Jordan Adlard-RogersPhoto source: Facebook
A jury at Truro Crown Court found Adlard-Rogers guilty after watching CCTV footage of the incident, which took place at the Out of the Blue pub in Porthleven on July 13, 2024.
Prosecutors said the punch caused Sebastian Winzar to fall and suffer two fractures to his left leg, while Adlard-Rogers maintained that he acted in self-defence after being threatened and headbutted, as per Daily Mail and Mirror UK. Adlard-Rogers admitted throwing a punch but told the court he did so to protect himself. He said Winzar had threatened him, told him he knew where he lived and came towards him in a way that made him fear another attack. “I punched him once, though not with much force,” he said in a prepared statement to police. Smith said the footage showed his client trying to de-escalate matters and suggested that Winzar had repeatedly approached him in a threatening manner, as per the reports. Adlard-Rogers was asked in court whether he regretted his actions and replied that, at that particular time, he believed he had done “the right thing at the right time.”
The court heard that Adlard-Rogers and Winzar were acquaintances and had both been drinking at the pub during a wedding celebration. The jury did not accept that account. After deliberating for just under two hours, jurors returned a unanimous guilty verdict for grievous bodily harm.
His defence barrister, Robin Smith, argued that Winzar had been the aggressor and had headbutted Adlard-Rogers shortly before the punch.
The conviction marks a striking reversal for a man whose life changed dramatically in 2019. Charles died in August 2019, and a test carried out after his death confirmed the family connection. The Rogers family had given the estate to the National Trust in 1974 in exchange for a 1,000-year lease allowing family members to continue living there. He warned the defendant to prepare himself for that possibility when he returns to court on December 11 for sentencing.
He told reporters at the time that he wanted to set up a charity and support people in Porthleven and Helston. Judge Simon Carr told Adlard-Rogers that all sentencing options remained available, including immediate custody. Adlard-Rogers had long believed Charles Rogers could be his father, but the aristocrat repeatedly declined to take a DNA test while he was alive. After inheriting, Adlard-Rogers left his job and moved into the family’s historic home.