LIFELONG CRYSTAL PALACE FAN AND WIFE MURDERED BY HER 'BAD TEMPERED' STEPDAD IN MONEY ROW
A Crystal Palace FC fanatic and his wife were brutally murdered in their home by her stepdad who 'lost it' and 'flipped' in a row over money because he felt he was getting ‘used’ all of the time and was in debt.Parents-of-four Josh Bashford and Chloe were killed in “in quick succession” with a hammer and a knife by Derek Martin, 67, who then went and picked up two of their children from school.
Martin, of Moulsecoomb Way in Brighton, was reportedly “close friends” with Chloe having been previously married to her mum, but they had divorced some years before she was born.
On the day of the horrific double murder Chloe had referred to him as 'stepdad' in a text to a friend when she went for breakfast with Martin.
They then went to the Bashford's home in Newhaven, East Sussex, on June 9, 2023.
In a police interview, Martin would later confess he had been cleaning a window at the property when he “just flipped” over a row with Chloe.
He struck her over the head with a hammer and then stabbed her eight times.
Josh arrived home shortly after Chloe was murdered and found Martin with a knife in his hand.
Josh ran upstairs but was chased by Martin, who repeatedly stabbed him and then strangled him to death.
After killing the couple, Martin collected two of their children from school and met all four children in a Costa Coffee before taking them to their grandmother’s house.
He then bought some beers which he drank on the seafront before turning himself in at Brighton police station.
The Bashfords' eldest son described Martin as a “grandfather figure” and said he was “easy to be around,” but added that he had a “bad temper” and could “switch up” easily.
Five psychiatrists had been instructed to assess whether Martin could use the diminished responsibility defense.
Ultimately, jurors did not accept his claim and found him guilty of both murders after nearly six hours of deliberation.
Martin will be sentenced on November 6.
