Martin Brunt - Life and Career

Life and Career

After leaving the London College of Printing, Brunt first joined the editorial staff of Power Laundry and Cleaning News, owned by the International Publishing Corporation (IPC), in London.

From there he was taken on as a junior reporter with the Chatham News and Chatham Standard newspapers in Kent and after training under editor Gerald Hinks left to join a news agency in Devon, followed by the Ferrari Agency in Dartford, Kent. From there he moved to the Sunday Mirror and became chief reporter before being asked to join Sky News.

Early exclusive coverage included the Iraqis' retreat from Kuwait in the first Gulf War.

Later, Brunt was first to break news of the death of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother in 2002 and the murder of television presenter Jill Dando in 1999.

In 2005, he was first to report that the July 7 explosions in London were the work of terrorists.

Brunt has also reported from South Africa on the murder inquiry into "Adam", an unknown boy whose torso was found in the River Thames in 2001.

Brunt has a reputation for gaining insider information: Hugo Rifkind reported in The Times diary of 22 December 2006:

"High praise for the Sky News crime correspondent Martin Brunt. When a hack from (another) newspaper phoned Suffolk police press office with a query on the serial killer case, he was told: 'Call Martin Brunt. He knows everything before we do.' A little concerning."

Brunt was first to report the arrest of Amy Winehouse, the resignation of Sir Ian Blair as Metropolitan Police commissioner, and was the first to interview Robert Murat, then suspected of involvement in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. His contacts also led to Sky News being first to report that the July 7 events in London were the work of terrorists and allowed Sky News to break the news of the death of the Queen Mother. In 2010, Brunt reported live from Rothbury during the police hunt for gunman Raoul Moat.