Moment pensioner walks into police station and says ‘I’ve killed two people’

A pensioner walks into a police station and casually tells the officer ‘I’ve killed two people’.

Bodycam footage shows Derek Martin demanding officers at Brighton police station arrest him for killing his stepdaughter and husband.

Josh, 33, and Chloe Bashford, 30, were found stabbed at their home in Newhaven on June 9, 2023.

Martin, 67, then calmly picked up their children from school before handing himself in to police, his trial heard

He later denied murder but admitted the manslaughter of the parents of four.

In video shown to the jury at Brighton Law Courts, Martin approaches an officer who asks him: ‘What’s happened today?’

‘What’s that?’ the officer asks and Martin replies: ‘Anxiety and depression.’

Martin then replies: ‘I’ve killed two people.’

After he’s asked if he suffers mental health problems, he says: ‘A bit.’

The officer asks him what caused a wound on his right hand and he replies ‘A knife’.

The 67-year-old then appears incredulous that he has not been arrested, telling officers: ‘I have to be arrested. There’s two people dead.’

Jurors at Brighton Law Courts were previously told there is ‘no dispute’ about whether Martin killed the couple, but he claims diminished responsibility, arguing that he was suffering an ‘abnormality of mental functioning’.

Martin was known to the family as he had previously been married to Chloe’s mum, Elaine Sturges, and Chloe called him her stepfather, the court heard.

In the months leading up to the attack, it was said Martin had stopped taking his medication and had not been sleeping.

The pensioner, who had a history of depression and suicide attempts, had only been getting around one or two hours of sleep a night.

Martin had spent the morning carrying out DIY at Chloe’s home before he attacked her with a hammer and stabbed her eight times just after midday.

The court heard the pair had become involved in an argument over money.

Julian Evans KC, prosecuting, said: ‘Mr Martin said the argument was “heated” and although he could not remember the exact words, he said something to the effect of, “You f******g promised me”.

Jurors were told Martin said they argued and had ‘a bit of a screaming match.’

He said to Chloe, ‘I want my f*****g money’ and she said: ‘Well don’t bother with us anymore. Don’t bother coming round anymore’.

Mr Evans told the court Martin said: ‘After I had done all that work. Well that’s when I sort of lost it. When she [Chloe] said don’t bother anymore, I just lost it. I just went berserk!’

After first bludgeoning Chloe’s head several times he then took a knife from the kitchen and stabbed her eight times, Mr Evans said.

It was said Martin then ambushed Josh, who saw him in the hallway with a knife when he arrived home at lunchtime.

Martin chased him up the stairs and into the bedroom before stabbing him four times and strangling him to death with a ligature.

A court heard Martin then calmly picked up Chloe’s four children after school and dropped them off with their grandmother.

The pensioner then texted Chloe’s mum Ms Sturges saying: ‘Elaine I’m so sorry, I can’t believe what I’ve done, I know everyone hates me anyway especially the boys, I hate myself anyway and please, please look after the children really well.

‘I’m just about to walk into the police station then that’s my days over and good job too, I know it’s going to mean nothing but I’m so sorry, don’t take the children home x.’

Martin then drove himself to Brighton Police Station where he handed himself in.

The trial continues.

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