Heir to £50m Cornish estate found guilty of breaking man's leg in pub fight

A man who went from care work to owning a £50 million estate is now facing jail. Jordan Adlard-Rogers, 38, has been found guilty of grievous bodily harm (a serious assault charge in England and Wales) after a punch broke another man's leg.

The judge told him to "prepare yourself" for immediate custody. He returns to court on 11 December.

What happened?

The fight took place on 13 July 2024 at the Out Of The Blue pub in Porthleven, a Cornish seaside town. Wedding guests were on the dancefloor.

CCTV footage shown in court shows Adlard-Rogers approaching Sebastian Winzar and punching him. Mr Winzar fell to the ground and his leg was fractured in two places. Other guests rushed to help while Adlard-Rogers walked away.

Mr Winzar spent five days in hospital and had an operation on his left shin.

What did the court hear?

Jurors at Truro Crown Court heard the two men were acquaintances who had both been drinking. Prosecutor Zoe Kuyken said Mr Winzar found Adlard-Rogers aggressive from the start, and that he walked away several times. She said the defendant seemed to be trying to get a reaction and asked more than once to go outside.

Mr Winzar told the court he remembers waking up in a chair and thinks he lost consciousness.

The next day, Adlard-Rogers went to the pub and told police: "I'm assuming that you'll want to speak to me." In a prepared statement he claimed Mr Winzar had threatened him and that he punched him "to get him to leave me alone".

Who is he again?

Adlard-Rogers was a support worker when aristocrat Charles Rogers died of an overdose aged 62 in August 2018. A DNA test later proved he was Mr Rogers's son.

His father's mother and brother had also died, which made him the sole heir to a 1,536-acre family seat on the National Trust's Penrose Estate in Cornwall, valued at around £50 million. The Rogers family gave the land to the National Trust (the charity that protects historic sites) in 1974, in return for a 1,000-year lease to keep living there.

He left his job to live off the estate's proceeds. In 2019 he said he "couldn't believe" how much his life had changed.

What's next?

The judge has said all sentencing options are on the table. Adlard-Rogers will learn his fate on 11 December.