Former British soldier ‘used his SAS training to strangle boyfriend’ in France

He had been living with Mr Bradshaw and his daughter in a small two-bedroom
apartment in the village of Fredaigue, when she reported her father’s
disappearance to police late August 2009.

Mr Martin was arrested after he sold Mr Bradshaw’s Citroen Berlingo van to a
local French man, who found the victim’s passport still in the glove
compartment and took it to police. He was calmly fishing within yards of
where his victim when picked up.

After two days in custody, Mr Martin made a full confession and led detectives
to the body.

On Monday, he told the court that Mr Bradshaw was not, as prosecutors and
previous reports had suggested, his partner, but that he was in fact in a
relationship with Mr Bradshaw’s daughter, Hannah.

He told the two-man and four-woman jury that he had been the victim of child
abuse and had been forced to perform a sex act on a man aged eight or nine.

He said he “snapped” when Mr Bradshaw made advances to him at their
shared home as he had a flashback to the earlier abuse, which sparked an
uncontrollable urge to “punish” the retired policeman.

Described as a “difficult child” – his mother, a retired teacher and
father, a retired artist, both testified on Monday – he said he wanted to “become
somebody” by joining the army and was devastated by his dismissal.

The presiding judge, Eliane Renon, said she found it hard to believe his
account as “your older brother declared that from a very early age you
got into the habit of lying to justify your actions”.

“That’s correct, your honour,” came his reply.

A psychiatrist cited by the court found that Mr Martin, who tried to commit
suicide in detention earlier this month, had a “psychopathic personality”
that did not absolve him, however, of responsibility for his actions.

Lawyer Lionel Magne said his client did not “deny the seriousness and the
violence of the crime,” but he hoped that his “fragile health”
and childhood “trauma” would be taken into consideration in the
sentence.

Frédéric Olivé, lawyer for the victims’ parents, said they hoped the trial
would serve to “clear the name” of Mr Bradshaw, a “respected
man”.

Four Bradshaw family members, including his daughter, were in court on Monday.
They said he learnt late in life that he was bisexual but that at no time
did he have or seek to have sexual relations with Mr Martin.

The trial is due to last five days.

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