A lorry driver was murdered in a “cold-blooded execution” by his partner’s former lover, a court heard.
Michael Bretton, 41, and of Shaftesbury, is accused of using a samurai sword to kill Craig Hurcombe in Gurney Slade, Somerset, on January 1.
Bristol Crown Court heard Mr Hurcombe, 39, had been in a relationship with a woman named Kate Saunders, which ended in 2023.
Ms Saunders and Bretton met through an online dating website two years later and had a “casual sexual relationship”.
A jury heard that Bretton wanted to formalise this to “boyfriend and girlfriend” but Ms Saunders did not and ceased contact.
Ms Saunders then rekindled her relationship with Mr Hurcombe, with Bretton “clearly jealous” of this, it was alleged.
Bretton allegedly stalked Ms Saunders and Mr Hurcombe – following them and fitting trackers to their cars.
Prosecuting, Mark Cotter KC said Bretton’s behaviour escalated and this culminated in him murdering Mr Hurcombe.
“The prosecution case is that during the evening of January 1 this year, Craig Hurcombe – who was a lorry driver – was murdered at his place of work,” Mr Cotter said.
“It was a pre-meditated and cold-blooded execution, carried out with the use of a sword.
“The prosecution case is the person who wielded that sword was the defendant, Mr Bretton.”
Mr Cotter told jurors that the motive for the murder was “clear” – the relationship between Mr Hurcombe and Ms Saunders.
He added: “What is clear from the evidence is that Mr Bretton was obsessed with Kate Saunders and was clearly jealous of her renewed relationship with Craig Hurcombe.”
The court heard Mr Hurcombe, from Devizes, had gone to work at Blanchard’s yard in the Gurney Slade area of Somerset on the evening of January 1.
CCTV footage from the yard shows Mr Hurcombe waving to a CCTV camera at 6.26pm as he walked towards his lorry.
He is believed to have been killed a short time later.
Mr Hurcombe was reported missing by his mother on January 10, with his body discovered in a shallow grave on woodland at his work site on January 14.
Pathologist Dr Amanda Jeffery, who carried out a post-mortem examination on Mr Hurcombe’s body, concluded he had died from a single lengthy stab injury which penetrated through his torso.
A samurai sword, which was rusty having been in water for some time, was recovered from the River Stour near the town of Sturminster Newton in recent weeks.
Bretton was arrested by police on January 12 and made no comment to questions during interviews, apart from denying any wrongdoing.
“However, the prosecution has been informed that he denies murdering Craig Hurcombe and he will suggest that the death of Craig Hurcombe was because of an accident, and not an attack with a blade,” Mr Cotter said.
The jury heard Ms Saunders, from Portishead, Somerset, and Mr Hurcombe had been in a relationship from 2017 to 2023.
In the spring or summer of last year, she met Bretton on a dating website and they saw each other in a “casual sexual relationship for some months”, Mr Cotter said.
He added: “Kate Saunders recalls that Michael Bretton wanted their relationship to move to a more formal ‘boyfriend and girlfriend’ status but Kate Saunders did not want that and so she told Mr Bretton that and then brought their contact to a close.”
At around the same time, Mr Hurcombe contacted Ms Saunders indicating that he would like to revive their relationship, the court heard.
Mr Cotter said the rekindling of the relationship between Ms Saunders and Mr Hurcombe had “come to the attention” of Bretton.
Bretton denies murdering Mr Hurcombe and stalking Ms Saunders.
