Man found guilty of murder of Wiltshire man in Somerset
Michael Bretton, 41, from Dorset had denied the murder of Craig Hurcombe who's body was found in the Gurney Slade area of Somerset
Last updated 31st Jul 2026
A man has been found guilty of the murder of a Wiltshire man in Somerset.
Michael Bretton, a 41-year-old chocolate factory worker from Shaftesbury, Dorset, had denied the murder of 39-year-old Craig Hurcombe but was convicted by a jury at Bristol Crown Court today (31 July).
Bretton is believed to have killed lorry driver Mr Hurcombe with a samurai sword in Gurney Slade on January 1.
The 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 they had a casual relationship.
Mr Hurcombe, had rekindled the relationship with Ms Saunders, and prosecutors said Bretton was "clearly jealous."
Bretton attended Mr Hurcombe’s work yard in Gurney Slade to confront him, where he is believed to have used a samurai sword to kill him before burying the body in a shallow grave.
The jury reached a unanimous guilty verdict after a two-week trial, rejecting Bretton's claim that Mr Hurcombe had died in an accident.
Judge William Hart told the jury: “There is only one sentence available if a person is convicted of murder. That is life imprisonment but in order to pass sentence, I have to determine the minimum term that Mr Bretton must serve before he is eligible to be considered for release on licence.”
The judge paid tribute to the family of Mr Hurcombe, who he said had behaved with “dignity and restraint” throughout the trial.
“It is an extraordinary case,” the judge said.
“If you read about this case, you would think it is something from a crime novel.”
Prosecuting the case, Mark Cotter KC said Bretton had fitted trackers to the cars of Ms Saunders and Mr Hurcombe.
He told jurors this behaviour escalated, culminating in Bretton murdering Mr Hurcombe.
“It was a pre-meditated and cold-blooded execution, carried out with the use of a sword,” Mr Cotter said.
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.”
CCTV footage from Blanchard’s yard where Mr Hurcombe worked shows him walking towards his lorry on the evening of his death.
He is believed to have been killed a short time later.
He was reported missing by his mother on 10th January, with his body discovered on 14th January in woodland at the work site.
A post-mortem examination conducted by Pathologist Dr Amanda Jeffery concluded that Mr Hurcombe had died from a single stab wound to the 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.
Judge Hart is due to sentence Bretton on this afternoon (31 July).