A judge remarked that a jockey had the opportunity to walk away but instead ended up being sentenced for the manslaughter of a pensioner he assaulted outside a pub.
Levi Williams, aged 27, received a three-year jail term for the manslaughter of Richard Wingrove, 71, who passed away in hospital ten days after being punched by Williams in Newmarket, Suffolk.
During the trial at Peterborough Crown Court, Prosecutor Jane Oldfield recounted that Mr. Wingrove, who used a walking stick, and his son Jamie Wingrove had been drinking at various pubs along the town’s high street on March 8, 2025.
Both Wingrove men were asked to leave the Waggon and Horses pub due to disruptive and abusive behavior towards the staff, as explained by Oldfield. Williams and his friend Matthew Wilson were present at the pub during the altercations involving the Wingroves and the staff.
An altercation occurred between Jamie Wingrove and the pub owner at the Waggon and Horses’ doorway around 3:30 pm, with CCTV footage showing the jockeys seemingly trying to prevent the man from entering.
After leaving the pub, a verbal confrontation ensued between Williams and the Wingroves, leading to physical violence. Williams threw punches at both Jamie and Richard Wingrove, causing Richard to fall and hit his head on the pavement.
Richard Wingrove succumbed to his injuries in Cambridge hospital on March 18, following a skull fracture and brain bleeding that required him to be placed in a medically induced coma initially.
Upon his arrest, Williams, now residing in Trefonen, Oswestry, Shropshire, was found to be intoxicated and tested positive for cocaine, claiming that the incident was accidental.
Williams stated in an interview that he had consumed two to three pints of beer and encountered two unknown men arguing with the pub staff before the tragic event transpired.
Judge Sean Enright acknowledged that Williams was not the initial aggressor and suggested that the situation could have been avoided if Williams and his friend had chosen to leave instead of escalating the confrontation.
Sentencing Williams to three years in prison, Judge Enright emphasized the severity of the situation, considering Williams’ intoxicated state, drug use, and the vulnerable victim’s tragic outcome.
Emotions ran high in the courtroom as Williams was taken into custody. Louisa Reah, Mr. Wingrove’s daughter, expressed in her victim impact statement the devastating loss caused by her father’s untimely death and the impact on her family, especially as her father was looking forward to becoming a great-grandfather.
William England, in his defense, highlighted that Williams had no history of violence prior to this incident.
Detective Constable Hannah Barrett, speaking outside the court after the trial, described the incident as a senseless act of violence that led to the loss of a life during what should have been a celebratory occasion for Richard Wingrove’s birthday, causing immense grief to many individuals.
