NewZ NewZ with a Zeal
A Grim Discovery in 1979 Sets Off the ‘Mr Asia’ Murder Probe
On October 14, 1979, two amateur divers from the Newton-le-Willows sub-aqua club, Jeff Ashcroft and Ian Reading, took a routine plunge into the chilly waters of Eccleston Delph, a water-filled quarry near Chorley in Lancashire. What they found, submerged some 30 feet below the surface, would spark one of the most notorious murder investigations of its time.
A gruesome sight lay perched on a sandstone ledge: the body of a man, badly mutilated. His stomach had been slashed, his face and mouth beaten, and his hands had been severed. The horrific scene instantly reminded detectives of gangland-style killings, setting into motion the infamous “Mr Asia” murder probe—a case that would eventually unravel a far-reaching international drug trafficking ring and bring several ruthless criminals to justice.
The Grim Quarry Scene
Divers Ashcroft and Reading initially thought the corpse was merely a mannequin sunk in the quarry. But as they drew closer, they realized the shocking truth. The victim, around six-foot-two and powerfully built, was naked save for a single item: a bluestone medallion bearing a Chinese character for “long life.” With the man’s hands missing, fingerprint identification was impossible, and the lack of clothing complicated the task of establishing his identity.
Within two days, a post-mortem revealed extensive knife wounds and confirmed that his hands were hacked off post-mortem. Most tellingly, a bullet fired at close range had caused the fatal wound to his head. Dubbed “Mr Nobody” by the press, the unidentified victim’s likeness was distributed far and wide by Lancashire Police in hopes the public could help solve the mystery.
Breaking the Case
On October 26, 1979—nearly two weeks after the body’s discovery—police finally got their break. Two women, former beauty queen Julie Hue and her friend Barbara Pilkington, entered a Leyland police station with startling information. Hue identified the dead man as her boyfriend, a 27-year-old New Zealander named Martin Johnstone, better known as “Marty.” She claimed he was part of a high-stakes international drug syndicate that smuggled narcotics around Southeast Asia, an operation so lucrative that Johnstone had earned the underworld nickname “Mr Asia.”
Hue also named a suspect: a 26-year-old local from Leyland named Andrew Maher. She recounted that Johnstone had amassed a personal fortune from heroin, cocaine, and cannabis trafficking. But somewhere along the way, alliances soured. Johnstone was reportedly executed on orders from his onetime associate and fellow New Zealander, Terry Clark.
The “Mr Asia” Network
Clark—also known by a series of aliases including Terry Sinclair, Tony Bennett, and the “Australian Jackal”—operated a widespread heroin smuggling ring stretching from Britain to Australia and New Zealand. He and Johnstone had been close collaborators, shipping narcotics from Thailand and other Asian markets into Australasia. Andrew Maher joined them, helping to manage front companies in Australia, Hong Kong, and Singapore.
At the center of this ring was an empire built on fear. Anyone seen as a liability or police informant was reportedly “dealt with,” and the bodies began to pile up. When two of Clark’s associates were found dead in Australia, he and Maher relocated to England in an attempt to continue their criminal enterprise undetected. Johnstone, however, remained behind, which fueled disputes—and lethal consequences—over money and new deals.
Murder and Aftermath
In August 1979, Marty Johnstone traveled from London to Pattaya, Thailand, to source a batch of heroin. He was given a substantial sum—USD $50,000—to secure high-quality product. Instead, he tried to deceive Clark by mixing part of a sample with castor sugar. Infuriated, Clark demanded Johnstone’s execution and tasked Maher with carrying it out.
On an isolated stretch of road north of Lancaster, Maher shot and killed his best friend, later claiming he had been given a “kill or be killed” ultimatum. Together with another associate, Jimmy Smith, he transported Johnstone’s body to a garage in Leyland, where they used an axe, a hammer, and a spade to remove the hands and some teeth, hoping to erase any chance of identification. Finally, they dumped the corpse in Eccleston Delph.
The Investigation Widens
In early November 1979, police publicly announced they were nearly certain the body belonged to Martin Johnstone. By then, they had arrested Clark in an exclusive London flat, as well as Maher, Smith, and several more suspected accomplices. The case would soon become the most expensive and heavily guarded legal proceeding in British history.
As the investigation deepened, details emerged of a sprawling drug pipeline spanning Southeast Asia, Australia, and the UK. Even Australian authorities flew to Chorley, determined to verify the so-called “Kiwi link.” British police discovered that Clark was already wanted for multiple murders in Australia—a sign of the brutality behind the syndicate’s success.
Trial and Legacy
When the landmark trial began in January 1981 at Lancaster Castle (converted into a high-security fortress for the occasion), the truth of the “Mr Asia” network was laid bare. Maher admitted to killing Johnstone under threat from Clark, and he eventually pled guilty to murder. Clark, claiming he was no “lily-white angel” but denying responsibility, was nonetheless found guilty by the jury. Both men were sentenced to life in prison, along with Smith and several other associates tied to the conspiracy.
The convictions brought down one of the most notorious drug rings in Australasian history. Clark himself died of a heart attack in prison in 1983, just a few years into his sentence. The revelations surrounding the Mr Asia gang prompted investigations in Australia, where a Royal Commission found evidence of multiple contract killings and potential corruption in law enforcement.
By the time the dust settled, authorities had dismantled a multi-million-dollar narcotics empire and laid bare the chilling violence that fueled it. Marty Johnstone’s mutilated body at the bottom of a Lancashire quarry would forever serve as the grim starting point for a major victory in the war on international drug trafficking.
