Derek Martin, a man accused of murdering his former stepdaughter Chloe and her spouse Josh Bashford in 2023, is under trial.
Martin, 67, appeared in Brighton Law Courts on Monday, October 6, to stand trial for the murders of Chloe, 30, and Josh, 33, on June 9, 2023, according to reports by the BBC, The Telegraph, The Times, and ITV.
Martin admitted to killing Chloe and Josh, parents of four small children, in their home in Newhaven, East Sussex, England, less than seven hours after the crimes were committed. However, in court, he pleaded guilty to lesser charges of manslaughter while denying murder.
The accused maintained that he was not guilty of murder owing to reduced culpability, claiming that he “just lost it” before hitting the woman, who still considered him her stepfather despite her mother and Martin’s divorce.
Julian Evans, who is prosecuting the crime, told the court that Chloe was slain first, around 12:15 p.m. locally.
“He attacked Chloe with a hammer. He hammered her on the top of her head. Then he went into the kitchen to fetch a huge knife. “Having done so, he repeatedly stabbed Chloe with that knife, causing severe injuries from which she died,” Evans stated in court, according to reports.
Continuing, he claimed, “He stabbed her eight times in the upper back and abdomen.” Two stab wounds penetrated to a depth of around 20 cm [almost 8 inches]. The knife inflicted severe injuries that resulted in Chloe’s death.
Josh was not home during the attack. However, he arrived a few minutes later, about 12:20, according to Evans.
Martin is accused of confronting Josh at the door with a knife and chasing him into the bedroom he shared with Chloé. Evans claimed he was then stabbed and strangled to death. The BBC reports that Josh was strangled with a belt or rope.
Martin is accused of placing the victims in two bedrooms and removing the door handles after performing the crimes.
Josh and Chloe’s four children considered the man to be their grandfather. He then changed clothes and picked up some of the children from school. He then joined the others at Costa Coffee in Peacehaven.
According to The Times, Martin informed the children that Josh and Chloe had argued. Instead of taking them home, he dropped them off at the home of their maternal grandmother, his ex-wife Elaine Sturges, in Brighton.
In a text message to Elaine, he wrote, “Elaine I’m very sorry; I can’t believe what I’ve done; I know everyone hates me, especially the boys; I despise myself; and please, please care after the children very well.”
He asked her not to “take the children home” and said he was “about to walk into the police station.”
Less than seven hours after the killings, Martin stepped into Sussex Police Station in Brighton and confessed to the crimes. Before doing so, ITV said that he discarded Chloe’s phone, which he had with him.
Martin reported the crimes to police on June 10, 2023, and Evans cited the interview in court on Monday.
“He stated that he felt ‘used’ all the time. “He couldn’t do enough for people, and he’d gotten himself into a lot of debt,” he told ITV.
The Times said that he had loaned Chloe around $800, which she was repaying. Meanwhile, the BBC stated that Martin had roughly $11,000 in debt. His debt was primarily due to gaming. According to the publication, Chloe had paid down her loan and owed only about $200 when she died.
According to The Times, when asked why he committed the killings, he stated, “I don’t know, I’d just had enough, it’s just constant, money, money, go out, go out…”
Martin was checked by five doctors, according to ITV, and was diagnosed with “a depressive disorder at the time of the attacks.” The BBC said that he had been off antidepressants for about six months at the time of the event.
Speaking with a doctor, he reportedly stated that Chloe was a committed mother who suffered with spending, claiming that she “overspent all the time,” according to The Times.
Martin indicated he did not want to perpetrate the crimes, according to psychiatrist Dr. Seena Fazel, who testified in court on Tuesday, October 7.
According to The Times, Chloe and Josh’s oldest son, Brooklyn Bashford, is now 18. He informed the police that Martin, whom he referred to as a grandfather, had a “bad temper.”
In court, Evans stated that there is “no dispute” that Martin is responsible for the murders, adding that the “issue is his state of mind at the time.”
Martin’s trial will last around three weeks.
After confessing to the police, Martin appeared at Lewes Crown Court in August 2023, according to the BBC. The outlet reported that he pled guilty to lesser charges of manslaughter but disputed allegations of murder in connection with the killings. He was scheduled to return to court in November.
However, in May 2025, Josh’s mother, Sharon Bashford, told the publication that the case had been delayed five times.
Sharon described the delays as “cruel,” stating that they have had a severe impact on her family, who are unable to “move on with our lives,” and that they are fatigued. We’re having difficulty coping. We don’t sleep; we simply exist.
PEOPLE contacted the Crown Prosecution Service and Sussex Police for more information on the crime and the ongoing court case. The former was unable to remark because the trial was still proceeding.
