Former jockey Levi Williams has been jailed for manslaughter. Williams was convicted at Peterborough Crown court on Thursday 4 June and will serve a three-year sentence.
Williams pled guilty to manslaughter after the killing of 71-year-old Richard Wingrove in Newmarket. The incident occurred on 8 March 2025 outside the Waggon And Horses pub on Newmarket High Street. Williams attacked Wingrove, who died of his injuries ten days later in hospital
Williams admitted to manslaughter ahead of the trial, with details of the incident laid bare. Much of the altercation was caught on CCTV outside the Waggon And Horses.
Wingrove and his son Jamie had been ejected from the Waggon And Horses for disorderly behaviour during a birthday celebration. Williams and fellow jockey Matthew Wilson had also been drinking at the establishment before the interaction took place.
Williams and Wilson initially attempted to prevent the Wingroves from re-entering the pub after their ejection. Richard Wingrove and Williams stood opposite each other before Williams dealt the first punch, which could have been “classed as self-defence” according to judge Sean Enright.
However, Williams then punched Wingrove a second time, causing him to hit his head on the pavement. It was from the injuries caused by that second motion that Wingrove passed away ten days later.
“Richard Wingrove never got up again” – Prosecutor Jane Oldfield
Acting on behalf of the Wingrove family, Prosecutor Jane Oldfield suggested Williams’ actions went far beyond the call of self defence.
“Suddenly the defendant punched Richard Wingrove in the head causing him to fall to the floor and hit his head on the pavement,” Oldfield said, as reported by the BBC.
“This was the fatal blow – Richard Wingrove never got up again.”
The second punch caused a blood clot, as well as a bleed on Wingrove’s brain. The 71-year-old never regained consciousness before dying in hospital ten days afterwards.
Though this is the first time Williams has been jailed, it was not the first time he had been convicted by police. The 27-year-old had previously been convicted for drink and drug driving in the area. The evening of his attack on Richard Wingrove, he also tested positive for cocaine.
The defence for Williams called upon the fact that Williams could not have known the seriousness of the injuries he had caused, and that despite previous convictions, none had been for anything related to violence.
However, Detective Constable Hannah Barrett of Suffolk Constabulary called Williams’ actions a “completely avoidable act of violence”.