Joshua Jacques guilty of murdering four members of same family

(Left to right) Samantha Drummonds, Dolet Hill, Denton Burke and Tanysha Ofori-Akuffo

A man has been found guilty of murdering his girlfriend and three members of her family in a drug and alcohol-fuelled attack in south London.

Joshua Jacques, 29, killed Samantha Drummonds, 27, her mother Tanysha Ofori-Akuffo, 45, her grandmother Dolet Hill, 64, and her partner, Denton Burke, 68, in Bermondsey in April 2022.

Jacques, of Lewisham, had denied murder but admitted manslaughter.

Jurors at the Old Bailey found him guilty following a three-week trial.

During the trial, the jury was told Jacques, who had been in a relationship with Ms Drummonds, claimed he was suffering from a mental health condition when he killed the family on 25 April 2022.

The court heard he attacked the family in the middle of the night, before being tasered by police who broke into the terraced house.

Jurors were told Jacques had 11 previous convictions for 20 offences, including for cannabis, being in possession of a silver knuckle duster, and robbery

Jamaican-born NHS worker Ms Hill and partner Mr Burke, a trained chef employed by Westminster City Council as a sanitation worker - according to a fundraising page to help with funeral costs - lived at the property where the four were found dead.

Ms Ofori-Akuffo, a nurse who lived in Kennington, had been staying to help her mother with her cancer care and her daughter Samantha, who lived in Forest Hill, was also a regular guest, the trial heard.

Mr Burke's body was found at the foot of the stairs and those of the three women were found in the kitchen, the trial was told.

Armed officers discovered Jacques naked and lying in the upstairs bathroom in a praying position, screaming "Allah, take me!", "kill me now", "get rid of me", and "God please forgive me", jurors heard.

Later, at Lewisham Hospital, Jacques said: "I ain't even in the wrong, I did them for sacrifice", and also warned: "I will do something stupid again."

All victims suffered numerous stab wounds and were pronounced dead at the scene of the home of Jamaican-born NHS worker Dolet Hill and her partner Denton Burke

Prosecutor Tom Little KC said the four deaths were "violent and brutal".

"All of those deaths occurred during the same incident," he told the trial.

"In killing four people, the prosecution say that the defendant murdered three generations of one family."

Mr Little said Jacques had taken a mix of drugs and alcohol that had led to a "transient psychotic disorder not meeting the requirements for the defendant to make out a partial defence of diminished responsibility".

Jacques looked down and shook his head in the dock as the jury foreman read out each of the four guilty verdicts.

Members of the victims' family expressed relief, with one saying "thank you, Jesus".

At the funerals at North Peckham Baptist Church, close friends told BBC London Ms Drummonds had been about to turn 28 and was planning on moving to Ghana when she was murdered, while Ms Hill was beginning to recover from cancer.

Judge Mr Justice Bryan, adjourned sentencing until 9 February and remanded Jacques into custody.

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