Samurai sword murder of lorry driver Craig Hurcombe heard in court
A court heard details of the murder of lorry driver Craig Hurcombe, who was killed with a samurai sword by his jealous ex-lover.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
A court has heard details of the murder of lorry driver Craig Hurcombe, who was killed with a samurai sword by a jealous ex-lover. The trial of Michael Bretton, 41, who denies murder, is ongoing at a Wiltshire court.
Craig Hurcombe, 40, was a lorry driver who had been in a relationship with a woman from Portishead, Katie Saunders. The couple split up and Ms Saunders began seeing the defendant, Michael Bretton. However, she later rekindled her relationship with Mr Hurcombe, which the prosecution says led to Bretton's jealousy.
The court heard of several police interventions in the weeks before the killing. Bretton allegedly phoned police claiming he was worried about Ms Saunders, saying she was in a coercive relationship with her ex and that she had a restraining order against him. But when officers visited, they found the couple together and everything seemed fine. There was no restraining order. The two men also had a fight in a pub a few weeks before the murder.
On 1 January, Mr Hurcombe arrived at work at a haulage firm in Gurney Slade just after 6pm. He had an early start the next day and planned to sleep in his lorry. CCTV showed him arriving and waving to the camera. About an hour later, a figure is seen closing the gates. The prosecution says this was Bretton. Further footage shows a figure going to Mr Hurcombe's parked car, which the prosecution says was Bretton removing a tracking device he had previously placed on the vehicle.
Mr Hurcombe was not seen alive again. He was reported missing a few days later, and his body was found in mid-January. It had been buried and burnt. A pathologist told the court that Mr Hurcombe had suffered an extensive stab wound consistent with a samurai sword.
Michael Bretton denies murder and also denies stalking Katie Saunders. The trial continues.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | Channel 5 | BBC NEWS | BBC One | ITV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Digwar initially lied to police, claiming he was the victim of a racist attack. | · | |||
| Kiran Kaur was sentenced to three years in prison for assisting an offender. | · | |||
| Craig Hurcombe was killed in a samurai sword attack by a jealous ex-lover; his body was found buried and burnt. | · | · | · |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
This channel did not cover the Craig Hurcombe samurai sword murder. Instead, it reported on the sentencing of Kiran Kaur, mother of Vikram Digwar, who murdered teenager Henry Novak. The focus was on new evidence of Digwar's confession and the mother's role in removing the murder weapon.
- “He keeps dropping side to side, so I'm just trying to keep us up.”
- “I am a fool.”
This channel also covered the Henry Novak case, with a live correspondent outside Southampton Crown Court. It added context about Vikram Digwar's appeal against conviction and sentence, and separate weapons charges against his brother and father.
- “Today will be the full sentencing of Kiran Kaur, Mr Digwar's mother.”
- “Vikram Digwar himself is appealing against not only his conviction but also his sentencing.”
This channel covered the sentencing of Kiran Kaur, focusing on the emotional impact on Henry Novak's family. It included a statement from the family expressing disappointment and their intention to continue seeking the full truth.
- “they said they will continue to fight for the full truth, they say, about what happened on that night.”
- “a responsible parent would have challenged their son over their actions and encouraged them to do the right thing.”
This broadcast focused on the judge's condemnation of Kiran Kaur's actions, quoting the judge's statement that a responsible parent would have challenged their son. It also noted the family's acceptance of the sentence but disappointment.
- “Even if you might have believed that your son had been racially abused or assaulted you knew there could be no justification for him to have stabbed Henry”
Similar to the previous BBC broadcast, this report emphasised the judge's view that Kiran Kaur acted in the mistaken belief she was protecting her son. It repeated key details of the case and the family's reaction.
- “Kieran core tried to hide the murder weapon that was key to this case in the mistaken belief said the judge that she was protecting her son”
This was the only channel to cover the Craig Hurcombe samurai sword murder. It provided a detailed narrative of the case, including the relationship background, police interventions, CCTV evidence, and the pathologist's findings. The tone was factual and focused on the prosecution's case.
- “a court has been told that a Wiltshire lorry driver was killed in a samurai sword attack at his work by a jealous ex-lover of the woman he was seeing.”
- “It was described as a cold-blooded execution.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.