Mark Martin

Mark Martin (born 18 October 1979) 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. 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. His father was imprisoned as he grew up and allegedly shared a prison with the Kray Twins. By age 16 he had become a petty criminal. He got married in his early 20s but attacked his wife violently in 2002 and they separated in 2004. By this time he was homeless and slept rough in Nottingham. 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. Martin was often known as "Reds" and Ashley was nicknamed "Cockney John". Martin was described as the "leader of the pack", and was said to be a violent, volatile and aggressive bully with a short temper. Murders Martin was said to want to seek out fame and notoriety. He openly boasted to others that his ambition was to become "Nottingham's first serial killer". 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. The flat was a well-known location for rough sleepers in the area to congregate and take drugs. At some point in the evening Frith started to eat an apple, when Martin grabbed her by the throat and strangled her to death. He then stuck a syringe into her leg before setting fire to the property while he and his associates escaped. Firefighters put out the fire and found the dead body inside.