Mark Martin (murderer)

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Mark Martin
Born (1979-10-18) 18 October 1979 (age 44)
Ilkeston, Derbyshire, England [1]
Other namesThe Sneinton Strangler, Reds
Criminal penalty Life imprisonment with a whole-life tariff [1]
Details
Victims3
Span of crimes
2004–2005
Country United Kingdom
Weapon Strangulation

Mark Martin (born 18 October 1979) [1] is a British serial killer who has been dubbed the 'Sneinton Strangler' in the media. He was issued with a whole-life tariff and thus will never be released from prison. Two accomplices, John Ashley and Dean Carr, helped him in two murders and they received 25-year and 14-year minimum sentences respectively.

Contents

Background

Martin had been born an only child, and he suffered extensive bullying at school due to him having a notable birthmark under his left eye. [1] His father was imprisoned as he grew up and allegedly shared a prison with the Kray Twins. [2] By age 16 he had become a petty criminal. [1] He got married in his early 20s but attacked his wife violently in 2002 and they separated in 2004. [1] By this time he was homeless and slept rough in Nottingham. [1] He and fellow rough sleepers and associates John Ashley and Dean Carr were known and feared amongst the city's homeless community and often stole from their associates. [1] Martin was often known as "Reds" and Ashley was nicknamed "Cockney John". [1] Martin was described as the "leader of the pack", and was said to be a violent, volatile and aggressive bully with a short temper. [1]

Murders

Martin was said to want to seek out fame and notoriety. [1] He openly boasted to others that his ambition was to become "Nottingham's first serial killer". [1]

On the night of 24 January 2005, Martin was with Ashley, Carr and another homeless woman, 25-year-old Ellen Frith, in a derelict flat in Marple Road in Nottingham. [1] The flat was a well-known location for rough sleepers in the area to congregate and take drugs. [1] At some point in the evening Frith started to eat an apple, when Martin grabbed her by the throat and strangled her to death. [1] He then stuck a syringe into her leg before setting fire to the property while he and his associates escaped. [1] Firefighters put out the fire and found the dead body inside. [3]

A man who had been in the flat the night before came forward to tell the police that Martin, Ashley and Carr were in the flat with Frith that night. [1] Investigators established that they were all there at the point the fire started. [3] Police searched for the men and found Ashley, who said that he had witnessed Martin strangle Frith to death. [3] Two days later Martin rang the police to boast "I think you want me for murder". [1] Dean Carr was subsequently arrested and he claimed both Martin and Ashley had killed Frith. [3]

When he was arrested and brought in for questioning, Martin only answered "no comment" to all police questions. [1] He and Ashley were quickly charged with Frith's murder, but Martin then indicated in interviews that he had been responsible for other murders. [1] Witnesses were able to give names of two other homeless women who had recently disappeared from the city: 18-year-old Katie Baxter and 26-year-old Zoe Pennick. [1] Baxter was said to be in a violent relationship with Ashley and both had been missing since December 2004. [1]

Pennick was last seen on 31 December 2004. [1] Members of the homeless community came forward to tell police that Martin had boasted of killing Pennick and Baxter. [3] Investigators discovered that Martin had lured Katie Baxter to his tent with the promise of 2,000 cigarettes before strangling her to death. [1] Police found the bodies of Pinnick and Baxter almost next to each other under rubble when searching the area next to Martin's tent in February 2005. [1] Forensics established that both had died between 30 December 2004 and 6 January 2005. [1]

Charges and convictions

Martin and Ashley were charged with the murders of Pennick and Baxter. [1] Charges were dropped against Ashley for the murder of Frith. [1] Dean Carr was subsequently charged with Frith’s murder although was not charged with involvement in the other killings. [1] In January 2006 all three men were tried at Nottingham Crown Court. [1] Several homeless witnesses came forward to testify about the defendants' confessions to them and all three were convicted even though they pleaded not guilty. [1]

Carr was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 14 years for his involvement in the murder of Frith. [1] Ashley received a minimum 25-year tariff for involvement in two of the murders. [1] Martin, the ringleader, was convicted of all three murders and given life imprisonment with a whole-life order, meaning he will never be released from prison. [1] On 23 February 2008, The Times reported that he was one of around 50 prisoners to have been issued with whole life tariffs. [4]

Martin became known in the press as the "Sneinton Strangler". [1]

Documentaries

Martin, Ashley and Carr have featured in a number of documentaries:

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 Pick TV (5 October 2021). Britain's Most Evil Killers: Mark Martin: The Sneinton Strangler (Television documentary). Sky UK . Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  2. 1 2 Crime & Investigation (European TV channel) (25 October 2021). Killer Britain: Mark Martin (Television documentary). Series 3. Retrieved 14 April 2022.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Crime & Investigation (European TV channel) (30 October 2012). When Life Means Life: Mark Martin and Ernest Wright (Television documentary). Series 1.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  4. ↑ Ford, Richard; Strange, Hannah (26 February 2008). "Bellfield joins list of those to die in jail". The Times . London. Retrieved 25 June 2009.
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