A man has been found guilty of killing a young couple in Newhaven, leaving their four children orphaned.
Derek Martin’s Chilling Confession
Derek Martin, 67, stunned police when he walked into Brighton Police Station on 9 June 2023 and declared, “I’ve killed two people.”
He admitted to causing the deaths of Chloe, 30, and Josh Bashford, 33, but pleaded diminished responsibility, claiming a depressive disorder affected his actions.
However, after a three-week trial at Lewes Crown Court in Brighton, a jury found Martin guilty of two counts of murder on 24 October.
He remains in custody and will be sentenced on 6 November.
From Breakfast to Brutality: The Day of the Killings
CCTV footage revealed Martin’s normal routine before the killings. He was seen ordering a drink at Costa in Newhaven and having breakfast with Chloe at The Stonehouse restaurant in Peacehaven.
The pair later returned to the Bashford family home on Lewes Road, where Chloe and Josh lived with their four children.
During a police interview, Martin admitted that while cleaning a window, he “just flipped” after an argument with Chloe over money.
He struck Chloe with a hammer, then stabbed her to death. When Josh came home and saw Martin with a knife, he fled upstairs. Martin chased him, stabbing and strangling him to death.
Tragically Smooth Cover-Up Before Surrender
After the murders, Martin changed clothes and collected the Bashford children from school. He then took the kids to Costa and McDonald’s in Newhaven.
During this time, he discarded Chloe’s mobile phone in bushes near Sainsbury’s, but later disclosed its location to prison staff via a handwritten note once in custody.
Martin dropped off the children at their grandmother’s house in Brighton, then bought beers from a shop in Whitehawk and drank them on the seafront before handing himself in.
Background and Evidence
Martin was once married to Chloe’s mother, who he divorced before Chloe was born, yet he and Chloe had built a close relationship over the past few years.
Police found the bodies of Chloe and Josh at their home and arrested Martin.
Vital evidence from the recovered phone helped secure the guilty verdict.
