Man ordered murder of ex-lover Christopher Hartley on Facebook - court told

Nov 12 2009 By Dave Himelfield

A FORMER lover of murdered car dealer Christopher Hartley is alleged to have ordered his killing, an inquest heard yesterday.

Mr Hartley’s body was found on Litherop Lane in High Hoyland near Clayton West on September 8, near to his luxury Jaguar car.

He had died from shotgun wounds to the head and chest.

Opening yesterday’s inquest at Huddersfield Coroner’s Court, a senior police detective told Coroner Roger Whittaker they believed that Mr Hartley, 45, of Hill Top, Tingley, Leeds, had reacted badly to the break-up with his boyfriend, David Large.

Mr Hartley had become violent towards Large, 35, of Broadcroft Drive, Tingley, the court was told.

Large had begun a relationship with a woman and had allegedly decided to have Mr Hartley ‘sorted out’.

Using social networking site Facebook, Large had contacted a friend, Simon Mullin, with whom he had shared a cell during his imprisonment in 2001.