Jury returns unanimous verdict
Adlard-Rogers, 38, the owner of the Penrose Estate near Helston, had denied assault causing grievous bodily harm. His trial at Truro Crown Court opened on Thursday afternoon and concluded on Friday, October 30, with jurors reaching a unanimous verdict after deliberating for just under two hours.
Judge Simon Carr directed the jury to consider whether Adlard-Rogers had used reasonable force in the circumstances. Their guilty verdict found that his actions were unreasonable.
The assault took place on July 13, 2024, on the dance floor at the Out Of The Blue pub. After the fall, Winzar spent five days in the hospital. He returned four days later for surgery on his left shin.
Conflicting accounts of the confrontation
Jurors watched CCTV footage before hearing from Winzar, who said he had been catching up with friends after moving back to Porthleven from Torquay. He estimated that he drank six to eight pints of beer over the evening.
Winzar said Adlard-Rogers "came in shouting at me, saying I was a wife beater." He said he initially walked away because Adlard-Rogers kept starting on him, but later approached him again. "I went up to him and the next thing I can't remember," he told the court.
Defense attorney Robin Smith challenged that account, suggesting Winzar had been the aggressor and Adlard-Rogers had tried to calm the encounter. When questioned about repeatedly approaching Adlard-Rogers aggressively, Winzar replied: "Because he kept starting on me before."
Adlard-Rogers testified that he wanted to take the conversation outside to defuse the situation and avoid disrespecting the wedding venue. He said he had told Winzar he did not want to look at him because of "the way you've been treating your ex-wife." According to Adlard-Rogers, Winzar then became angry while he was trying to get a drink at the bar.
Describing the moments before the punch, Adlard-Rogers said Winzar moved his body and head toward him. He believed Winzar was about to strike and said he acted in self-defense. Asked why he had not walked away, he said he still felt threatened: "It's a split-second decision. I thought he was going to hit me again."
A prosecution witness recalled the men moving closer until they were face to face, and said she expected trouble. A defense witness reported seeing a scratch and "fresh blood" on Adlard-Rogers' head afterward. Another defense account described a man shouting toward Adlard-Rogers at the bar; the witness moved away after a minute or two and next saw Winzar being taken out to an ambulance in a wheelchair.
Police were at the pub when Adlard-Rogers returned for his car the following morning. He approached officers, saying, "I'm assuming you'll want to speak to me," and was arrested in the parking lot. In a prepared statement at Camborne Police Station, he accused Winzar of continually provoking him and behaving aggressively throughout the evening. He maintained that the punch was intended to protect him from further assault.
Care work and the Penrose inheritance
The court also heard five character references supporting Adlard-Rogers. A man for whom he had served as best man described him as "a man of integrity, dedication and strong moral background." A woman who employed him to support her son with special needs said he had arranged visits to see her son's favorite soccer teams and paid for swimming sessions. A former Carleen Care Centre manager, who worked with him when he drove clients to the center, said: "He was patient and kind to all the clients in his care."
Adlard-Rogers is a former care worker who inherited Penrose in 2019 after DNA testing established that its previous owner, Charles Rogers, was his father, according to BBC News and ITV News West Country. Rogers died in 2018. His family had lived for generations on the 1,536-acre estate between Helston and Porthleven.
The family transferred the estate to the National Trust in 1974 in return for a 1,000-year lease allowing them to live there. ITV News West Country reported an estimated value of £50 million at the time of Adlard-Rogers' inheritance. BBC News reported that the estate receives income from stock investments and land rented to local farmers.
BBC News and ITV News West Country also reported that an inquest heard Charles Rogers had lived with drug addiction and as a recluse for 40 years before dying in his car from an overdose of a heroin substitute. After inheriting the estate, Adlard-Rogers said he planned to establish a charity to help people in Porthleven and Helston.
Sentencing set for December
A probation report will be prepared before the December 11 sentencing hearing. Judge Carr told Adlard-Rogers that all sentencing options remained available, including an immediate prison sentence, warning him that "you need to prepare yourself for that."
