Alan Rogers, who admitted manslaughter after smashing the skull of neighbour Fred Hatch after wrongly believing he was involved in witchcraft . A crazed pensioner killed his Navy veteran neighbour with a claw hammer as he wrongly believed he was involved in witchcraft, a court heard today. Alan Rogers, 73, smashed the skull of 76-year-old grandfather Fred Hatch in the communal garden of their sheltered housing complex near Cardiff. Mr Hatch's worried wife Enid then went looking for her husband after he failed to return into the house from the garden. She then discovered Rogers standing over the bloodied body of her husband before fleeing to press a panic alarm. Today at Cardiff Crown Court, Rogers pleaded guilty to manslaughter and is due to be sentenced later today. The court heard how after attacking his neighbour, Rogers then calmly called the police and told them: 'I have just killed one of my neighbours and I have hit his head with a hammer.' Police and paramedics raced to the sheltered housing complex in Dinas Powys but they were unable to save Mr Hatch, who died in hospital. As Rogers was handcuffed by police officers, he told them: 'I have been waiting a long time to kill that man.' Police then interviewing Rogers suspected he may have been suffering mental health problems when he started making strange statements about why he killed his neighbour. Prosecutor Mike Jones said Rogers told police he had killed Fred because he was involved in modern 'witchcraft'. Mr Jones explained: 'He told police he had a moral duty to himself to kill this person as these people were using modern technology the equivalent of witchcraft to harm defenceless sentient beings. 'He said Fred had been in collusion with what he described as "the man and his colleagues".' The court was told the morning of October 8 last year began with Mr Hatch walking to the communal garden to spread grass seeds. Rogers told police he had 'been waiting for an opportunity to get this person' and when he saw Mr Hatch walking back from the garden he 'opened his door and attacked.' Rogers then hit him at least six times with the claw end of a hammer - spraying blood up the walls and across the floor. Mr Hatch, pictured with his wife Enid, who discovered Rogers standing over the blood stained body of her husband in their communal garden . The court was told the victim had such catastrophic injuries to his forehead his skull, his brain was visible. Rogers was later diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia but had no previous criminal record or episodes of violence before the killing. Mrs Hatch said they had never had any previous problems with Rogers, and described him as 'articulate but unkempt'. She said her husband of 50 years was 'the love of my life' and someone who was 'very easygoing and never had any problems with people.' A police officer stands outside the sheltered housing complex in Cardiff, where both Rogers and Mr and Mrs Hatch lived . Rogers attacked Mr Hatch outside in the gardens of the sheltered housing complex after going out to spread grass seeds . The court heard the couple met serving in the Royal Navy and 'fell in love quite instantly' and married within six months of meeting. They had four children together and spent their retirement travelling the world. They were planning their next trip to America when he was brutally killed. Vincent Coughlin, defending, said the killing was 'an appalling unprovoked attack' and Rogers was 'conscious of the pain he has caused.' Mr Hatch's death came four decades after Mrs Hatch’s sister Betty Elston was found murdered on the beach at Sully in the Vale of Glamorgan in July 1971.
Alan Rogers smashed the head of Fred Hatch in their communal garden . Mr Hatch's wife Enid found Rogers standing over her husband's body . Rogers claimed he wanted Mr Hatch dead as he was involved in witchcraft . He told officers arresting him 'I have been waiting a long time to kill that man'