Man ‘stoned to death’ on grounds of historic UK castle

A man was “stoned to death” as he walked on the grounds of a historic castle in the UK this week, according to new reports.

Local authorities were looking into reports of a “disturbance” on the grounds of Lullingstone Castle in Eynsford around 5:20 p.m. Thursday when they found the body of a man in his 60s identified by locals as Charles Hilder, according to The Guardian.

Hilder was pronounced dead on the scene.

A Kent police spokesman told the paper that “rocks were being thrown” and that the victim “may have been involved in an altercation with two boys or teenagers near to a lake within the grounds.”

But Grammy Award-winning songwriter Victoria Horn, who lives nearby, told Metro UK that the victim “was just out walking and they stoned him to death.”

“This is where I walk my dog and now I’m really worried about taking him out,” she said.

The quaint village around the 15th century castle — a popular tourist attraction featuring a 15-acre lake and several gardens — has seen a recent spate of antisocial behavior during the coronavirus lockdown, local residents told British media.

A villager told The Guardian that a manager at the local cricket club had been “threatened with a broken bottle” earlier this week by a group of young men.

“It was a thoroughly nasty incident and it scared the life out of the people who were there on an afternoon out,” he said.

One resident, Stephen Jury, wrote to the local Conservative Parliament member, Laura Trott, saying that “there have been several instances over the last week or so,” according to The Guardian.

“Why does it take the death of an innocent man for something to be done?” he asked. “I just feel for that poor man’s family, but something like this was coming!”