Jockey appears in court charged with murdering pensioner ‘found lying unconscious on pavement after pub brawl'
A JOCKEY has appeared in court charged with murdering a pensioner who was allegedly found lying unconscious on the pavement after a brawl.
Levi Williams, 26, is accused of punching 71-year-old Richard Wingrove at least twice during the horror in Newmarket, Suffolk.
3
He was rushed to hospital but tragically couldn't be saved and died ten days later on March 18.
Williams appeared at Cambridge Crown Court today charged with murder and manslaughter.
He spoke to confirm his name, date of birth and address but was not asked to enter any pleas.
Williams was remanded into custody ahead of a hearing at the same court on June 27.
The court was previously told a fight involving four men had erupted outside the Wagon & Horses pub at around 3.40pm on March 8.
Williams, who was drinking in the garden, and a friend had initially been in a brawl with the victim's son, it was said.
He allegedly threw at least one punch towards Richard before hitting him in the chest - causing the OAP to fall to the pavement and into the road.
The fall to the ground caused Richard's fatal head injury, the court heard.
An inquest opened into Richard's death today heard how he was found "unconscious and unresponsive laying prone on the pavement" when officers arrived.
Police had been called to the pub following reports of a disturbance.
Richard received first aid from members of the public and paramedics before he was taken to hospital.
A post mortem was carried out but the pensioner's cause of death was recorded as "pending further investigation".
The full inquest was adjourned pending the criminal proceedings.
Williams was initially arrested on suspicion of assault causing grievous bodily harm and subsequently bailed.
He was re-arrested following Richard's death and taken in for questioning.
The apprentice jockey has ridden 12 winners from 156 rides - with his four winners for Simon Dow the most he has ridden for any trainer.
3
3
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
29 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Why banks may no longer refund fraud victims
Lenders are lobbying for new fraud reimbursement rules to be watered down over fears scam victims are being told to lie to their banks. Since last October, companies which handle payments have been required to give victims of 'Authorised Push Payment' (APP) fraud their money back, up to a limit of £85,000. In the first three months, 86pc of money lost to the scams – approximately £27m – was reimbursed to consumers by 60 firms. The current rules mean that, other than a £100 'excess' which firms can remove from payments, the only reasons that customers can be denied a payout are if they've ignored warnings, failed to quickly notify their bank of the fraud, refused to share information about the scam or do not consent to a police report being made. But in meetings in May, banks demanded that requirements for victims to act reasonably – and not to lie to their bank – were made stronger. This would mean that customers could be denied refunds in more cases. The Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) will hold an independent review of the mandatory scheme in October, and will then recommend changes. Problems raised include the high reimbursement limit, compliance monitoring by which administers the scheme, and the limited number of exemptions for refusing payouts. Lenders also said they should be able to give clear warnings about lying to them, as victims are often guided to do by fraudsters. One bank told industry magazine The Banker that: 'The [consumer negligence] bar is set so high that in almost all these cases a customer can be incredibly reckless, can lie to their bank, can ignore warnings and still get their money back.' Riccardo Tordera, director of policy and government relations at The Payments Association (TPA), said: 'The PSR says just 2pc of claims are rejected on this basis yet acknowledges no clear shift in consumer behaviour. 'Meanwhile, the Financial Ombudsman Service and the PSR both apply a stricter definition of gross negligence than common law, which could make enforcement of reimbursement policies challenging in a British court.' Under the previous voluntary code – called the Contingent Reimbursement Model (CRM) – customers could be refused for ignoring warnings or failing to verify the payee. Now the test is much stricter. Reimbursement numbers never jumped above 75pc under the old scheme – compared to 86pc for the mandatory payouts. APP scams see victims convinced to move their money themselves, eventually into a 'safe' account controlled by the fraudsters, at which point it is lost. Ticket sale scams, such as those experienced by Oasis and Taylor Swift fans, are also considered APP frauds. At first glance, the implementation has gone well. The amount lost in APP frauds dropped by 2pc between 2023 and 2024, according to UK Finance, and the number of cases fell by a fifth. But £450.7m was still lost to fraudsters last year. But the scheme has not been without its critics. Before the scheme was implemented, some parts of the industry warned of the potential problems of moral hazard – which is when consumers are incentivised to lie – and that fraudsters would pose as victims. This, it was claimed, would drive a significant spike in claims. But these fears have not materialised. Originally, the reimbursement limit was set to £415,000 – with firms expected to pay out just days after claims were made. But lobbying saw the limit dropped to £85,000, the same as the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), which protects money deposited with banks. Smaller and medium-sized payment companies had said that one large claim could wipe them out. David Geale, managing director of the Payment Services Regulator (PSR), which is responsible for the scheme, said in May that: 'While it is too early to draw firm conclusions based on the period covered by this data, we have not seen evidence of spikes in claim volumes that some had feared would occur under the policy.' Before the scheme was introduced, there was a voluntary code which most of the major banks were signed up to, run by the Lending Standards Board. Sources at the LSB said last year, before reimbursement was mandatory, that they had not seen fraudulent claims. Rocio Concha, director of policy and advocacy at Which?, said: 'Based on the available data from the PSR, the new mandatory scheme appears to be performing well, with more fraud victims getting their money back. 'Sections of the industry had tried – without producing any evidence – to claim that mandatory reimbursement would lead to consumers acting irresponsibly or even teaming up with criminals to con banks out of cash. This seemed ludicrous at the time and initial insights have borne that out.' Ms Concha added that while the number of cases were down, there was another worrying trend. She said: 'Latest industry figures suggest more victims are being tricked into sending money to bank accounts overseas controlled by fraudsters. That is concerning as these transfers aren't covered by the new mandatory reimbursement rules.' A spokesman for the PSR said: 'We have always been clear that we would have an independent review following the implementation of the policy. 'If we think there are key learnings or adjustments to make to our policy, we will consider those carefully before making any changes.'
BBC News
32 minutes ago
- BBC News
Security beefed up at Kellingley Clubafter vandalism
Security measure have been beefed at a former social club after vandals damaged the site during ongoing redevelopment roof and children's changing facilities were damaged at the Kellingley Club in Knottingley, Wakefield Council said. The local authority condemned the incident and said police would be giving "extra attention to the site", while additional security cameras have been installed.A private security firm has also been hired to conduct patrols of the site, which is in the process of being redeveloped. New changing rooms, a bar, improved parking and better spectator seating are being created at the site as part of a £6.3m improvement scheme. The council's deputy leader Jack Hemingway, said: "It is a real shame that the actions of a few are impacting on the delivery of projects designed to benefit the whole community. "Knottingley is a wonderful community, and these senseless acts of vandalism are not representative of the people who live there. "These new security measures will help us get work back on track, to provide residents with the new, improved community facilities they asked for."I would ask those responsible for the damage to consider the wider implications of their actions. The Council doesn't have unlimited funds. Every time we spend money repairing or replacing something deliberately damaged or vandalised, it means less money for the vital services that people depend on." Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Durham volunteers sought to scrutinise police custody processes
Volunteers are being sought to help provide oversight of police custody processes and the welfare of people being independent custody visitors will hold Durham Constabulary and the Chief Constable to account and help increase trust and confidence in policing services, Police and Crime Commissioner Joy Allen unannounced visits to the new Durham Investigative Hub, near Spennymoor, the volunteers will check detentions standards across custody suits and ensure detainees are receiving the appropriate said the volunteers would "play a critical role in driving further improvements". Issues identified will be raised with the custody sergeant and included in a report which is sent to the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner."Our new cohort of volunteers will play a critical role in driving further improvements in our processes and procedures to ensure Durham not only delivers the very best quality of care to detainees but is held aloft as a beacon of good practice nationally," Allen said. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
