Man who murdered couple in their home jailed

A man who killed a young couple in their home before taking their children to McDonald's has been jailed for life.

Derek Martin, 67, was sentenced on Thursday after he was previously found guilty of murdering Josh and Chloe Bashford in Newhaven, East Sussex, in June 2023.

He hit Ms Bashford with a hammer and stabbed her, before stabbing and strangling Mr Bashford, the court heard.

Martin, from Brighton, who was previously married to Ms Bashford's mother, later picked the couple's children up from school and drove them to McDonald's for dinner, before handing himself in to police.