Assassin took Josh and Chloe Bashford's children to McDonald's

What began as a superbly strange day When he was 15, Brooklyn Bashford's mother and father have been violently murdered of their household dwelling whereas he and his siblings have been in school.

Their killer, a household good friend that they had welcomed into their lives, then met 4 youngsters from college and tried to cover his horrific crime from them.

Derek Martin, 67, of Brighton, has been sentenced Minimum interval in jail 29 years For the murders of Josh and Chloe Bashford in Newhaven, East Sussex.

Brooklyn, now 18, tells us concerning the day that ruined his blissful household.

At 14:00 BST on 9 June 2023, as he walked out of faculty with buddies after taking his GCSE exams, Brooklyn obtained a textual content message.

“Meet me at Costa,” wrote Derek Martin.

Brooklyn stated it occurs “all the time.”

“For me it was less common than for my sisters, but it happened once or twice a week,” she stated.

Arriving at Costa Coffee, Brooklyn discovered Martin already there together with his two sisters, aged 12 and 7, and his four-year-old brother.

“I remember him telling me that my parents had a huge argument,” recollects Brooklyn.

“Then he sat down and we talked about football and all sorts of things, just normal stuff really.”

Martin was the ex-husband of Brooklyn's grandmother. The couple had divorced a number of years in the past.

He and Chloe's mom Elaine had 4 youngsters collectively earlier than Elaine remarried and Chloe was born.

In current years, after being launched from jail for theft, Martin had turn out to be near Elaine and her youngsters and have become shut buddies with Chloe.

Brooklyn stated: “Slowly we were seeing him more and more.

“He started taking my little brother and sister to school. He always brought all kinds of coffee.”

The children did not know that just hours earlier that afternoon, Martin had “lost it” and violently killed their mother, later telling police it was an argument over money.

A few minutes later, as his father Josh arrived home from work, they killed him too.

After leaving the Costa Coffee, Martin drove the children towards Newhaven and they assumed he was taking them home.

Instead they stopped at Sainsbury's and Martin got out of the car.

Brooklyn said: “I saw him get out, run around the corner and come back a few seconds later and get in the car.

“It was weird to me, but I didn't really think much about it.”

Waiting in the back seat of the car, Brooklyn's 12-year-old sister was concerned that her mother had not responded to the text message she had sent her earlier that afternoon.

She sent a message to Chloe's phone asking: “Are you angry with me?”

She was unaware that at the same time, Martin was throwing Chloe's phone into the bushes at the corner of the supermarket car park, where it was later found by police.

Martin then took the four children to McDonald's in Newhaven and bought them food.

Brooklyn said it's “still really normal.”

Then, the children thought they would be taken home, but instead Martin headed to Brighton.

“I remember one of my sisters asking where mom and dad were and what was happening,” he stated.

“And he was a little irritable. That's the point where I started to think he was a little stressed.”

In Brighton, Martin stopped the automotive close to the house of his ex-wife Elaine, Chloe's mom.

He requested Brooklyn to take the younger youngsters inside when he discovered a parking house, however he by no means returned.

Inside, Elaine and her husband Graham have been packing to go away for the weekend and weren’t anticipating youngsters.

“They were really surprised to see us, which we thought was a little weird,” Brooklyn stated.

Due to rising concern, his 12-year-old sister repeatedly texted and referred to as Martin. Ellen tried to name him too.

At 18:11, Martin messaged Elaine saying: “I'm so sorry, I can't consider what I've performed.

“Please take good care of the children. I'm just about to go to the police station… don't take the children home.”

As panic grew, Bashford's 12-year-old daughter messaged Chloe's cellphone once more, telling her: “Mum please answer. We're all worried!”

Again, he didn’t get any reply.

Instead, after a while, the police reached the home. They took the adults to the backyard and informed them that Chloe and Josh have been discovered lifeless of their home.

“I remember hearing my nan's reaction,” Brooklyn stated. “She just screamed.”

“I started crying. It was the worst feeling ever. I felt like my heart was stopping.”

After dropping the kids off at Elaine, Martin went to a close-by store after which sat on the seashore consuming beer and smoking cigarettes.

at 19:00, He went to Brighton police station and handed himself in,

In the interview after his arrest, Martin grew to become emotional and informed officers: “I wished to take him to McDonald's for dinner.

“Then I wanted to take them home and take care of them but I couldn't.”

Telling police she obtained quite a few calls and messages from Brooklyn's 12-year-old sister whereas they have been on the seashore, he stated: “She wished to know the place I used to be.

“She obviously wanted to go home. She didn't know what happened.”

More than two years after the murders, Martin was Found responsible of the murders of Josh and Chloe At Brighton Law Courts in October 2025.

After attending the trial, Brooklyn stated exterior the courtroom that he was “happy” with the decision as a result of “it's what he deserves”.

He described Josh and Chloe as “wonderful people” and “perfect parents” who have been “always there for us”.

Of Martin, Brooklyn stated: “Obviously, I hate him, but… I don't have any feelings towards him anymore. I just think he's disgusting.”

Now 18, Brooklyn has left college and is coaching to be an electrician.

He and his siblings are being taken care of by their grandmother, Elaine.

He stated that after a number of troublesome months, they’re studying to dwell with the surprising lack of their mother and father.

“It's hard to think about them without thinking about what happened to them,” he stated.

“But 99% of the time it's good reminiscences of our journeys, the nice issues we did.

“But it's always in the back of your mind. You'll never be able to get rid of it.”