Angler dies after yobs hurl rocks at him

Afather-of-five has died after teenage thugs allegedly pelted him with rocks while he fished for rainbow trout at a country estate.

Charles Hilder, 66, was on a small boat on a 15-acre lake in the grounds of Lullingstone Castle in Eynsford, Kent, when the altercation took place.

Hilder was fishing alone when teenagers tried to hit him with rocks from the shore, a relative said.

The pensioner was able to call police from his mobile phone and returned to the shore when he thought the boys had left.

But when he reached the bank of the lake he was attacked again and collapsed moments later, the family member said.

It was the first time he had been fishing since the start of the lockdown. Police said they received reports that rocks had been thrown at him.

Officers and paramedics were dispatched to the 15th-century estate after receiving reports of a disturbance. They tried to revive him with CPR but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Locals said that there had been a rise in antisocial behaviour in recent weeks near the estate, where Henry VIII once hunted, by gangs of youths.

Canisters containing nitric oxide, commonly known as laughing gas, were found in a box nearby.

One resident wrote on Facebook: “Something like this was coming.”

Hilder, from Romford in Essex, leaves behind wife Lynne, 62, and five daughters.

His daughter Stephanie, 31, wrote on Facebook: “Last night our hearts broke to hear that our dad sadly passed away. Words can’t explain how we are feeling at the moment.

Sleep well Dad. Give everyone a hug from me.”

Her father was a member of Kingfisher Angling and Preservation Society, which had a permit to fish on the lake.