A television executive yesterday admitted murdering his elderly father and hiding his body in a rubbish bin where it lay for seven weeks.

Benjamin Holding pushed 70-year-old Michael Holding, a retired oil executive, to the ground then hit his head against the floor and a bowl.

Holding then tried to cover up the murder by wrapping the body in a sheet and dumping it in a bin at their home in Inchmarlo, Banchory, Aberdeenshire.

Holding, a business development executive for STV, then set about spending £7000 on his father's credit cards and even bought a £17,000 car. He later claimed he had been "spending his rightful inheritance".

He also sent bogus e-mails pretending to be his father and claiming his victim was elsewhere in the UK.

Holding, who was in financial difficulties, claimed he had been driven to the killing by his "domineering" father who he said viewed him as a failure.

At the High Court in Edinburgh Holding pleaded guilty to murder, fraud and attempting to defeat the ends of justice. Sentence was deferred until next month for background reports.

The court was told Holding and his wife Sarah had been living with Mr Holding snr for some months because he had been unable to get a mortgage on a home because of his poor credit history.

In the weeks leading up to the killing, Holding lied to his wife and father, telling them he had bought a house. On the day of the murder, October 13 last year, he told his wife there had been a problem with the purchase and agreed to tell his father they would need to stay on. He returned to the home around 2pm and got into an argument with his father, before knocking him to the ground and hitting his head against the floor and a metal cat food bowl.

Holding wrapped the body and placed it in a wheelie bin, hiding the bin under tarpaulin and a bag of cement in a locked shed at the house at 1 East Main, Inchmarlo.

Less than 90 minutes after the murder, Holding began a seven-week spending spree with his father's credit and debit cards, amounting to more than £30,000. He even bought a £17,000 BMW M3.

He was the elder of Mr Holding's two sons with wife Linda who died of cancer in October, 2006.

Advocate depute Alastair Brown told the court Michael Holding had often bailed his son out of debt. He had had become "exasperated" with the way his son's house purchase was dragging on.

With debts of £7000, and under pressure to move out, the accused began lying to his wife and father, claiming he had bought a house.

After the murder, he told family members his father had gone to England and had taken an extended holiday.

On December 6, Holding's wife had opened mail and a bank statement belonging to Mr Holding snr. It revealed his bank cards had been used in Banchory just days before. Mrs Holding confronted her husband and he confessed to killing his father. She called her mother who told police.

Holding told officers: "Two months ago I had an argument with my father. I killed him and he's in the shed."

Detectives found the bin covered in a sheet and an awning. When they opened it they found Mr Holding, swathed in a piece of cloth.

Detective Inspector Matt Mackay of Grampian Police, the senior investigating officer, said: "Behind that plausible exterior was a skilful and accomplished liar who manipulated and controlled his nearest and dearest for his own financial gratification."

Judge Roger Craik QC said: "You have pleaded guilty to a dreadful matter. Given the nature of your plea there is only one sentence open to the court."