Man jailed for murder of Skegness holidaymaker Charlie Adair

Anthony Robertson, 32, must serve a minimum of 31 years behind bars for the murder of Charlie McGhee Adair

A man who beat a holidaymaker to death has been jailed for a minimum of 31 years.

Charlie McGhee Adair, 59, was found dead on scrub-land in Skegness, Lincolnshire, on 3 July 2023.

Anthony Robertson, 32, admitted hitting Mr Adair over the head with a piece of concrete but denied murder.

However, a jury at Lincoln Crown Court took just over an hour to find him guilty of murder following a three-week trial. He was sentenced on Monday.

The body of Charlie McGhee Adair was found on land near a Tesco store in Skegness

Robertson, of no fixed address, was also convicted of robbery on the same date.

Sentencing, Judge Simon Hirst told Robertson he could not be sure he had intended to kill Mr Adair, but added: "This was a ferocious attack with a large rock, or something similar, and you left him unconscious."

He added: "While you were in the scrub-land you attacked Mr Adair with a heavy object on a number of occasions. I am satisfied you hit Mr Adair more than twice with severe force."

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Mr Adair, from Corby, Northamptonshire, who police said was a "much-loved granddad", was visiting a music festival in the seaside resort, the trial heard.

He was murdered by Robertson whom he "randomly" met in the street before the pair spent a night together drinking and buying drugs, funded by Mr Adair.

Judge Hirst said it was a "mean feature" of the case that Robertson stole Mr Adair's mobile phone in the hours before carrying out the fatal attack, leaving him isolated.

The jury was told while on the scrub-land, Robertson had stolen Mr Adair's wallet containing his bank card.

Robertson then used the card to withdraw cash from Mr Adair's account, prosecutors said.

Devastated

Robertson denied murder but admitted unlawfully killing Mr Adair, claiming he lost control and hit the older man over the head with a piece of concrete after he touched his groin.

But jurors heard Robertson failed to mention the claim of sexual touching when he was first arrested by the police or during his interviews.

Robertson was "no stranger to the courts," Judge Hirst said. He also had previous convictions for violence and dishonesty, the court heard.

In a victim statement, Mr Adair's partner said: "My Charlie has gone and I can't believe it. He was the strong one. We are devastated in a way I can not put in words."

Mr Adair's son, also called Charlie Adair, said he had been left "stunned and shocked" by his father's murder.

Following conviction, Det Ch Insp Jen Lovatt said Robertson used Mr Adair as a "cash-cow" and aimed to obtain as much money from him as possible.

She added Mr Adair was "a much-loved grandad, dad and friend to many".