Grand National Trainer Jailed for Three Years After Hockey Stick Attack

Evan Williams was once one of the most respected names in British horse racing. His Grand National achievements spoke for themselves, four consecutive top-four finishes at Aintree between 2009 and 2013, a Welsh Grand National victory with Secret Reprieve in 2020, and a operation managing 120 horses across two locations in the Vale of Glamorgan.

Now he begins a three-year prison sentence.

The 54-year-old was convicted at Cardiff Crown Court of causing grievous bodily harm with intent after a jury took less than two hours to find him guilty. The victim, 72-year-old Martin Dandridge, was beaten with a hockey stick during a nighttime attack in December 2024 on Williams property in Llancarfan.

The court heard Dandridge was staying at a holiday cottage near the racehorse training center with his wife, taking his cockerpoo Gulliver for an evening walk in a paddock that was part of the stables. It was dark, so he used a torch.

Williams family spotted the lights and assumed Dandridge was lamping, the practice of using bright lights to locate rabbits or foxes with a dog. They reported it to police, but Williams drove to the paddock himself, passing two officers on his way. He arrived with a hockey stick.

Dandridge described the assault in court. "I was on my knees with the dog lead in one hand," he said. "I thought, I am going to die here and there is nothing I can do." The attack lasted approximately 60 seconds. Williams struck him repeatedly, breaking his arm.

Williams claimed Dandridge was injured after falling over rough terrain while being dragged by his dog, possibly into a drainage hole. The prosecution called this nonsense. "You were filled with rage," prosecutor William Bebb told the court. "Whether a broken bone or a wound, you wanted to teach those lampers a lesson."

Defense lawyer David Elias KC presented 570 character references and noted Williams mental health struggles following an earlier confrontation with poachers on his land six weeks prior, where he was threatened with a shotgun and told his house would be burned down.

Recorder Angharad Price acknowledged Williams heightened fear but was clear: "This is an appalling offence. It is never acceptable to take the law into your own hands."

Williams wife took over his racing licence the day after his conviction, at the start of the Cheltenham Festival. That licence expires at the end of next month, and her solicitor said it would not be viable to continue the business without him. The operation employs roughly 30 people and has been described as the biggest rural employer in the Vale of Glamorgan. The court heard that without Williams, the training knowledge and expertise simply is not replaceable.

Williams took over his family dairy farm at 18 before moving into racehorse training in 1996, building his business from scratch. That legacy now hangs in the balance as he serves his sentence.