The Resume

(December 9, 1959-April 19, 1996)
Born in Letchworth, England, United Kingdom
Legally changed his name to John Martin
Killed tourists Gerald Lowe in Singapore and Shelia and Darin Damude in Thailand
Suspected in three additional murders in Belize, Mexico and the United States
Nicknamed 'the tourist from Hell'
Became the first Briton executed in Singapore since independence

Why he might be annoying:

He was repeatedly arrested for burglary and drug trafficking.
While in prison, he worked as a butcher, training he later put to use in disposing of his victims.
He escaped while on home leave (October 31, 1994), which had been granted even though his mother had written to the prison warning that he had sold his belongings to fellow prisoners, a clear sign that he was not planning to return.
He would immobilize victims with an electroshock device, then bludgeon them to death with a hammer.
During police interrogation after his arrest, he broke a glass panel and tried to slash his wrists.
At his trial in Singapore, he claimed to have killed Lowe in self-defense after Lowe tried to have sex with him.
That alibi didn't explain why he spent the days after Lowe's death on a shoping spree with Lowe's credit cards.
His trial was 'one of the most grisly' in Singapore history since photos of dismembered body parts were shown as evidence.

Why he might not be annoying:

When he was nine, his father committed suicide.
His mother said about the warning she had provided, 'The Home Office have buried their head in the sand over this. They know full well that if they had done what I told them, none of this would have ever happened. I begged them not to let him go.'
He dropped an appeal of his sentence and turned down a chance to petition the president of Singapore for clemency, saying he was impatient to be executed.

Credit: C. Fishel

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• C. Fishel's Profiles [Series 47]
• Criminals
• Executed by the State
• I Attempted Suicide and Screwed it Up
• I Did Not Graduate High School [J-M]
• I Died in 1996 (Ranked: 36)
• I Died in My 30s (Ranked: 36)
• I Have Dyslexia
• I Married in 1980
• I Was Hanged
• One of My Parents Committed Suicide
• People with John or Mary in their Names
• Profiles 34251-34500 (Ranked: 34372)

Year In Review:

In 2023, Out of 12 Votes: 58.33% Annoying
In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
In 2021, Out of 10 Votes: 90.0% Annoying
In 2020, Out of 4 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
In 2019, Out of 15 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
In 2018, Out of 16 Votes: 43.75% Annoying
In 2017, Out of 19 Votes: 47.37% Annoying
In 2016, Out of 15 Votes: 53.33% Annoying
In 2015, Out of 11 Votes: 54.55% Annoying
In 2014, Out of 45 Votes: 42.22% Annoying
In 2013, Out of 38 Votes: 52.63% Annoying