Jockey charged with murder of pensioner outside pub in Newmarket
A jockey has been charged with the murder of a pensioner outside a pub in Britain's flat racing capital.
Levi Williams, a 25-year-old apprentice rider, was arrested on March 8 following an altercation between four men outside the Golden Lion pub in Newmarket, Suffolk.
Suffolk Constabulary said officers were called to the scene on High Street at 3.40pm and two men with injuries were taken to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge.
One of the men, a 45-year-old, was discharged later that evening, but the other, aged 71, remained in hospital in a critical condition and died on Tuesday.
Williams, who had initially been arrested on suspicion of assault causing grievous bodily harm, was subsequently charged with murder.
He appeared before Ipswich Magistrates' Court on Wednesday and was remanded in custody until a preliminary hearing at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday, a court official said.
A police spokesman said: 'A 25-year-old man has been charged with murder, after a man who sustained serious injuries following an incident in Newmarket earlier this month died in hospital.'
The force added that a 23-year-old man who was also arrested on suspicion of assault causing grievous bodily harm and a 45-year-old man who was arrested on suspicion of affray both remained on police bail until June 5 and June 9, respectively.
History of drug use
Williams, of Holland Park, Newmarket, who has 12 winners to his name from 156 rides on British soil, has not ridden for almost two years.
The jockey tested positive for cocaine when riding at Windsor in May 2023 and was given an 18-month suspension following a disciplinary inquiry by the British Horseracing Authority. The panel ruled that he would be ineligible for a licence for 18 months until November 2024.
Williams had previously been suspended for six months in 2021 after taking cocaine and cannabis. He told a hearing after his first ban: 'I didn't really think. I was just stupid.'
Newmarket, which is often referred to as the headquarters of British horseracing, is home to Newmarket Racecourse, which comprises two individual racecourses, the Rowley Mile and the July Course.
It also has the largest cluster of training yards in the country and is home to many key horse racing organisations, including Tattersalls, the National Horseracing Museum and the National Stud
Newmarket hosts two of the country's five Classic Races – the 1,000 Guineas and 2,000 Guineas, and numerous other Group races. In total, it hosts nine of British racing's 36 annual Group 1 races.
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