Grand National profitable horse coach is jailed for 3 years for battering aged canine walker with a hockey stick after mistaking him for a poacher

A Grand National-winning horse trainer has today been jailed for battering an elderly dog walker after mistaking him for a poacher.

Evan Williams, 55, repeatedly hit 72-year-old Martin Dandridge with a hockey stick after wrongly believing he was a rabbit-hunting intruder.

Williams told the court armed poachers had threatened him with a shotgun just weeks before the attack and said they would burn down his barn.

The ‘anxious’ trainer armed himself with the piece of sports equipment and repeatedly swung it ‘forcibly’ towards holidaymaker Mr Danbridge, breaking his arm.

Williams, from Swindon, Wiltshire, denied a charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, but was convicted by a unanimous jury after 90 minutes of deliberations following a trial at Cardiff Crown Court in March. 

He was jailed for three years today, with Recorder Angharad Price calling the attack at Llancarfan, Vale of Glamorgan, south Wales, on the evening of December 4 2024, an ‘appalling offence’. 

Mr Danbridge had been staying in a nearby holiday cottage to be close to his daughter, who had recently given birth, and was walking his dog Gulliver when he was set upon.

Recorder Price told Williams: ‘This is an appalling offence where you attacked Mr Dandridge causing him serious injuries.

‘I know that you fully understand that he is still living with the impact of your actions on that day 16 months ago.’

The judge told Williams that he had a ‘choice’ on that day – to confront Mr Dandridge himself or wait for nearby police to attend.

‘When you gave evidence at trial, you talked very passionately of your champion racehorses and their security, you talked of protecting them from harm,’ she said.

‘You also talked about protecting your family from harm. However, that protection should not have come at Mr Dandridge’s cost.’

Prosecutor William Bebb said: ‘The defendant used a weapon to inflict violence and there were repeated blows.’

Mr Bebb had previously told the court: ‘It was a dark night and Mr Dandridge went to walk the dog before going to bed – at around 9.30pm with a head torch and the dog also had a light attached to his collar.’

‘Two policemen were also nearby and on duty that night, monitoring rural crime such as lamping and poaching.

‘Mr Williams drove up to the police in his 4×4 and said to the officers “they are lamping in my field and we’re going to challenge them”.’

Williams shouted at Mr Dandridge ‘what are you doing in my field with a lamp and a dog?’ before launching the vicious attack.

Mr Bebb said: ‘Mr Williams rained down blows from the hockey stick on Mr Dandridge.

‘This was a man out walking his dog and now being assaulted with a hockey stick.’

Cardiff Crown Court heard Mr Dandridge was found to have suffered two fractured bones in his arm.

Minutes before the attack, Williams and his son-in-law – jockey Connor Ring – had chanced upon two police officers investigating rural crime, and the officers followed him to the field in Llancarfan, Vale of Glamorgan, and witnessed the attack.

In a victim personal statement, Mr Dandridge said he could no longer take part in his former hobbies such as golf, DIY and metal detecting due to ongoing pain in his arm.

He said: ‘The psychological impact of the assault is for me the most difficult part. I still struggle with anxiety, disturbed sleep and intrusive thoughts about what happened.

‘The hardest part is remembering the moment I was going to die and realised there was nothing I could do about it. I vividly remember it.

‘I struggle with the memory of being completely helpless and defenceless.’

Williams has more than 1,200 career winners, including victory in the 2020 Welsh Grand National and scooped more than £3million prize money during the past five years.

David Elias KC, defending, said Williams had a ‘deep love’ of his family and horses and had been confronted by trespassers who threatened to ‘shoot’ him and to burn down his farm six weeks before the incident.

Mr Elias said Williams’s attack ‘was driven by heightened fear, hypervigilance and a distorted threat perception’.

He said there had been an ‘unprecedented number of character references and testimonials’ from more than 500 people.

Mr Elias said: ‘It is testament to the huge amount of feeling that is felt from so many people from all aspects of his life.’

Williams was jailed for three years and told he must serve half the sentence behind bars.