November 24, 2015 2.01 pm This story is over 100 months old

Lincoln grandad confesses in court he drowned grandson in the bath

Stewart Greene murder trial: The grandfather accused of murdering his own grandson, confessed to killing the little boy in court.
Stewart Green pictured on arrival at Lincoln Crown Court. Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

Stewart Greene, the grandfather accused of murdering his own grandson, confessed to killing the little boy on Tuesday when he entered the witness box at Lincoln Crown Court.

Greene admitted he drowned Alex Robinson, 9, in the bath at the little boy’s home in Pennell Street, Lincoln, after the two were left alone in the house while other members of the family went shopping for Christmas food.

Greene, giving evidence from the witness box on the sixth day of his trial at Lincoln Crown Court, apologised to his family.

He said: “I’m so sorry to Joanne and Andrea and to John Robinson.”

He added: “The truth is I killed Alex. I thought about it the night before.”

When asked why he did it he replied “I wanted to stay with my daughter.”

The jury has heard that the incident happened less than a fortnight after Greene was discharged from the Peter Hodgkinson Centre without any care package in place.

Greene told the jury his daughter Joanne Greene left the house to go shopping and he locked the door.

He said “I didn’t want anybody coming in. I walked Alex into the bathroom and put him in the bath. I’d run the bath before I called him.

“I think at the time he asked me if I was going to wash myself. I picked him up and put him in the bath and drowned him. He struggled until I drowned him.”

Greene told the jury that after he realised Alex was dead he had a cigarette and sat down.

He admitted that he subsequently did nothing to help after his daughter arrived together with his ex-wife and tried to revive the little boy.

Under cross-examination from Michael Evans QC he was asked “You knew you wanted to kill Alex. Is that right?” He replied “yes”.

Evans then asked “You knew you were killing him. Is that right?” He replied: “I knew I was killing him. Yes. I killed Alex.

Greene added “I don’t think I can say any more. I’ve admitted the offence. I’ve done what I’ve done.”

Greene, 65, of Danes Court, Grimoldby, near Louth, denies the murder of Alex Robinson on 23 December 2014.

The trial continues.

Follow the progress of the murder trial so far: