
Young jump jockey found dead at leading racing yard – in third tragedy there in four years
A source said he was out the night before and 'seemed absolutely fine'
'GONE TOO SOON'
'GONE TOO SOON' Young jump jockey found dead at leading racing yard – in third tragedy there in four years
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
A JUMP jockey has died at a leading racing yard — the third tragedy there in four years.
Billy Moffatt, who was in his early 20s, was found in his accommodation on Saturday.
3
Tragically, Billy Moffatt, who was in his early 20s, was found dead in his accommodation on Saturday
Credit: Facebook
3
The alarm was raised after Billy did not show up for work at the stables run by Warren Greatrex, above, in Lambourn, Berkshire.
Credit: PA
A source said he was out the night before and 'seemed absolutely fine'.
The alarm was raised after he did not show up for work at the Warren Greatrex stables in Lambourn, Berkshire.
Trainer Warren said it was 'hugely upsetting' adding of Billy, originally from the North East: 'He was a great member of the team with a great sense of humour.'
Fellow jockey Jack Wilmot wrote: "Billy, words can't describe the way I'm feeling. I'm absolutely heartbroken, I'll love you forever mate and will always carry you with me whatever I do.
"Please, please, if you're struggling with something, please talk to someone.
"Love you mate. Gone far too soon."
It is understood Billy worked for Greatrex for around three years training the horses.
It is the third recent death there after Michael Pitt, 19, in July 2021, and David Thompson, 25, in February 2022.
A GoFundMe account has been set up for Billy by family member James Moffatt.
3
Tragically, Billy Moffatt, who was in his early 20s, was found dead in his accommodation on Saturday
Credit: Facebook

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

South Wales Argus
2 hours ago
- South Wales Argus
Ashton Jones is fighting for his life in Thailand
Ashton Jones, 29, went on a last minute trip to Bangkok but was separated from his friends on a night out. His family have no idea what happened before he was found in a hospital having emergency brain surgery - and is now fighting for his life nearly 6,000 miles away from home. And to make it worse, Ashton didn't take out holiday insurance before jetting off 6,000 miles to Bangkok. Ashton's family have no idea what happened before he was found in hospital in Thailand (Image: Wales News Service) His worried grandmother Beverley Walker, of Cwmbran, Gwent, is desperately trying to raise money to pay for his medical care and bring him back home to Wales. She said that Ashton had travelled to Thailand with his lifelong friend on May 30, and on arrival met up with another friend. But five days into his trip, the family received the worst news that he had gone missing after a night out partying. His friends spent hours searching for Ashton after he went missing from the nightclub they were in. He was found in hospital in Thailand and medics believe Ashton, who suffers from epilepsy, was violently attacked. Ashton's grandmother, Beverley, is desperately trying to raise money to pay for his medical care and bring him back home to Wales (Image: Wales News Service) Beverley said: "I am deeply concerned that without immediate financial or diplomatic assistance, my grandson may not survive. "The emotional toll on our family is immense. We are heartbroken and fearful, watching from afar while Ashton suffers without the care he urgently requires." Beverley said on Monday, nearly a week after Ashton went into hospital on June 3, workers at Chonburi Hospital tried to wake him up. She added: "It was a success but he still has a long way to go, he's bed-bound and suffering with fits, cannot talk, eat or drink and isn't aware. "We all as a family are worried sick with fear for Ashton and how we can bring him home." But Ashton's treatment and funding to bring him to the UK will cost the family thousands - which is way more than they can afford to pay. Ashton was separated from his friends on a night out in Bangkok (Image: Wales News Service) As he went out to Thailand at the last-minute, Beverley said he "did the unthinkable" and hadn't taken out any insurance. The family have set up a GoFundMe page in a bid to raise £50,000 to help cover medical expenses and to bring him home. So far, over £3,000 has been raised by 113 donors since the fundraiser was launched a day ago. Beverley said: "The hospital in Thailand is asking for the cost of his treatment on going that is far beyond what our family can afford. "In the meantime, Ashton's condition continues to deteriorate, and it feels as though we are being left helpless as time runs out. "We have already put together life savings for medical bills, flights, travel, accommodation to be with him but would never be able to afford to get him home to better health care and his family." "We all as a family are worried sick with fear for Ashton and how we can bring him home. "So please, any donations made towards getting Ashton home is apprenticed beyond words can describe. "From the bottom of our hearts, thank you." You can donate to the fundraiser here. A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are supporting a British man who has been hospitalised in Thailand and are in contact with the local authorities."


Daily Mirror
3 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Woman flashes obscene gesture as mob forces accused baby killer out of her home
Nicole Blain is set to appear in court next year after she was alleged to have killed her baby daughter by shaking just three weeks after she was born at a flat in Greenock, Inverclyde A woman was seen making an obscene gesture towards a baying mob as an accused baby killer was forced to leave her home. Police have charged Nicole Blain, 29, over the death of three-week-old Thea June Wilson at a property in Greenock, in Inverclyde Scotland, on July 14 2023. Prosecutors have alleged she shook the child and inflicted blunt force trauma by unknown means before her death. She denies the charges, and is set to appear before the court in a trial scheduled for April 2026, but the case has already caught significant local attention, with police called to her home after a baying mob materialised outside her flat. Footage obtained by the Daily Record outside of the flat in Johnstone, Renfrewshire, shows officers guarding the property as people gather outside, with shouts of "get her out" as the crowd grew. Other chants of "get her into the back of the van" and "you are lucky that the cops are here" could be heard as two women emerged from the home. In response, one of the pair could be seen flipping up their middle finger at the crowd as the they were bundled into the back of a police van. The curbside protest followed a local social media campaign in which residents of Johnstone have called for "support" to remove her from the area. Videos showing her being moved from the home have been hailed by supporters of the fervent campaign, which has built up across multiple social media accounts, mainly on Facebook. A spokesperson for Police Scotland said however that the crowd dispersed a short time after officers arrived to collect Blain. A spokesperson for the service said: "Around 7.25pm on Monday, 9 June, 2025, we received a report of a crowd gathered outside a property in Floorsburn Crescent, Johnstone. "Officers attended and the crowd dispersed a short time later." Blain's legal team has pleaded not guilty on her behalf following an initial hearing at Glasgow High Court on May 8, with a special defence of incrimination lodged as the defence and prosecution agreed to said they were prepared for a trial. The case, when it comes before the court next year, is expected to last around six days, and several "professional witnesses" are set to be allowed to provide evidence remotely. A fundraiser was launched in the wake of baby Thea's death in a bid to raise roughly £1,200 for the three-week-old's funeral costs. But the page has since been suspended, with donations no longer allowed.


Glasgow Times
3 hours ago
- Glasgow Times
Constance Marten victim of ‘relentless and dogged' smears, court told
Marten, 38, and convicted rapist Mark Gordon, 51, are on trial at the Old Bailey accused of the manslaughter of their newborn baby Victoria, who died in a tent on the South Downs. In a closing speech on Wednesday, Marten's barrister, Tom Godfrey, said: 'The persistent attempts to tarnish the defendants' names have been relentless and dogged. It really boils down to what happened in that tent.' He rejected the prosecution case that Victoria died from hypothermia or was smothered, saying it was a 'tragic accident' and no-one can be sure how she died. Marten gave birth to Victoria in 'secret' after four other children were taken into care, the Old Bailey was told. At the time, the defendants mistakenly believed they were 'being watched', as Marten's parents had deployed private investigators in a 'menacingly' named Operation Lynx in 2021, Mr Godfrey said. It was against this background that the couple opted to go off grid and live in a tent, after their car burst into flames near Bolton, Greater Manchester, jurors heard. CCTV footage of Constance Marten holding baby Victoria under her coat in East Ham, east London, which was shown in court during their trial (Metropolitan Police/PA) Mr Godfrey told jurors: 'Why do they flee and hide as they did? The prosecution seem to be saying it was because they cared not a jot for Victoria and they focused on their selfish needs? Can that be right? 'You may think their greatest fear was they would lose her. Constance Marten feared the baby would be taken from her so they fled. 'Did they behave sensibly and rationally? They could have sought assistance from police, explained their predicament. 'We can all criticise decisions, and there are many decisions by Constance Marten that are open to criticism. 'This case is not about what could have been done differently.' Mr Godfrey said the police appeal to find the baby made 'instant headline news around the country' and the 'country became obsessed'. He told jurors: 'It was from this moment on, Constance Marten and Mark Gordon determined the only way to keep Victoria to themselves was to avoid detection. 'Irrespective of the rights and wrongs, the net effect was to drive Constance Marten and Mark Gordon further underground.' Screen grab taken from body worn camera footage of the moment Constance Marten was arrested in the street (Metropolitan Police/PA) After Victoria's death, they were reduced to a 'state of near derangement', and a 'feeling of hopelessness and guilt', Mr Godfrey said. He rejected any suggestion the defendants had made a 'nefarious pact' not to answer questions, having each cut short their evidence before they could be cross-examined. Mr Godfrey suggested Gordon's decision was sparked by the jurors being told about his 1989 rape conviction in the United States, and two assaults on police officers at a maternity unit in 2017, where Marten gave birth to their first child. He said: 'Why did you hear about those matters? Because Mark Gordon sought to mislead you about his character by telling you he had empathy and respect for the law. 'We say these convictions, and ones from Wales from 2017, are of no assistance whatsoever in determining how baby Victoria died. 'We ask you to ignore them, as with a lot of smoke and mirrors put up, and focus on the issue in this case. How did baby Victoria die? That is what this case is about. 'If there was a wall of silence being maintained they would say nothing at all. Nothing in interview and nothing in evidence. That is not the position here.' Marten and Gordon, of no fixed address, have denied the gross negligence manslaughter of their daughter and causing or allowing her death between January 4 and February 27 2023. Jurors have been told the defendants were convicted at an earlier trial of concealing the birth of a child and perverting the course of justice. The trial continues.