Jockey who killed pensioner, 71, after punching and shoving him to ground in brawl outside Newmarket pub is jailed for three years

a jOckey, who took cocaine and drank before killing a ‘defenseless’ pensioner in a fight outside a bar, was today sentenced to three years in prison.

Levi Williams, 27, crashed into pensioner Richard Wingrove during a fight outside a pub in Newmarket, Suffolk, the historic heart of horse racing.

The 71-year-old man, who was hospitalized after the attack, was in critical condition, but died ten days later on March 8, 2025.

The 27-year-old was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter at Peterborough Crown Court in April.

Williams had previously been charged with murder; however, the prosecution found him guilty of manslaughter and he was released on bail before sentencing.

A fight involving four people broke out outside the Waggon & Horses bar at around 3.40pm on March 8, the court was previously told.

The court had previously heard that Mr Wingrove, who was celebrating his birthday and wearing a cowboy hat, and his son Jamie had been drinking at a pub in the town.

When the landlord decided they were drunk enough, he threw them out. The couple ‘attempted to return to the bar several times’ but were taken out again.

Williams and a jockey friend were watching horse racing at the same bar before taking a taxi back to work.

Prosecutor Peter Gair said the pair then began ‘confronting’ the father and son, which ‘culminated in a fistfight in the high street’.

Williams was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter at Peterborough Crown Court.

At the sentencing today, prosecutor Jane Oldfield told the court that both jockeys were present and Wingroves was ‘involved in a fight with bar staff’.

CCTV footage shown in court showed two jockeys preventing Mr Wingrove from entering the pub.

He said after the jockeys left the bar there was a ‘verbal exchange between the defendant and Wingroves’.

Ms Oldfield added that Williams then punched Jamie and then Mr Wingrove, who then fell to the ground. The old man stood up again and ‘rejoined the fight’ he said.

The argument continued and Ms Oldfield said Williams ‘suddenly punched Richard Wingrove in the head, causing him to fall and hit his head on the pavement’.

Mr Wingrove died in hospital in Cambridge on March 18, having initially been placed in a coma following a skull fracture and brain haemorrhage.

The court heard he was given CPR by paramedics at the scene and was taken to hospital with a fractured skull, blood clots and brain contusions.

Ms Oldfield said their serious injuries could have been caused by blunt force trauma from a punch or impact with the pavement, or ‘or a combination of both’.

Williams and his friend tried to get into the car driven by a passing friend before being blocked by members of the public.

Williams, who now lives in Trefonen, Oswestry, Shropshire, was said to have been “drunk, shaken and uttered words to the effect of ‘it was an accident’ when he was arrested.”

The court was told he also tested positive for cocaine, but he also admitted drinking “two or three pints” of Stella Artois before the incident.

He told officers he noticed the two men were drunk and objecting to the homeowner.

Williams said he did so and his friend left to go home at the same time that Mr Wingrove and his son approached them aggressively in the street.

He said: ‘Punches were thrown on both sides. ‘The injuries sustained were unintentional.’

Williams, formerly of Newmarket, was initially charged with murder but he denied it.

The charge was later dropped after prosecutors agreed to plead guilty to involuntary manslaughter.

The court heard he spent 167 days in custody after the incident before being released on bail to live with his mother and stepfather in Oswestry, Shropshire.

Judge Sean Enright said Mr Wingrove was a ‘vulnerable victim’ and Williams had smoked and taken cocaine.

Acknowledging Williams’ display of remorse and giving full credit to his early guilty plea, the judge sentenced the 27-year-old to three years in prison.

He stated that Williams ‘was not initially the aggressor’. The judge stated that the first blows “could be classified as self-defense” and added: “The last punch cannot be justified that much.”

‘You and your friend could have walked away immediately. This is a situation where only custody can be justified.

‘You were drunk, took cocaine and caused the death of a defenseless man by hitting him in the head.’

Judge Enright said: ‘This man was punched to death in a fight in the street. He was 71 and you were 25. ‘He walked with a stick and had poor eyesight.’

Williams’ girlfriend, who was in the public gallery with family members, cried loudly during the sentencing.

Mr Wingrove’s daughter Louise said he died while she was pregnant with her first grandchild.

His death occurred as they were writing letters to each other in hopes of reuniting after being estranged for 15 years.

In her victim impact statement, she said she suffered “sleep disturbance, panic attacks, anxiety and a significant stuttering” following her death.

Louise said of Williams: ‘I hope he listens carefully to my explanation and fully understands the consequences of his actions.’

He added that he hoped Williams was truly remorseful for his actions that day, and concluded: ‘May God have mercy on his soul.’

Following sentencing, Detective Constable Hannah Barrett said Mr Wingrove was ‘celebrating his birthday’ when he lost his life in ‘a completely preventable act of violence’ which caused ‘devastation for so many people’.

William England, mitigating, said Williams had ‘never been involved in any violence in the past’.

He had previously requested that Williams be given a lesser sentence due to the ‘truly exceptional circumstances’ of the case.

He added that Williams was genuinely remorseful and thought about his actions every day and the pain he had caused Mr Wingrove’s family.

‘He will have to live with the consequences of what happened for the rest of his life,’ he said.

Mr England added that a probation officer who had previously spoken to Williams blamed his actions on impulsive behaviour, substance abuse and poor decision-making.

Mr England quoted the probation officer as saying: ‘He was clearly very touched by the magnitude of his actions and spoke empathetically to his victim’s family.’

The court heard Williams had previous convictions for drug driving in 2018 and drink driving in 2023; these provisions had previously derailed his career.

It was previously nearly derailed when he was given an 18-month suspension after testing positive for cocaine for a second time.

He was banned in September 2023 for using drugs in a bar toilet three days before the race.

The British Horseracing Authority’s judicial panel heard he also ‘consumed alcohol to the point of intoxication’.

The panel was told Williams did not purchase the Class A drug but “was offered it by someone else”.

The positive test took place at Windsor racetrack before Williams drove at Wolverhampton the next day, 2 May.

Here he was sentenced to 18 days of improper driving ban and 7 days of whipping.

Williams was banned for six months in 2021 after testing positive for cannabis and cocaine.

He was given a new driver’s license on the condition that he ‘keeps careful to stay away from all kinds of substances’.

He raced 156 times during his straight driving career and won 12 races in total.