A retired businessman, who once ran a restaurant in Tarporley, was murdered in his own home by a young man who targeted the elderly, a court was told today.

Jordan Davidson, 25, admitted at Mold Crown Court that he murdered Nicholas Churton, 67, on March 23 – together with a series of 12 associated offences including using a hammer to attack a man in Handbridge which left the victim with a fractured skull.

Opening the case against Davidson, prosecuting barrister Andrew Thomas QC said the victim lived alone in a one-bedroom flat in Crescent Close, Wrexham.

He was disabled and had restricted mobility.

Mr Churton was found dead in the living room of his flat.

Jordan Davidson is charged with murdering Nicholas Anthony Churton
Jordan Davidson is charged with murdering Nicholas Anthony Churton

A friend Colin Pemberton had become concerned that Mr Churton had failed to keep an appointment to meet over the weekend.

He went looking for him and found Mr Churton lying dead on the sofa in the living room, having suffered major head injuries.

“We now know that Jordan Davidson murdered Mr Churton on the previous Thursday night.

“Two weapons were used in the attack: a large machete and a hammer,” said Mr Thomas.

Jordan Davidson was eventually arrested in the early hours of Wednesday, March 29.

Most of the associated charges were committed in the days just before and just after the murder.

Three offences followed his arrest - assaults on the arresting officer, a detective who conducted the interviews, and a prison officer.

Those offences included four offences of assault – three of them wounding with intent – an aggravated burglary, two robberies and an attempted robbery and offences of burglary and an aggravated vehicle taking.

Mr Thomas said that three of the offences, including the murder, were attacks on older men.

The defendant targeted vulnerable victims, he said, and four of the offences involved the use of a machete.

“Three of the offences involved the use of a hammer as a weapon,” he said.

The court heard that Nicholas Churton originally qualified as an accountant.

He had worked overseas in southern Africa, but returned to the UK to set up a business on his own in the 1980s.

Nick Churton at work in his Rossett wine bar
Nick Churton at work in his Rossett wine bar

For many years he was a well-known and successful local businessman, with restaurants in Rossett near Wrexham and at Tarporley in Cheshire.

He was a family man with children and more recently grandchildren.

In his later years, Mr Churton had become prone to drinking. He had sold the businesses in 2005 and at about the same time he had separated from his wife.

For several years he led an unsettled life, but in October last year he had found accommodation at a rented flat in Crescent Close, on the edge of the Caia Park estate. He lived there alone.

By the time of his death, Mr Churton was physically frail and disabled.

He had suffered a fractured hip as a result of a fall. He was still mobile but he had to use a walking frame to travel any distance.

Mr Churton’s family continued to help and support him. He had spoken to his ex-wife on the day of his death.

They had one grandchild and another on the way, and had discussed arrangements to see them.

His family were concerned that he was vulnerable to exploitation. He still had some money - a small amount of savings which was left over after his divorce.

That fact tended to attract certain people to him. His brother describes him as ‘an easy target’, said Mr Thomas.

Davidson also admitted other separate charges - two burglaries, a robbery, an attempted robbery, attempted grievous bodily harm and a charge of actual bodily harm on police officers.

He denied robbing Mr Churton of a set of keys on an earlier occasion and the prosecution offered no evidence against him.

Among the other offences the court was told about was a hammer attack in Handbridge which took place when Davidson and two friends were in Chester.

“It appears that Mr Davidson was looking for someone to rob,” the prosecutor said.

The victim of the robbery was 52-year-old Stephen Brown. He had been working at the Tesco Metro store in the city centre as a security guard.

Mr Thomas said Mr Brown finished work and walked back over the Old Dee Bridge into Handbridge to his car.

As he walked along, Mr Brown saw Jordan Davidson getting out of the rear seat of an estate car and approach him. His face was partially covered.

Davidson produced a claw hammer and demanded Mr Brown hand over his money.

Mr Brown said that he did not have any money and started to walk away.

Stephen Brown then saw the defendant lunge at him with the hammer. Davidson struck him to the head and he fell to the ground.

He felt Davidson going through his pockets and removing his wallet and telephone before running off.

Mr Brown managed to walk to a nearby takeaway. He was bleeding heavily from a head wound and had one laceration to the right side of his forehead and another to the left. He was treated with stitches and discharged the next day.

However, an infection developed and he returned to hospital two days later. It was at that stage that the hospital discovered that Mr Brown had in fact suffered a depressed fractured skull.

He was transferred to the Walton Centre in Liverpool for specialist treatment.

There was no active treatment which could be provided. He was given antibiotics and they decided to keep the injury under regular surveillance. Mr Brown returned for more scans and monitoring and was advised not to drive for six months and that there was a risk of epilepsy.

The judge said that he would hear much of the case against Jordan Davidson today and would then adjourn sentence until next week, provisionally on Wednesday.