trainer has told a jury he did not assault a dog walker who was on his land.

Richard Evan Rhys Williams, known as Evan Williams, 54, denies causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Martin Dandridge, 72, in the rural village of Llancarfan in the Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales, on December 4 2024.

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

Cardiff Crown Court has heard that Mr Dandridge was staying at a holiday cottage near Evan Williams Racing, the racehorse training centre where Williams works and lives with his family.

Mr Dandridge took his cockerpoo Gulliver for a walk in a paddock that was part of the stables at about 9.30pm, with both men wearing lights as it was dark.

Giving evidence, Williams told the jury of seven women and five men he had previously had incidents of fly-grazing – where animals are left on land without permission – as well as hare coursing and poaching.

The father-of-three described receiving a phone call from his daughter Isabelle, who had spotted lights moving on the family’s land at about 9pm.

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.

He told the jury he was concerned about the effect of the lights on the horses at his training centre, which were stabled close by.

He said he had shut the paddock gate earlier that day, and when he arrived the lights began moving towards him and he became aware there a person and a dog.

Williams said the man was then pulled by his dog into a drainage hole.

“The dog was pulling him to the left of the sand and the man definitely went down,” he said.

“I know categorically that he went down. At the time, I was trying to grab the line that was going between him and the dog. I couldn’t get the line.”

Williams denied causing Mr Dandridge to fall to the ground.

He told the jury: “He was making a proper, proper squealing fuss. I’m still trying to grab the dog.

“As I got closer to him, he has half come on me, using me as a ladder to get out of the hole. I was half helping him out of the hole.

“I never struck him. I never struck or hit him.”

Williams 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.”

He added: “This man was hurt, he was on my land, I felt I had a responsibility to do what I could to get him in a safe place.”

‘Lampers’

The court previously heard that 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 bright lights to find animals such as rabbits and foxes, often with a dog.

Inspector 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.

Mr Childs told the court that Williams had “hold of” Mr Dandridge and he saw the accused use an object to strike the 72-year-old on the torso.

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

Searched

On Thursday, Cardiff Crown Court heard that Williams’s home was searched after the incident but no hockey stick was recovered.

He said he had been carrying a lead rein, which he took out of his truck to assist with the dog.

After his arrest, he told officers: “No, I had a lead rope, there was no hockey stick. The world has gone mad.”

Mr Dandridge was taken to hospital by Mr Childs and Pc Elson and was found to have a broken arm.

Williams denies a charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and an alternative charge of inflicting grievous bodily harm.

The trial continues.