A leading racehorse trainer killed himself after his wife had an affair with one of his jockeys, an inquest heard today. Richard Woollacott, 40, hanged himself after initially trying to forgive wife Kayley only to find the jockey had sent her ‘sexualised’ texts in December 2017.
The father-of-one died a month later and his body was found in a barn on his land in South Molton, Devon in England, two days after a ‘venomous’ row with his spouse.
The inquest in Exeter heard Mrs Woollacott had begun a relationship with the jockey earlier in 2017 and that the trainer had discovered it when he saw messages from him on her phone.
His sister Marie told a coroner Mr Woolacott’s wife assured him the relationship was over and they tried to move on, only for him to discover more messages the following Christmas, including one that said ‘I want to rip your clothes off’.
Mrs Woollacott told the inquest her husband was also angered when she went to a Christmas party and stayed out all night.
Regarding the texts, she claimed they were jokes and added: ‘This chap [the jockey] wanted something to happen between us. On December 29th he said he wanted to rip my clothes off.
‘Richard was very angry. He said the relationship was over.’
Marie Woollacott told the hearing her brother had sacked the jockey when he discovered the relationship earlier that year, but later found more messages between them because they were linked to an iPad.
She said her brother, who suffered from depression, was ‘humiliated’ and the discovery ‘a significant impact on his well being’.
Marie told the hearing she overheard a ‘venomous’ row between them on January 20 and that Kaylay was shouting ‘you are useless’ at her husband.
He was found in the barn by his mother on January 22. Emergency services were called but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Assistant coroner Alison Longhorn recorded a verdict of suicide.