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Murder of Jason Martin-Smith

SOLVED1999Hastings, East Sussex, England3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Illustrative

Jason Martin-Smith (born December 1972) was an English man from Kingston upon Thames who moved to Hastings, East Sussex in 1999. He was reported missing after 22 August 2001, and his disappearance was later confirmed to be a murder that remained unsolved for 14 years.

Martin-Smith became acquainted with his eventual killer through a drug deal and was drawn into a plan to burgle approximately £36,000 from Price Attack pawnbrokers in Farnborough, Hampshire, having previously worked there and retained a set of keys. He was arrested on 10 July 2001 following a police search of his girlfriend's home, and during a second interview identified other members of the gang involved in the robbery, receiving only £25 in return for his role. Fearing retaliation after being accused of "grassing," Martin-Smith armed himself with a gun and chisel. On 21 August 2001, he was spotted outside a friend's house on Wilmington Road, Hastings, by Steve McNicol, then forced into a car by Mark Searle and Jimmy Millen. Witnesses the following day reported seeing Searle and Millen, along with an unnamed third man, in a lock-up on Battle Road, Hastings, where an axe was used and Martin-Smith's torso was seen on the floor. Millen later told an associate that Martin-Smith had been shot six times and strangled with fridge wire; his body was never recovered.

A murder investigation was launched in January 2002 after police received information that Martin-Smith had been shot. Frank Torpey, Mark Searle and Steve McNicol were arrested in dawn raids but later released on bail after the Crown Prosecution Service declined to pursue charges in March 2002. Searches of Kelk Wood and the Battle Road lock-up produced insufficient evidence. Sussex Police reopened the case in 2014 after new witnesses came forward; by this time, Torpey had died. In February 2015, Searle and McNicol were charged with murder and conspiracy to kidnap.

On 21 August 2015 — the 14th anniversary of Martin-Smith's disappearance — Mark Searle was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder, conspiracy to kidnap and perverting the course of justice, with a minimum tariff of 29 years. Steve McNicol was jailed for four and a half years for conspiracy to kidnap after his murder charge was discontinued at the start of the trial.

The case is closely linked to the unsolved killing of Jimmy Millen, who was fatally shot in a drive-by attack in Hastings in October 2001. Millen's family later told police of his involvement in Martin-Smith's murder. In March 2023, Sussex Police searched woodland near Marley Lane, Battle, following a tip-off, but no remains were found.

Key facts

Victims
Jason Martin-Smith, Jimmy Millen
Date
1999
Location
Hastings, East Sussex, England
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 1972-12

    Jason Martin-Smith is born in Kingston upon Thames, London.

  2. 1999

    Martin-Smith moves to Hastings, East Sussex.

  3. 2001-07-10

    Martin-Smith is arrested following a police search of his girlfriend's home; he later identifies other gang members involved in a robbery.

  4. 2001-08-21

    Martin-Smith is abducted outside a friend's house on Wilmington Road, Hastings, by Mark Searle and Jimmy Millen after being spotted by Steve McNicol.

  5. 2001-08-22

    Witnesses see Searle, Millen and a third man at a lock-up on Battle Road, Hastings, where Martin-Smith is killed and dismembered.

  6. 2001-10-24

    Jimmy Millen is shot four times outside his home in a drive-by attack and later dies in hospital.

  7. 2002-01

    A murder investigation into Martin-Smith's death is launched after police receive information he had been shot; Millen's family tells police of his involvement.

  8. 2002-02

    Police search Kelk Wood for human remains and the Battle Road lock-up, finding insufficient evidence.

  9. 2002-03

    The Crown Prosecution Service declines to charge Torpey, Searle and McNicol, and the case is dropped.

  10. 2012-09

    Two fishing lakes are searched for a potential firearm linked to Millen's murder; none is found.

  11. 2014

    Sussex Police reopen the Martin-Smith case after new witnesses come forward; Frank Torpey has died in the intervening years.

  12. 2015-02

    Mark Searle and Steve McNicol are arrested and later charged with murder and conspiracy to kidnap.

  13. 2015-08-21

    Mark Searle is sentenced to life imprisonment for murder, conspiracy to kidnap and perverting the course of justice; Steve McNicol is sentenced to four and a half years for conspiracy to kidnap.

  14. 2023-03

    Sussex Police search woodland near Marley Lane, Battle, following a tip-off; no remains are found.

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People

  • Mark Searle

    CONVICTED

    Found guilty of murder, conspiracy to kidnap and perverting the course of justice at Lewes Crown Court in August 2015; sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum tariff of 29 years.

  • Jason Martin-Smith

    VICTIM

    English man murdered in Hastings, East Sussex in August 2001; his body was never found.

  • Frank Torpey

    CHARGED

    Arrested and interviewed on suspicion of murdering Martin-Smith; died before proceedings against him could take place.

  • Steve McNicol

    CONVICTED

    Convicted of conspiracy to kidnap in August 2015 and jailed for four and a half years; murder charges against him were discontinued at the start of the trial.

  • Jimmy Millen

    VICTIM

    Doorman and former boxer fatally shot in a drive-by attack in Hastings in October 2001; his family later said he had been involved in Martin-Smith's murder.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Places

Hastings, East Sussex, England

50.8552, 0.5729

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
Jason Martin-Smith, an English man reported missing in 2001, was murdered in Hastings after informing police about a pawnbroker robbery; the case went unsolved for 14 years until Mark Searle was convicted of his murder in 2015.
Where did the murder happen?
Hastings, East Sussex, England.
Who was convicted?
Mark Searle (Found guilty of murder, conspiracy to kidnap and perverting the course of justice at Lewes Crown Court in August 2015; sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum tariff of 29 years.) and Steve McNicol (Convicted of conspiracy to kidnap in August 2015 and jailed for four and a half years; murder charges against him were discontinued at the start of the trial.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.
More cases in England

Sources

  1. ENCYCLOPEDICMurder of Jason Martin-SmithWikipedia · 2026-07-07
  2. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — BBC NewsBBC News · 2026-07-07
  3. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — BBC NewsBBC News · 2026-07-07

Record history

First published
JUL 07, 2026