Apprentice jockey Levi Williams in court charged with murder
An apprentice jockey has appeared in court charged with the murder of a pensioner who died after a fight outside a pub.Police were called to reports of an altercation involving four people in Newmarket, Suffolk, at about 15:40 GMT on 8 March.Levi Williams, 25, is said to have punched 71-year-old Richard Wingrove during the incident outside the Waggon and Horses pub, in High Street. Mr Wingrove was taken to hospital in a critical condition, and died on 18 March.
Mr Williams had previously been arrested on suspicion of assault causing grievous bodily harm, and had been bailed.He was rearrested on Tuesday and charged with murder, police said.Another man, aged 45, was taken to hospital and discharged on the day of the incident, the force added.Mr Williams, of Holland Park, Newmarket, wept as he appeared at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday.The jockey was remanded in custody and is next due to appear at the same court on 9 May.A 23-year-old man arrested on suspicion of assault causing grievous bodily harm and a 45-year-old man arrested on suspicion of affray both remain on police bail.
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North Wales Live
27 minutes ago
- North Wales Live
Man attacked teen with fence post he believed was 'up to no good' breaking his arm and wrist
A man launched an attack on a teenager he believed was "up to no good" near his property, breaking his arm and wrist, a court heard. George Kovacs assaulted the 17-year-old with a fence post and pole and then threatened to kill him if he returned. A judge said he had read about issues involving people misbehaving and causing damage in the area where the defendant lived, but sending the 57-year-old father to prison, he said: "What you did went far beyond anything you reasonably thought you could do to protect that property." Amy Edwards, prosecuting, told Caernarfon Crown Court on December 17, 2022, two then-17-year-old friends were walking in the mountains in the Waunfawr area of Gwynedd when they noticed an abandoned outbuilding and "out of curiosity" walked towards it, reports WalesOnline. Ms Edwards said as they approached the building a vehicle drove past them before stopping and reversing back to them. The driver of the vehicle, Kovacs, got out and shouted "What the f*** are you boys doing here?" The court heard that one of the teenagers, Kian Williams, who is now an adult, apologised to the driver but Kovacs continued "ranting" and the teenager told him: "There's no need to be a d*** about it." The prosecutor said Kovacs then grabbed a fence post and began swinging it around and striking Mr Williams, with the teenager putting his arms up to protect himself. The force of the blows were such that the post snapped. The court heard the defendant continued shouting that the boys should leave the area before grabbing Mr Williams, pushing him up against a wall and throwing a number of punches, all of which missed their target. The prosecutor said the teenagers made for the footpath but Kovacs armed himself with a pole and followed them. The defendant struck Mr Williams a number of times to the legs and the back, though the blows to the back were cushioned by the rucksack he was wearing. Kovacs told the teenagers: "I'm going to kill you... come back again and I will slice you." For the latest court reports sign up to our crime newsletter The court heard that the teenagers made their way home and Mr Williams was subsequently taken to Bangor's Ysbyty Gwynedd by his father where doctors found he had a fractured arm and a fracture to bones in his wrist which required surgery. Meanwhile Kovacs put a post on a Facebook saying: "The lads who came from Liverpool or Manchester to my place, don't come back... next time they will have more then just a limp. Merry Christmas." He also said he had the registration of a vehicle they had been seen getting into. The court heard Kovacs was arrested and interviewed and admitted striking the teenager with a pole saying his actions were justified as he was protecting his property. In an impact statement written in May this year which was read to the court the victim said he still suffers with pain in his wrist and gets flashbacks to what happened in Waunfawr. He said he feels fearful when he goes out and constantly thinks of the defendant, adding: "This incident has taught me a lot of lessons about the man I want to be. I want to be the complete opposite of him." George Kovacs, of Ceunant, Caernarfon, Gwynedd, had previously pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has five previous convictions for eight offences including weapons offences but none for violence. Laura Knightly, for Kovacs, said the defendant lived in a "secluded area" with his wife and children and said he was a hard-working man. She, while in no way excusing his actions on the day in question, said there had been "concerns and fears in the area for some time" and that Kovacs' suspicions of the teenagers and his fears of what might happen "caused him to behave in this out-of-character way". The barrister added that her client thinks he may have blacked out during the incident. Judge Timothy Petts said in December 2022 Kovacs saw two young men in the vicinity of a property near to where he lived and, believing they were "up to no good", he confronted them. He said he had read references written to the court detailing problems with people misbehaving and causing damage in the rea but he told the defendant: "What you did went far beyond anything you reasonably thought you could do to protect that property." With a 15% discount for his guilty plea Kovacs was sentenced to 33 months in prison. He will serve up to half the sentence in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community. The defendant was also made the subject of a 10-year restraining order banning him from contacting his victim.
Wales Online
19 hours ago
- Wales Online
He throttled a teenager with a fence post, then bragged on Facebook he'd do even worse
He throttled a teenager with a fence post, then bragged on Facebook he'd do even worse George Kovacs told his 17-year-old victim "I'm going to kill you… come back again and I will slice you" George Kovacs (Image: North Wales Police ) A man attacked a teenager who he believed was "up to no good" near his property and broke his arm and wrist, a court has heard. George Kovacs set about the 17-year-old with a fence post and pole and threatened to kill him if he returned. Sending the 57-year-old father to prison a judge said he had read about issues involving people misbehaving and causing damage in the area where the defendant lived, but he told him: "What you did went far beyond anything you reasonably thought you could do to protect that property." Amy Edwards, prosecuting, told Caernarfon Crown Court that on December 17, 2022, two then-17-year-old friends were walking in the mountains in the Waunfawr area of Gwynedd when they noticed an abandoned outbuilding and "out of curiosity" walked towards it. The barrister said as they approached the building a vehicle drove past them before stopping and reversing back to them. The driver of the vehicle, Kovacs, got out and shouted "What the f*** are you boys doing here?" The court heard that one of the teenagers, Kian Williams, who is now an adult, apologised to the driver but Kovacs continued "ranting" and the teenager told him: "There's no need to be a d*** about it." The prosecutor said Kovacs then grabbed a fence post and began swinging it around and striking Mr Williams, with the teenager putting his arms up to protect himself. The force of the blows were such that the post snapped. The court heard the defendant continued shouting that the boys should leave the area before grabbing Mr Williams, pushing him up against a wall and throwing a number of punches, all of which missed their target. The prosecutor said the teenagers made for the footpath but Kovacs armed himself with a pole and followed them. The defendant struck Mr Williams a number of times to the legs and the back, though the blows to the back were cushioned by the rucksack he was wearing. Kovacs told the teenagers: "I'm going to kill you… come back again and I will slice you." For the latest court reports sign up to our crime newsletter Article continues below The court heard that the teenagers made their way home and Mr Williams was subsequently taken to Bangor's Ysbyty Gwynedd by his father where doctors found he had a fractured arm and a fracture to bones in his wrist which required surgery. Meanwhile Kovacs put a post on a Facebook saying: "The lads who came from Liverpool or Manchester to my place, don't come back… next time they will have more then just a limp. Merry Christmas." He also said he had the registration of a vehicle they had been seen getting into. The court heard Kovacs was arrested and interviewed and admitted striking the teenager with a pole saying his actions were justified as he was protecting his property. In an impact statement written in May this year which was read to the court the victim said he still suffers with pain in his wrist and gets flashbacks to what happened in Waunfawr. He said he feels fearful when he goes out and constantly thinks of the defendant, adding: "This incident has taught me a lot of lessons about the man I want to be. I want to be the complete opposite of him." George Kovacs, of Ceunant, Caernarfon, Gwynedd, had previously pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has five previous convictions for eight offences including weapons offences but none for violence. Laura Knightly, for Kovacs, said the defendant lived in a "secluded area" with his wife and children and said he was a hard-working man. She, while in no way excusing his actions on the day in question, said there had been "concerns and fears in the area for some time" and that Kovacs' suspicions of the teenagers and his fears of what might happen "caused him to behave in this out-of-character way". The barrister added that her client thinks he may have blacked out during the incident. Article continues below Judge Timothy Petts said in December 2022 Kovacs saw two young men in the vicinity of a property near to where he lived and, believing they were "up to no good", he confronted them. He said he had read references written to the court detailing problems with people misbehaving and causing damage in the rea but he told the defendant: "What you did went far beyond anything you reasonably thought you could do to protect that property." With a 15% discount for his guilty plea Kovacs was sentenced to 33 months in prison. He will serve up to half the sentence in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community. The defendant was also made the subject of a 10-year restraining order banning him from contacting his victim.
North Wales Chronicle
4 days ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Gwynedd man struck teenager who he thought was trespassing
George Kovacs told Kian Williams, who was 17 at time, 'come back again and I will slice you'. Kovacs, 57, of Ty Uchaf, Ceunant, was jailed for two years and nine months at Caernarfon Crown Court today (June 6), having admitted wounding. Prosecutor Amy Edwards said on December 17, 2022, Williams and a friend had been climbing for a short time in the Waunfawr area when they noticed an abandoned outbuilding. As they approached it, a vehicle being driven by Kovacs drove past them and then reversed – Kovacs then got out and shouted: 'What the f*** are you boys doing here?' Mr Williams apologised, but Kovacs continued 'ranting' – Mr Williams then told him: 'There's no need to be a d*** about it.' Kovacs then struck Mr Williams' hand with a fence post with such force that it caused the post to snap. He then followed him before pinning him against a wall, where he aimed punches at him which made no contact. Mr Williams broke free and moved away, but Kovacs then struck him twice with a metal pole. Kovacs told Mr Williams: 'I'm going to kill you… come back again and I will slice you.' After being taken to Ysbyty Gwynedd by his father, Mr Williams was found to have fractures and required surgery. He described the pain Kovacs inflicted on him as 'unbearable', and said it rendered him unable to walk or stand up at first. After the assault, Kovacs posted a Facebook status, extracts from which read: 'The lads who came from to my place, don't come back… otherwise, you won't be going home with just a limp. Merry Christmas.' Mr Williams said he still feels pain in his wrist, adding: 'I constantly think of him when I go outside. 'This incident has taught me a lot of lessons about the man I want to be. I want to be the complete opposite of him.' Kovacs, who had five previous convictions for eight offences, claimed his actions were justified as he was 'protecting his property'. Representing him, Laura Knightly said none of his previous convictions are for violence, and described him as a 'hard-working man' in full-time employment. She added that Kovacs had a 'difficult childhood', and suffers from several health conditions for which he is medicated. He lives in a 'secluded area' with his wife and children, and 'completely regrets' his 'inexcusable' actions. Ms Knightly said added that the incident was 'out of character' for Kovacs. Sentencing, Judge Timothy Petts also imposed a 10-year restraining order for Mr Williams' protection. He told Kovacs: 'What you did went far beyond anything you reasonably thought you could do to protect that property.'
