MICHAEL Bretton killed a love rival with a Samurai-style sword and attempted to hide his body.
The 41-year-old, of Armoury Yard, Shaftesbury, attacked lorry driver Craig Hurcombe at a work yard in Gurney Slade, Somerset, on the evening of January 1.
It was the culmination of an “ongoing escalation in Bretton’s behaviour” after he became “obsessed” with a woman he met online, Bristol Crown Court heard.
On July 31, Bretton was found guilty of murdering Mr Hurcombe, who was in a relationship with Kate Saunders, who the killer had become obsessed with.
He has been handed a life sentence, with a minimum prison sentence of 29-and-a-half years, minus the time he served on remand ahead of his trial.
The murder took place at Craig’s place of work, in Roemead Road, Gurney Slade, at around 6.20pm on New Year’s Day.
It came after Bretton engaged in various methods to seek to follow and monitor Mr Hurcombe, 39, and Kate Saunders, and undermine their relationship in December last year.
After attacking Mr Hurcombe, Bretton tried to conceal his crime by attempting to burn his victim’s clothes, and bury his body in a shallow grave in a small, wooded area on the site.
During a seven-month police investigation, led by Avon & Somerset Police’s Major Crime Investigation team, detectives learned of Craig’s previous relationship with Kate between 2017 and 2023.
The jury was told how, in 2025, Bretton met Kate on an internet dating site and, after a brief, casual relationship, she brought her contact with him to a close – at a time when he wanted their relationship to progress to a more formal ‘boyfriend and girlfriend’ status.
Following the break-up, Bretton stalked Craig and Kate, including watching her come and go from her home and loitering at Craig’s workplace.
Bretton bought two GPS trackers online which he fitted to cars used by Kate and Craig to monitor the couple’s movements.
On one occasion, he used the trackers and followed the couple to a pub in Somerset, where they had arrived minutes before. This resulted in a brief altercation between Bretton and Mr Hurcombe, to which the police were called.
He also visited the address of Kate’s previous partner and suggested she was in danger from Craig, and similar visits were also made to her brother.
Bretton’s stalking took a more sinister turn on New Year’s Eve last year, when Mr Hurcombe returned to the yard after working away to find the tyres on his Audi had been punctured by Bretton.
Vehicle data placed Bretton in nearby Pound Lane at the time Craig arrived at the yard, on January 1.
Bretton went on to remove the tracking device from Mr Hurcombe’s car, before driving the Audi out of the yard and setting fire to it in the nearby Galley Batch Lane.
In Bretton’s final attempt to conceal his crimes, he drove to an area near the River Stour, carrying the tracking device he had taken from the Audi.
Following an in-depth data investigation, officers visited the area where Bretton had stopped and police divers also entered the water, discovering a rusty sword – believed to have been the murder weapon.
After leaving the scene, Bretton used Mr Hurcombe’s phone and responded to messages pretending to be him, giving the false impression that he was alive and well for several days.
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Nicola Hurcombe, Craig’s mum, reported his disappearance to Wiltshire Police on January 10 and a missing person investigation was launched. Colleagues at Wiltshire Police conducted extensive enquiries and, within a two-day period, had evidence placing Craig’s last known whereabouts at the yard.
The case was then transferred to Avon & Somerset Police and two days later, on January 14, Craig’s body was recovered.
During the trial, Bretton’s defence told the jury Mr Hurcombe had slipped while getting into his lorry and fallen onto a metal shaft. He told the court he followed him to his place of work to confront him and he buried his body after his accidental death.
However, the jury saw through Bretton’s story and found him guilty of murder.
Following his death, Craig’s mum, Nicola, and dad, Paul, issued a tribute to him on behalf of the family, saying: “Craig was the perfect son and an independent man, and we are living with unimaginable loss and a huge hole in our lives which we will never come to terms with.
“Craig was very hardworking, ambitious, and very well thought of in his circle of work, especially his boss, who has expressed his gratitude for all Craig did for the company.”
Following the guilty verdict, they said Mr Hurcombe was “hugely missed by his whole family”, including siblings Ashley, Laura, Jess, and niece Skye, as well as the large group of friends he would regularly spend time with.
After the sentencing, senior investigating officer, Detective Inspector Neil Meade, said: “From the outset of this investigation, our sole aim was to secure justice for Craig and his family. Craig was a much-loved son, brother and uncle, and his family are now having to come to terms with a future no longer filled with his smile, his kindness and his love.
“Bretton is one of the most dangerous individuals I have ever dealt with. His behaviour, including the stalking of Kate and the extraordinary lengths he went to in order to control and influence both Craig and Kate’s lives, was deeply disturbing.
“The level of planning and premeditation behind Craig’s murder was horrific. Throughout the investigation, Bretton appeared almost arrogant in the extensive measures he took to cover his tracks and evade responsibility.
“His claim that Craig simply ‘fell’ onto a metal shaft is utterly implausible, and I am grateful the jury saw through his lies and delivered a verdict that hopefully brings some measure of justice and closure to Craig’s family and friends.
“They have had to endure hearing and witnessing the details of Craig’s final moments, while also navigating the immense grief of losing someone they loved so dearly. I hope today’s outcome allows them to begin moving forward, knowing the person responsible has been held accountable.”
A mandatory referral was made to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) due to a death following police contact. The IOPC established the case was suitable for local investigation and is being led by the Avon & Somerset Police Professional Standards Department (PSD).
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