The ex-partner of a man murdered in a brutal attack with a samurai sword by her former lover told the court that his disappearance was completely out of character.
Michael Bretton, 41, stands accused of killing Craig Hurcombe, 39, in Gurney Slade, Somerset, on January 1 this year. The attack is alleged to have been carried out with a samurai sword in what the prosecution described as a “cold-blooded execution.”
At Bristol Crown Court, it emerged that both Bretton and Hurcombe had been romantically involved with Kate Saunders, 40, at different times. Hurcombe and Saunders had a six-year relationship that ended in 2023. Saunders later met Bretton through an online dating site in 2025, and they had a casual sexual relationship. Bretton reportedly wished to make the relationship more official, but Saunders declined and cut off contact.
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Saunders then resumed her relationship with Hurcombe, which allegedly made Bretton jealous. Prosecutors say Bretton’s jealousy escalated into stalking, with evidence suggesting he followed Saunders and Hurcombe, even fitting trackers to their cars.
Bretton’s escalating behavior allegedly culminated in the murder of Hurcombe, a lorry driver, at his workplace.
Saunders told police that when Hurcombe went missing, it was unusual and alarming. She recounted how Hurcombe’s mother contacted her out of concern after not seeing him for two weeks, and his employer also noted his unexplained absence from work.
“It was very out of character for Craig not to work,” Saunders said. “Irrespective of what was happening, he would always go to work.”
Saunders last saw Hurcombe on New Year’s Day, when he was preparing to go to work. They had met the night before and had a heated argument about Bretton, during which Hurcombe confessed he had been stalking Saunders.
In a recorded police interview played in court, Saunders described the tense conversation. Hurcombe expressed frustration about the situation with Bretton and admitted to following Saunders for over six months, including a trip to the Forest of Dean.
Hurcombe urged Saunders to return to Bretton, but also warned her not to push police involvement, as he had been stalking her.
Despite the strain, Saunders tried to move on by blocking communication from Hurcombe.
On the evening of January 1, Hurcombe went to work at Blanchard’s yard in Gurney Slade. CCTV footage captured him waving to a camera at 6:26 pm as he walked to his lorry. He is believed to have been killed shortly afterward.
Hurcombe was reported missing by his mother on January 10. His body was found in a shallow grave near his workplace on January 14.
Bretton, from Shaftesbury, Dorset, denies both murder and stalking charges. The trial is ongoing.