A man has admitted killing a 77-year-old on the steps of a seaside hotel.

David Harris, 62, pushed Sidney Collier outside The Burlington in Buenos Ayres, Margate, in October last year.

The pensioner - who had lived at the hotel on and off for four years - was rushed to hospital but doctors were unable to save his life.

Today, Harris, who also lived at The Burlington, appeared at Maidstone Crown Court via video link and pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

He had been facing a murder trial before the prosecution accepted a plea to the lesser charge.

Defence barrister Oliver Saxby QC told the court that the incident was caught on CCTV.

The footage showed Harris pushing the victim, who then fell backwards, hitting his head on the pavement.

Judge David Griffith-Jones QC ordered probation reports and will sentence Harris on June 18.

The judge told him: "You are to be congratulated for listening to your legal advice and taking the sensible course."

Harris was remanded in custody.

The hotel's owner, Richard Williams, previously told of his shock after the incident on Tuesday, October 6.

The Burlington has 15 rooms which are used by holiday-makers, but also people looking for a permanent place to live who stay on a longer-term basis, like Mr Collier had done.

“Sidney was just an old man who lived here who didn’t deserve to die,” Mr Williams said.

“He was a bit grumpy; he liked to talk to the TV, mainly about politics.

“But he kept himself to himself.

“He didn’t really like people, although he was never rude, never violent.”

Before his death, Mr Collier had arranged to stay on at the hotel full-time while he waited for somewhere to live permanently.

He had been there as a long-term guest after turning up just before lockdown saying he needed a room.

Mr Williams said: “He needed to go on the housing list and so I said it was fine for him to live here and he said ‘you’re very kind to me’.”

The hotel owner cleared Mr Collier’s room after his death.

“I packed his suitcase up in case we hear anything from family, but I don’t think he had any," he said.

“What made me sad was when I was packing up his room, there was a microwave meal in the microwave, which looked like it was about to be cooked.

“I think what he’d done is put it in there, then gone over to the shop to get a can of beer to go with his dinner, but he never made it back to have it.”

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