A man has admitted beating an 87-year-old pensioner to death with his own walking stick in a random attack at a railway station.

Miles Sekai set upon Bernard Fowler at Harold Wood station in east London in February last year. The victim had gone to the station to pick up free newspapers when Sekai beat and kicked him to death.

At the Old Bailey on Monday, Sekai, of Brent Cross, Hendon, north-west London, denied murder but pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Mr Fowler by diminished responsibility and assaulting a police officer. At the time, the 23-year-old defendant was said to be suffering from paranoid schizophrenia and under the influence of the drug Spice. At a previous hearing, the court was told it was a random attack.

Beforehand, the defendant had threatened a guard at the station and made some "rather unusual movements", the court had heard. It was further alleged that Sekai had the drug Spice in his system when tested two days after the killing.

The pleas were accepted by the Crown, and Judge Judy Khan KC adjourned sentencing until 4 April when two doctors will give evidence about the defendant's mental state. Sekai faces a possible hospital order or hybrid order with a custodial element, the court heard.

In a statement issued by British Transport Police at the time of his death, Mr Fowler's family said: "Bernie was a dearly loved brother, father and grandfather who had been living in the area for over 20 years.  He was a quiet, gentle man who lived alone but who, over the years, had helped many of the residents in his local community. The family are devastated by the news of his death. He didn't deserve to be attacked in such a brutal way, just going out to get his local paper."