Former jockey who punched pensioner to death outside pub jailed for manslaughter
A former jockey has been sentenced to three years in prison for the manslaughter of a 71-year-old pensioner, who he punched outside a bar and hit his head when he fell.
Judge Sean Enright told Levi Williams, 27, that he could “walk away” from the fight.
Richard Wingrove died in hospital 10 days after the incident in Newmarket, Suffolk, on 8 March 2025. He had a fractured skull and bleeding on the brain and was initially placed in a coma.
Peterborough Crown Court heard Mr Wingrove and his son Jamie Wingrove, who walked with a stick, had been drinking in pubs “before they were separately kicked out of Waggon and Horses following disorderly and abusive behavior towards staff”.
Prosecutor Jane Oldfield said Williams and his friend, both jockeys, were present during the arguments between Wingroves and bar staff. CCTV footage shown in court showed jockeys trying to stop Jamie Wingrove from re-entering the pub after a physical altercation with the publican.
When Williams and his friend later left the bar, there was a verbal altercation with Wingroves. Ms Oldfield said Williams was seen punching Jamie Wingrove and then Richard Wingrove. The old man fell but got back up and “rejoined the fight.”
The argument continued and Williams “suddenly punched Richard Wingrove in the head, causing him to fall and hit his head on the pavement” a second, fatal time.
Following his arrest, Williams, who now lives in Trefonen, Oswestry, Shropshire, was described as drunk, shaken and said “it was an accident”. He also tested positive for cocaine. In the interview, Williams claimed he had consumed two to three pints of beer and felt threatened by punches being thrown “on both sides”.
Judge Enright accepted that Williams “was not initially the aggressor” and that the initial blows “could be classed as self-defence”. However, he added: “The last punch cannot be justified that way. You were drunk, you took cocaine, you hit a defenseless man in the head.”
Sobs erupted in the public gallery as Williams, who rode his last winner in February 2023, was led to the cells.
Mr Wingrove’s daughter, Louisa Reah, stressed in her victim impact statement that her father “had poor eyesight and relied on a walking stick”. She added that her younger daughter was pregnant at the time and that the child “would be my father’s first great-grandchild.”
William England, mitigating, said Williams had “never been involved in any violent behavior in the past”.
Speaking outside court, Detective Constable Hannah Barrett described the death of Richard Wingrove as a “completely preventable act of violence” that occurred while he was celebrating his birthday and caused “devastation for so many people”.
