It was an ordinary June evening in Newhaven, the kind of quiet that makes a community feel safe. But that calm would be shattered in ways no one could have imagined. A man walked into a police station and said, simply: “I’ve killed two people.” What followed was a sequence of events so chilling and surreal that even the most experienced investigators struggled to comprehend it.
Derek Martin, 67, was later found guilty of murdering Chloe and Josh Bashford, a young couple whose lives had once seemed ordinary, secure, and full of promise. On 9 June 2023, Martin voluntarily entered Brighton Police Station and confessed—but he denied murder, claiming diminished responsibility due to a depressive disorder.
The trial at Lewes Crown Court lasted three weeks. On 24 October, the jury returned guilty verdicts for two counts of murder. Martin remains in custody, awaiting sentencing.
CCTV footage revealed a day that, on the surface, appeared routine. Martin ordered a coffee at Costa, shared breakfast with Chloe at The Stonehouse restaurant in Peacehaven, and later accompanied her back to the family home she shared with Josh and their four children. What unfolded there was anything but ordinary.
In a police interview, Martin described an argument over money that escalated while he was cleaning a window. In a horrifying turn, he struck Chloe with a hammer and stabbed her to death. Josh, 33, arrived home moments later, attempted to flee, but was pursued, stabbed, and strangled.
After the killings, Martin changed his clothes, collected the couple’s children from school, and took them on a bizarre outing to Costa and McDonald’s. He returned the children safely to their grandmother, discarded Chloe’s phone in nearby bushes, and later drank beers along the Whitehawk seafront before finally surrendering to authorities.
Investigators discovered that Martin had a complex history with Chloe: he had been married to her mother before Chloe was born. Despite this tangled connection, authorities emphasized that the murders were unprovoked and deliberate, leaving a community reeling in disbelief.
🔹 Conclusion
The murders of Chloe and Josh Bashford are a haunting reminder that violence can erupt in even the most ordinary lives. Martin’s calculated actions—from the killings to his unsettling behavior afterward—have left a town grappling with grief, fear, and the incomprehensible question of why. As the courts prepare to deliver justice, the story serves as a stark illustration of how hidden tensions and unresolved histories can explode into tragedy, leaving scars that will linger far beyond the headlines.