Man jailed for killing ex's new partner with sword

A man has been jailed for 29 years and six months for murdering his ex-lover's partner in what prosecutors described as a "cold-blooded execution".

Michael Bretton killed Craig Hurcombe with a samurai sword after going to his workplace in Somerset to "confront him" on 1 January, Bristol Crown Court heard. He then buried him in a shallow grave on the site.

The jury was told Bretton, 41, from Dorset, was "obsessed" with Kate Saunders, who was seeing Hurcombe at the time of his death and who Bretton had once had a casual relationship with.

Bretton claimed Hurcombe, 39, from Rowde, near Devizes in Wiltshire, fell and impaled himself on a metal shaft but the jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict.

The court heard Bretton and Saunders met online but she ended contact with him after he tried to formalise their relationship.

She went on to rekindle an old relationship with Hurcombe, but prosecutors said Bretton remained "obsessed" with her and was "clearly jealous".

After the break-up, Bretton stalked Hurcombe and Saunders, buying two GPS trackers which he fitted to their cars to track them.

On one occasion, he followed the couple to a pub in Somerset which resulted in a brief altercation between Bretton and Hurcombe which police were called to deal with.

Hurcombe was last seen alive on CCTV footage as he arrived at his job at TJ Blanchard Limited in Gurney Slade, Somerset, on 1 January.

Bretton admitted following Hurcombe to his workplace that night, claiming he planned to confront him to warn him not to "mistreat" Saunders.

However, prosecutor Mark Cotter KC said Bretton went there to kill Hurcombe in a "premeditated and cold-blooded execution" with a samurai sword.

A post-mortem examination concluded he had died from a single lengthy stab injury.

After murdering Hurcombe, Bretton took the SIM card out of his phone, put it in his own device and sent messages pretending to be his victim.

Saunders received messages from Hurcombe's number urging her "not to be so hard" on Bretton and telling her to go back to him.

Saunders told police Hurcombe's mother later contacted her asking if she had seen him, after his boss raised concerns he had not been at work.

Speaking after the verdict, His Honour Judge Hart said the case was "extraordinary".

"If you read about this case, you would think it is something from a crime novel," he added.

He described Bretton as a "cowardly and secret assassin".

"You were motivated by jealousy about a refusal to accept that you have been supplanted in her affections. It wasn't love...you took him by surprise. You didn't give him the slightest chance to live."

Nicola Hurcombe, Craig's mother, said: "His loss to us all is beyond measure.

"The fact that someone can murder Craig in such a brutal, horrific manner in the circumstances that have been disclosed to us and send messages to family and friends that have subsequently caused so much pain and distress is so very terrible and upsetting.

"There were over 210 people at Craig's funeral and it shows how much so many people liked him and were touched by his loss.

"It is a testament to the impact that Craig had on so many lives and that his memory will always live on with us all."

Speaking in his own defence, Bretton told the court Hurcombe had died in a "tragic accident" when he fell on a sharp piece of metal.

"I ran over and looked at him, and his eyes were glazing over, and he was cold... I panicked," Bretton said.

"With everything that has happened, it doesn't look the best," he added.

Bretton admitted to burying the body in a wooded area, before burning Hurcombe's clothes and car.

"I wanted to cover up what had happened," he told the jury.

Bretton was also charged with one count of stalking Saunders. The jury was not asked to consider a verdict for this charge.

Det Insp Neil Meade from Avon and Somerset Police's Major Crime Investigations team described the case as "an horrendous offence".

"I don't think you can imagine the fear he must've gone through, firstly, being threatened and stabbed with a samurai sword.

"Secondly the whole circumstances where he's in his safe place.

"Craig used to go to that yard in the middle of the night to diligently work the next day.

"To meet his end in such tragic, scary circumstances - you cannot imagine the fear going through Craig's mind that night.

"He may not have even seen it was Michael Bretton, but he would've no doubt seen the sword."

"A horrendous set of circumstances and a scary, lonely place to lose your life."

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