The jury has retired to decide whether Derek Martin, from Brighton, is guilty of the murder of Joshua and Chloe Bashford at their home in Newhaven.
Martin, 67, of Moulsecoomb Way, Brighton, admits that he killed the couple in June 2023, leaving their four children orphaned.
But he denies murder on the ground of diminished responsibility because the balance of his mind was disturbed.
The jury has heard evidence from five psychiatrists, with only one of them clearly saying that Martin was fully responsible for his actions.
Martin killed the couple before arranging to meet their four children at a coffee shop in Peacehaven.
He then took the children for a meal at McDonald’s, in Newhaven, and disposed of Chloe Bashford’s mobile phone before heading to Brighton with them.
He then dropped them off close to the home of his ex-wife, Elaine Sturges, the children’s grandmother, saying that he would find somewhere to park.
Instead, he changed his clothes for a second time, having stabbed the couple and taken a hammer to Chloe and a ligature to strangle Josh.
He then went to the Co-op, in Whitehawk, where he bought beer and cigarettes before parking in George Street, Brighton, and walking to the police station in John Street.
The judge, Dame Justine Thornton, known as Mrs Justice Thornton, told the jury: “It is not in dispute that Derek Martin killed Chloe Bashford and Joshua Bashford. Nor is it in dispute that he intended to kill them.”
She said that, for Martin’s defence to succeed, he would have to prove on the balance of probabilities that it was more likely than not that he had suffered an abnormality of mind arising from a recognised medical condition.
The abnormality of mind would have to explain his acts and omissions and would have had to have substantially impaired his ability to
- understand the nature of his conduct
- to form a rational judgment
- to exercise self-control
The trial started on Monday 6 October.
The jury went out shortly after noon today (Thursday 23 October).
