Samurai sword killer leaves family 'ripped apart'

"It's been a nightmare, it's ripped my life apart," said Craig Hurcombe's mother, Nicola. "I was very very close to him and I feel like I've lost a big part of myself. I never got to say goodbye, and that's what hurts me more than anything."

Craig, 39, was murdered on New Year's Day, stabbed with a samurai sword at his work yard as he was preparing his lorry for the following day's job.

His killer, Michael Bretton, 41 from Dorset, was found guilty of murder on 31 July after a trial at Bristol Crown Court and sentenced to life in prison to serve a minimum term of 29 and a half years.

A month on from the trial Craig's friends and family say they are still struggling to come to terms with the death of a man they knew as a devoted son, brother and uncle.

His girlfriend Kate Saunders said: "People say that time heals but I don't think it'll ever be something that I come to terms with."

Nicola said Craig was the kind of character that you could not help but love. She described her son as kind, loving, funny and someone who would help anyone out.

"He was hardworking," she said. "He drove lorries, often working alongside his dad in a close relationship, we were very proud of his achievements."

From a young age Craig loved sport. He played rugby and had trials for Bath Rugby before settling at Devizes Rugby Club where he was a key member of the playing and social side of the club.

"I would describe him as a good man," said his friend and fellow club member Gavin Curnow.

"We spent a lot of time together. He was a really good player, he loved his rugby, he played for all the teams at Devizes Rugby Club and he would often play out of position if he was needed just because he loved playing the game.

"He was very kind and decent and he was funny, especially when the ciders were flowing after a game."

Craig had been in a relationship with Kate Saunders for six years before they broke up.

She then met Bretton online and they began dating, but she ended things when he wanted to become boyfriend and girlfriend.

Craig and Kate went on to rekindle their relationship and she said they planned to spend the rest of their lives together.

However, the trial heard Bretton remained "obsessed" with Kate and was "clearly jealous".

He stalked Hurcombe and Saunders, buying two GPS trackers which he fitted to their cars to track them.

On one occasion, he followed the couple to a pub in Somerset which resulted in a brief altercation between Bretton and Craig, which police were called to deal with.

"I believe he [Bretton] came off second best then," said Det Insp Neil Meade, from Avon and Somerset Police, who was leading the investigation at the time and spoke after the trial.

"And although I believe the planning was already under way, that was the catalyst for Craig's murder, and the actions that followed over the next week or so, until he killed Craig."

On New Year's Day, Bretton followed Craig to his workplace at TJ Blanchard Limited in Gurney Slade, Somerset.

He stabbed him with a samurai sword before burying his body in a shallow grave, burning Craig's clothes and driving his car out of the depot before setting that on fire.

Bretton then took the SIM card from Craig's phone and, over the coming days, pretended to be him, sending messages to friends and family.

"Michael Bretton, I truly believe, thought he was clever than everybody else," said Meade.

"He went out of his way to put us off the track. But what he didn't realise was every time he did that, he left a trail of breadcrumbs for us to follow.

"Our investigation was very satisfying because the evidence just kept coming and coming. And every time it pointed more and more towards Michael Bretton.

"Nothing pointed away from him, the evidence stacked so strongly against him that it could be nobody else."

The case was Meade's final piece of work for Avon and Somerset Police, and he has since retired.

But Craig's family and friends say they will always find it difficult to accept that he is gone.

Wiping away tears, Craig's girlfriend Kate Saunders said she feels responsible for what happened.

"Craig was my person and I wish we had not wasted time being apart," she said.

"The last time we spoke I told him that I loved him, and he said, 'I love you too, gorgeous'.

"I think I knew something had happened to him as soon as I heard he was missing and when the police contacted me I had a feeling something bad had happened but still holding hope."

She added: "I'm still in shock, disbelief. It feels like he's just away on a long driving job and he'll come walking back through the door any minute."

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