The ex-partner of a man brutally murdered with a samurai sword by her former lover has told the court that the victim’s disappearance was completely out of character.
Michael Bretton, 41, is accused of killing Craig Hurcombe, 39, in a “cold-blooded execution” at a worksite in Gurney Slade, Somerset, on January 1 this year.
At Bristol Crown Court, it was revealed that both Bretton and Hurcombe had been in sexual relationships with Kate Saunders, 40, though at different times. Hurcombe and Saunders had a six-year relationship that ended in 2023. Later, Saunders met Bretton through an online dating app in 2025, and they had a casual sexual relationship. Bretton wanted to make it more serious, but Saunders declined and cut off contact.
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Saunders then rekindled her relationship with Hurcombe, which allegedly made Bretton jealous. Court reports say Bretton began stalking Saunders and Hurcombe, including following them and fitting trackers to their vehicles. Prosecutors claim his harassment escalated, culminating in the murder of Hurcombe, a lorry driver, at his workplace.
After Hurcombe disappeared, his mother reported him missing on January 10. Saunders told police that Hurcombe’s absence was very unusual, stating, “It was very out of character for Craig not to work. Irrespective of what was happening, he would always go to work.” She expressed her concern that something serious might have happened.
In a recorded police interview, played to the jury, Saunders detailed her last interactions with Hurcombe. They had argued on New Year’s Eve about Bretton, during which Hurcombe admitted to stalking Saunders over the past six months. Hurcombe told her he was going to bed that night because he had to work the next day, and the following morning, they exchanged brief messages in a relatively good mood.
Hurcombe insisted he was the one stalking Saunders, not Bretton, and confessed to following her and Bretton on at least one occasion to the Forest of Dean. He urged Saunders not to pursue the matter with the police, warning that nothing would work between them.
CCTV footage from Blanchard’s yard in Gurney Slade shows Hurcombe arriving at work at 6:26 pm on January 1, appearing in good spirits as he waved to the camera. Just a short time later, he was allegedly killed. His body was found in a shallow grave at the worksite on January 14.
Michael Bretton, from Shaftesbury, Dorset, denies all charges of murder and stalking. The trial is ongoing.