A High Court judge has set a fresh trial date for a Brighton man who killed a married couple at their home in Newhaven.
Derek Martin, 66, has admitted that he killed Chloe Bashford and Joshua Bashford, known as Josh, in June 2023 but has denied murder.
Martin was not present for a remote hearing at Hove Crown this morning (Friday 21 February) before Dame Justine Thornton, known as Mrs Justice Thornton.
At a previous hearing at Lewes Crown Court, Martin, of The Orchards, in Moulsecoomb Way, Brighton, answered the charge by saying: “Not guilty to murder. Guilty to manslaughter.”
Martin is expected to rely on a defence that he killed the couple when his responsibility was diminished as a result of his mental state at the time.
The bodies of Josh Bashford, 33, and 30-year-old Chloe were found at their home, in Lewes Road, Newhaven, on Friday 9 June 2023.
Martin, also known as Derek Glenn, is now due to go on trial on Monday 6 October, with the trial expected to last for two weeks.
The defendant, currently of Broadmoor Hospital, in Crowthorne, Berkshire, remains remanded in custody.
That psycho needs banging up for life