‘Humiliated’ racehorse trainer killed himself after fearing his wife had an affair with jockey he employed

A LEADING racehorse trainer killed himself when his wife had an affair with a jockey, an inquest heard yesterday.

Richard Woollacott, 40, hanged himself after being left “humiliated”.

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His sister Marie said his wife Kayley had “formed some sort of a relationship with a jockey in his employment”.

She told the hearing at Exeter's County Hall that "there were difficulties in the relationship".

She said her brother Richard, of Rose Ash, Devon, saw "a number of sexualised messages between them and he was hurt and disappointed by this and tried to forgive her".

Marie claimed Kayley told him “whatever had taken place, it was over”.

But Richard, who married Kayley in 2013 and had a daughter with her, allegedly saw further messages on her mobile phone which was linked to an iPod.

Marie said that her brother was left "humiliated" and it had "a significant impact on her well being" as he suffered with depression.

Wife Kayley told the Exeter inquest that she had been unhappy and things “came to a head” in the last six weeks of Richard's life.

She said he was "not happy" when she went to a Christmas drinks party and stayed overnight and did not arrive back home until the next morning.

"He asked me why I stayed out and he was not happy and crying and shouting."

Marie said two days before his suicide, she heard Kayley being "venomous" as she stood over him while he had his head in his hands during a row.

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She claimed she was shouting "you are useless" at her husband.

Kayley said they met in 2008 and both were involved with horse training. They wed in 2013 a year after he got his National Hunt licence.

Kayley told the coroner: "Our relationship was feisty and fun. We got on very well. We both had big personalities and big tempers."

But as they "tried to achieve the same thing" there was an increase in workload and pressure and she was not happy six months before his death.

She said: "I think he knew things had been swept under the carpet."

She claimed Richard was "angry, crying and volatile" and in the past had said he had "nothing to live for and felt so lonely".

On the day of his death he was "very calm" and when she went back to check on him, she found a typed note saying he loved her and their daughter "very much and to be happy".

Richard - who had enjoyed recent National Hunt success with his horses Beer Goggles and Lalor - was found to have researched suicide sites and also ordered flowers for Valentine's Day.

His body was found hanging in a barn on the couple's property on January 22, 2017.

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