Horse Trainer Sentenced to 3 Years for Assaulting Dog Walker

A prominent horse trainer has been sentenced to three years in prison for assaulting a dog walker with a hockey stick on his property in south Wales. Richard Evan Rhys Williams, 55, known professionally as Evan Williams, was convicted of causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Martin Dandridge, 72, from Swindon, Wiltshire. The attack occurred on the evening of December 4, 2024, at Williams' land in Llancarfan, Vale of Glamorgan.

Dandridge sustained severe injuries, including a fractured arm, during the incident. He had been staying at a nearby holiday cottage and was walking his cockerpoo, Gulliver, in a paddock adjacent to Williams' racehorse stables. Because it was dark, Dandridge used a torch, which Williams' family spotted and mistook for signs of lamping, an illegal activity involving bright lights to hunt animals like rabbits or foxes. Williams drove to the scene after alerting two nearby police officers to what he believed was suspicious activity on his gallops.

At Cardiff Crown Court in March, Williams denied the charge but was found guilty by a unanimous jury after 90 minutes of deliberation. On Tuesday, Recorder Angharad Price imposed the three-year custodial...