Grand National trainer Richard Evan Rhys Williams accused of breaking dog walker Martin Dandridge's arm in hockey stick attack

Richard Evan Rhys Williams, a Grand National trainer known in racing circles, is facing serious charges after prosecutors said he carried out a violent late night attack in a quiet Welsh community. Prosecutors say he broke a 72-year-old man’s arm in what the court described as a “frenzied” attack. The case is now being heard at Cardiff Crown Court.

Jurors were told that Martin Dandridge, a retired man visiting the area, was attacked with a hockey stick in December 2024 after being mistaken for a rural criminal. According to the prosecution, the incident happened in the Vale of Glamorgan when Mr Dandridge was walking his dog near a holiday cottage. What followed, the court heard, left him in hospital with a fractured arm.

Richard Evan Rhys Williams and Martin Dandridge: what Cardiff Crown Court heard about the alleged hockey stick attack

Prosecutor William Bebb told the jury that Mr Dandridge had been staying at a cottage near Evan Williams Racing. That night, he took his cockerpoo, Gulliver, out for a walk. It was dark, so he wore a headtorch and had a light attached to the dog.

At the same time, Williams reportedly saw the lights in a nearby paddock and believed someone was “lamping”, a term used when people shine bright lights to hunt animals at night. Mr Bebb said, “The defendant told the police officers there were lampers in the field and they were going to challenge them. He thought there were rural criminals trespassing on his land.”

Williams drove towards the field in a 4x4 vehicle with jockey Conor Ring. On the way, they passed two police officers who were on rural patrol. The court heard that when Williams got out of the vehicle, he approached Mr Dandridge aggressively, shouting, “Who are you and what are you doing?”

Mr Dandridge told jurors, “He swung the hockey stick at me violently. It was painful. I thought, What’s going on, why am I being attacked?” He said he tried to explain, telling Williams, “I’m staying in the cottage, I’m walking my dog.” But he added, “None of this registered.”

Mr Dandridge described a terrifying moment. “I couldn’t stand after the blow to my leg. I thought, I’m going to die here and there’s nothing I can do.” He said the final strike broke his arm when he raised it to protect his face. One police officer told the court he saw Williams strike Mr Dandridge and heard a “thudding sound.” Another officer saw Williams holding a hockey stick but did not witness the attack itself.

Mr Dandridge, from Swindon, was taken to hospital and treated for a fractured forearm. He later made a formal complaint. During police questioning, Williams denied assault. He claimed Mr Dandridge fell into a drainage hole and injured himself. He also denied carrying a hockey stick.

Williams denies causing grievous bodily harm with intent, as well as an alternative charge of inflicting grievous bodily harm. The trainer is well known in racing. He won the Welsh Grand National in 2020 with The Secret Reprieve and has had multiple runners placed in the Grand National over the years. The trial continues.





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