Thug, 21, who beat ‘loving’ mum to death as she walked her dog on beach before she was found drowned admits her murder
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A THUG who beat a "loving" mum to death as she walked her dog on the beach before she was found drowned has admitted to her murder. Claire Knights, 54, was reported missing on Wednesday 23 August 2023 before being discovered dead by her family two days later.
![[Claire Knights was found dead after suffering from blunt force trauma and being drowned]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/kent-police-pa-wire-note-958112110.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Her body was found between St Nicholas-at-Wade and Minnis Bay in Kent by her relatives who were carrying out searches. The mum, from Upstreet near Canterbury, Kent, was believed to have been walking her dog, a white and brown spaniel called Zebulon, to the Minnis Bay area of Birchington prior to the attack.
![[She had been walking her dog, Zebulon, before her death]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/2023-pa-photo-believed-walking-840117484.jpg?strip=all&w=743)
Harrison Lawrence Van-Pooss pleaded guilty to Claire's murder at a hearing at Canterbury Crown Court today, in which he appeared via video link. 21-year-old Van-Pooss, of Margate, Kent, made the plea ahead of a trial set for the case in March next year, after it was pushed back from June this year.
![[Today, Harrison Lawrence Van-Pooss pleaded guilty to her murder]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/image-1-2.png?strip=all&w=436)
It comes following a number of mental health assessments and medical reports, after he was charged with her murder in September 2023. In June, the prosecution suggested Van-Pooss may have been lying as he gave an account weeks before the trial that he had met Claire while out walking and had become angry due to a "sexual advance" from her.
The prosecution added that the defendant had been "manipulating" self-reporting assessments, but the defence asked for more time to explore a range of issues and not rush through the process. Stephen Moses KC, defending Van-Pooss, told the court today it was accepted the partial defence of diminished responsibility was not met after a further report seen in November.
