Illegitimate son of aristocrat faces GBH charge in Cornwall after DNA-linked inheritance

Truro Crown Court heard Jordan Adlard-Rogers, 37, appeared on Sept. 26 on a single charge of inflicting grievous bodily harm in connection with an incident July 13, 2024, in Porthleven, Cornwall. The charge, set out under section 20 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861, names Sebastian Winzar as the alleged victim. Adlard-Rogers was remanded on conditional bail and the case was given a trial date of March 9, 2026, with a pre-trial review scheduled for Jan. 14.

The proceedings place a sharp spotlight on a long-running family saga tied to the Penrose Estate, a 1,536-acre country estate whose ownership and legacy have been shaped by intertwining inheritance, philanthropy and tragedy. Adlard-Rogers is described in court documents as the illegitimate son of Charles Rogers, the aristocrat whose family seat sits at Penrose. Charles Rogers died in August 2019 at the age of 62 from a drug overdose, and a DNA test subsequently confirmed that Jordan was related to him. With Charles's mother and brother already deceased, Jordan was identified as the sole heir to the estate.

The estate, located between Helston and Porthleven in Cornwall, was gifted to the National Trust in 1974 in exchange for a 1,000-year lease that allowed the Rogers family to continue living on the property. Records show the life tenancy of Penrose draws income from a Rogers Family Trust, with beneficiaries receiving a substantial cash allowance, reported to range from £300 to £1,000 a week. Jordan Adlard-Rogers, who was living at Penrose House on the estate since 2019, left his work as a care worker after the DNA results and moved into the estate, where he has since engaged with the local community and helped establish a charity supporting Porthleven and Helston.

At the time of his inheritance, Adlard-Rogers spoke of a dramatic shift in his life following the positive DNA result. He had previously suspected Charles Rogers was his father from a young age and had pursued a DNA test through various channels. The discovery altered his living arrangements and social role, moving him from a previously impoverished upbringing with his mother to a life tied to the Penrose Estate and its broader family history.

Court filings indicate that the charge relates to an alleged incident in Porthleven, a coastal town in west Cornwall. The defendant wore a blue waistcoat, red tie and white shirt during the hearing, and he did not indicate any intent to plead guilty to the charge. The case continues to unfold against the backdrop of Penrose’s storied history, including how the estate has been managed financially since the death of Charles Rogers and how the life tenancy arrangements have shaped family dynamics over decades.

Background surrounding the estate’s history shows the Rogers family’s long association with Penrose preceded the National Trust arrangement. The Rogers family has historically owned land and cottages within the estate, and the trust arrangement enabled the family to maintain their residence on Penrose while providing for the life tenant through a trust-derived income. In recent years, reporting surrounding Charles Rogers’s death highlighted difficulties including years of drug use and periods of malnutrition, with the coroner noting there were no suspicious circumstances and that death occurred while he was living in his car amid the estate’s agricultural and residential settings.

The district judge or crown court schedule next steps, including a pre-trial review and the March 2026 trial date, reflect the ongoing legal process as Adlard-Rogers faces serious allegations in connection with the Porthleven incident. As the proceedings move forward, the Penrose Estate remains a focal point of local history, philanthropy and the complex interweaving of inheritance and community service that has characterized its story for generations.

Images related to the case are provided from the associated coverage to illustrate the setting and individuals involved.