He was considered a missing person as the case went unsolved for 14 years, until Mark Searle was found guilty of murder at Lewes Crown Court in August 2015.

The murder of Martin-Smith is heavily linked to the unsolved case of Jimmy Millen, who died in a drive-by shooting in Hastings two months later.

[1] Martin-Smith was acquainted with his killer, meeting through a drug deal, and initially worked together to burgle approximately £36,000 from Price Attack pawnbrokers in Farnborough, Hampshire.

The three other men involved in the robbery, Frank Torpey, Mark Searle and Jimmy Millen, planned to take revenge after learning Martin-Smith had informed on them.

He made a phone call heard by witnesses to say "he's outside", before Searle and Millen attacked and forced Martin-Smith into the passenger seat of a car that pulled up.

[2][3] The following day, two men witnessed Searle, Millen and an unnamed third man with an axe in a lock-up in Battle Road, Hastings.

Millen later revealed to the witness' brother that Martin-Smith had been shot six times, possibly in the eye, and then strangled with fridge wire.

[2][3][5] In January 2002, a murder investigation was launched after police received information that Martin-Smith had been shot dead back in August.

[1] After proof of life enquiries were made by police, Frank Torpey, Mark Searle and Steve McNicol were arrested in a series of dawn raids on suspicion of murdering Martin-Smith.

[3] Searle remained silent during three interviews, McNicol told police he thought the others would only assault Martin-Smith, and Torpey stated that they "just wanted to get hold of him".

[3] In March 2023, Sussex Police searched an area of woodland near Marley Lane, Battle after receiving new information through a 'viable' tip-off.

[22] Millen's father sent letters to the Chief Constable, the Home Office and Prime Minister Tony Blair in complaint over the police's handling of the investigation.