Skegness: Man admits killing stranger but denies murder

The body of Charlie McGhee Adair was found on scrub-land near Tesco in Skegness

A man has admitted killing a 59-year-old man found dead near a supermarket in Skegness but denies his murder.

The body of Charlie Adair was discovered on scrub-land near Tesco, in Richmond Drive, on 3 July 2023.

Anthony Robertson, 32, of no fixed address, has admitted hitting Mr Adair over the head with a piece of concrete.

However, he told Lincoln Crown Court he did not intend to kill Mr Adair and claimed he only lost control after he was touched by the older man.

'Extraordinary violence'

Prosecutors allege Mr Adair, who was visiting a music festival in the resort, was used as a "cash cow" by Mr Robertson after the two strangers randomly met each other.

Jurors heard Mr Robertson had already pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Mr Adair, the theft of his mobile phone and fraud relating to the use of his bank card.

His barrister, Allan Compton KC, said his client was not seeking to minimise what he had done after the "red mist" came down.

"He accepted he should not have hit someone with a lump of concrete, that is why he has pleaded guilty to manslaughter," Mr Robertson said.

"But that does not mean there was no loss of control."

Mr Compton told the court that a cocktail of drugs had been found in Mr Adair's blood after his death.

"The pattern is clear. Drink, find drugs, pay for drugs, drink and repeat," Mr Compton said.

Mr Compton also suggested the reason the two men went to the scrub-land near Tesco was to take the drugs they had just bought.

An inquest heard Mr Adair, from Corby, Northamptonshire, probably died from his head injury.