At the races, a winter night outside a training centre in Llancarfan became a scene of violence when a torch-lit dog walk ended with a pensioner seriously injured. Martin Dandridge, 72, from Swindon, had been walking his cockerpoo Gulliver in a paddock that was part of the stables when the encounter unfolded in December 2024.
What happened in the paddock in Llancarfan?
Richard Evan Rhys Williams, known as Evan Williams, 54, a Welsh Grand National-winning trainer, confronted the man after his family saw lights on their land and believed the activity to be lamping. When Williams arrived, the lights began moving towards him and he became aware there was a person and a dog. Williams told the jury he shouted at the man to put out his light because he was worried it would upset his horses. He said, “The light would have been flickering in the stables and that can trigger horses. “
The court heard Williams repeatedly struck Martin Dandridge with a hockey stick during the night-time assault. Dandridge suffered injuries including a fractured arm. The jury at Cardiff Crown Court took one hour 45 minutes to find Williams guilty of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.
At The Races: Why did Evan Williams say he acted?
Williams told the court he wanted to get control of the man’s dog and was “trying to grab his extendable lead. ” He presented his actions as driven by concern for his horses and for control of the animal on his land. The wider context given in court included previous incidents on the property involving fly-grazing, hare coursing and poaching, which had left the family alert to lights and movement after dark.
Prosecution and defence arguments were tested over the course of the trial, and the jury returned a guilty verdict for grievous bodily harm with intent.
What happens next for those involved?
Williams was bailed ahead of sentencing, which is scheduled to take place on 14 April at Cardiff Crown Court. Reports will be prepared for the court process and his barrister acknowledged he was at risk of losing his liberty. The victim, Martin Dandridge, remains the central human figure in the aftermath: a holidaymaker who had been staying at a cottage near the training centre and had taken his dog out for a routine walk when the attack occurred.
The case sits at the intersection of rural crime concerns and the responsibilities of landowners and trainers protecting animals and property. For now, the legal timetable will determine Williams’s punishment and whether the court accepts the context he gave for his actions.
Back in the paddock where the torch light once cut through the night, the image of Gulliver the cockerpoo and the broken arm of a 72-year-old man linger. The upcoming sentence will close one chapter of the episode at the edges of a racehorse training yard—but questions about how such confrontations can be avoided remain unresolved as the court prepares its decision.
