Molly Seaman

Michael Bretton was sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of 29 and a half years, for murdering lorry driver Craig Hurcombe in Gurney Slade on January 1. Prosecutors said Bretton stalked Hurcombe and his former partner Kate Saunders using GPS trackers and surveillance before confronting Hurcombe, stabbing him with a samurai sword and attempting to conceal the crime by burning his clothes and car and burying the body. Bretton claimed Hurcombe had accidentally fallen onto a metal shaft, but the jury rejected the account and convicted him of murder. Police and Hurcombe's family described the killing as premeditated and devastating.

Muhammad Ans, 29, was sentenced at Plymouth Crown Court to 20 years in prison plus three years on extended licence after being convicted of raping three women he met through Bumble, Badoo and Tinder between 2023 and 2025. The victims described lasting psychological effects, including anxiety, panic attacks, nightmares and difficulty trusting others. Ans denied one offence and claimed the sexual contact was consensual, despite messages in which he apologized and said he could not stop himself. Judge Matthew Turner KC said Ans had exploited the women’s vulnerability and pursued his own sexual gratification, while Detective Constable Craig Ferguson described him as a sexual predator. Ans was also placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely.