Marty Johnstone

Christopher Martin "Marty" Johnstone (1951 – 1979) born in Auckland, New Zealand was a drug trafficker. The former Takapuna Grammar pupil[1] was dubbed "Mr Asia" by the Auckland Star newspaper in August 1978 in a series of articles by Pat Booth.[2]

Murder

In October 1979, Johnstone was lured to Britain on the pretext of a drug deal to take place in Scotland. He was murdered by Andy Maher, by order of Terrance John Clark, and his handless body was dumped in Eccleston Delph, Lancashire.[3] Maher cut off Johnstone's hands and mutilated his face in a vain attempt to foil dental identification by the police.[4]

Terry Clark, along with four others, was subsequently convicted of murdering Johnstone and was sentenced to life imprisonment. The trial at Lancaster Castle in 1980 was conducted under heavy security and was Britain's most expensive case at that time.[5] Clark suffered a heart attack in 1983 and died in prison on the Isle of Wight.[6]

References

  1. ↑ "Rude but harmless - the real Mr Asia". Dominion Post. 22 May 2010. Retrieved 31 May 2011.
  2. ↑ Booth, Pat (10 March 2009). "A vicious filthy thug without conscience". Stuff. Retrieved 6 December 2009.
  3. ↑ Hewitson, Michele (27 October 2004). "In crime, it pays not to talk". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
  4. ↑ Lomas, David (23-29 October 2004). "The fall of Mr Asia". New Zealand Listener. 196 (3363)
  5. ↑ "Handless corpse case uncovered". BBC Lancashire (British Broadcasting Corporation). 8 October 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-16.
  6. ↑ Homan, Ray, "Peter Fulcher and the Mr Asia syndicate", Police News (New Zealand), Volume 39, Number 5, June 2006, page 135.

Further reading