‘More clowns than Billy Smart’s circus’: Reform mocked as Kent council holds first meeting since video leak

Reform UK’s flagship council has been mocked as having “more clowns than Billy Smart’s circus” as councillors met for the first time since footage of a chaotic online meeting emerged.

Several members of the party in Kent were suspended after footage of the meeting was leaked last month, in which council leader Linden Kemkaran could be seen berating backbench councillors when they questioned her.

The administration was confronted by opposition leaders during a chaotic meeting at Kent County Council (KCC) on Thursday, where they were branded a “laughing stock”.

Harry Rayner, the council’s Conservative leader, said the council had “more clowns on display since I saw Bill Smart’s last circus”.

He was joined by the leader of the Liberal Democrats in Kent, Antony Hook, who said the council is in “political crisis” and that he had heard of “bets being made” about whether the administration would last until Christmas.

He urged councillors to “not act in a way that becomes a punchline on Have I Got News for You”.

The council’s Green Party leader, Mark Hood, compared the group to another TV show – The Traitors – and said members were waiting to see who else might be deemed as such.

Combating the statements from opposition leaders, Ms Kemkaran said: “Every time I’m in this chamber it becomes like a group therapy session – that was more of a cry for help from the opposition.”

She added their contributions had gone “from Halloween to panto season in the blink of an eye”.

Ms Kemkaran drew on her son’s experience of military training, comparing the dropout rate from his fellow recruits to those within her party.

“Along the way some had quit because they couldn’t hack it. Others had been thrown out for bad behaviour or were simply unwilling to accept discipline,” she said, adding: “Sitting here now six months on, we too may be slightly leaner in number, but we are much stronger, and we are totally battle-fit.”

The council chair, Richard Palmer, had to remind councillors several times of the Nolan principles in the meeting, which saw laughter and interruptions erupt in the chamber.

When asked at one point whether she believes her actions in the last council meeting and since adhered to the Nolan principles, Ms Kemkaran simply replied: “Yes.”

Kent’s deputy leader, Reform councillor Brian Collins, had to speak over laughter in the chamber as he failed to rule out whether the council would be raising council tax.

When asked how much less residents could expect to be paying next year, Mr Collins said “no decision had been made” on the matter.

In response to laughter coming from other councillors, Mr Collins said they “may laugh” and “smirk” but insisted that it is Reform’s “intention to one day be able to lower council tax”.

The party had taken control of KCC in May, winning 57 of 81 seats – but ongoing suspensions and removals mean fewer than 48 Reform councillors remain at the authority.

Most recently, councillor Isabella Kemp, who represents Sheppey on KCC, was suspended from the party ahead of the council meeting on Thursday.

Just last week, Bill Barrett, Oliver Bradshaw and Paul Thomas, along with another councillor, Brian Black, were kicked out of Reform UK following investigations.

In the full council meeting on Thursday, one of the suspended councillors, Mr Thomas, challenged members of his former party on ongoing road closures.

He accused the council of “kicking the can down the road”, as he said residents were “suffering” and going without bus services for up to six weeks.

Cabinet member for highways and transport, Peter Osborne, said their powers do not extend to preventing such emergency works from taking place.

A former Reform councillor has also announced he is considering legal action against the party for defamation of his character following his removal.

Councillor Robert Ford was removed from Reform UK last month following unofficial complaints from female members of staff.

On Thursday, he said: “I’m currently taking legal advice regarding the defamation of my character by Reform UK at KCC that occurred on October 13 and I intend in the coming months to pursue this with vigour.”

Mr Ford claims the complaints relate to an “erotic novel” he had published, which he had mentioned to people at KCC.

Driver who murdered ‘Good Samaritan’ when he ploughed car into crowd is jailed

A driver who murdered a “Good Samaritan” when he ploughed his car into the middle of a wedding brawl before stabbing the groom, has been jailed.

Sheffield Crown Court heard Hassan Jhangur, 25, has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 26 years.

Mr Justice Morris told him: “This was a deliberate and senseless act of hot-headed and wanton violence resulting in the tragic death of Chris Marriott and life-changing consequences for many others.”

Jhangur hit five people with his Seat Ibiza when he arrived at his sister’s wedding reception, where a fight had broken out between the two families in the Burngreave area of Sheffield on December 27, 2023.

Jhangur, the bride’s brother, first drove into the father of the rival Khan family, who was standing in the street, throwing him over the vehicle’s bonnet, his trial heard earlier this year.

He then crashed into a group of four people, including Mr Marriott, 46, who was out for a post-Christmas walk with his family and had stopped to help one of Jhangur’s sisters as she was lying in the road.

Jhangur, who worked as a food delivery driver, was found guilty of murdering Mr Marriott by a jury in July – a year after another set of jurors failed to reach any verdicts in his trial.

During the trial jurors heard devout Christian Mr Marriott was killed and the three others were injured, including off-duty midwife Alison Norris and Jhangur’s own mother and sister when Jhangur crashed into them.

The defendant then got out of the car and stabbed his new brother-in-law, Hasan Khan, several times.

The court heard he later told officers at the police station: “That’s why you don’t mess with the Jhangurs.”

He was cleared of attempting to murder Hasan Khan, but guilty of wounding, and convicted of four charges of causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Alison Norris, Ambreen Jhangur, Nafeesa Jhangur and Riasat Khan.

His father, Mohammed Jhangur, 57, of Whiteways Road, Sheffield, was found guilty of perverting the course of justice after he concealed a knife.

Mr Marriott’s widow Bryony wiped away tears as she told the court: “Chris was genuine, kind and loving. He was reliable, trustworthy, affectionate and gentle.”

“Chris was someone people felt comfortable and safe with, and was great at being a friend,” she added.

She said: “Chris was a man of faith, and his love for God and for people shone through in what he devoted his time to.

“He had a compassionate heart and loved helping, supporting and empowering others.”

Mrs Marriott said they had been married for 16 years and they thought they would grow old together.

She said he “loved being a dad, and never left me or them in any doubt of his love for us”.

She told the court: “I miss his smile and his laugh, his touch, and his wisdom and his encouragement.

“He was my best friend.”

Mrs Marriott said: “Our time as a family of four was so much shorter than we ever imagined.

“But it is my hope that Chris’s life, more than the manner of his death, has a lasting impact on me, my children, and many others.”

Prosecutor Jason Pitter KC told the jury at the opening of the trial, the “public spirit” of Mr Marriott and Ms Norris “brought them unwittingly into the midst of a family dispute”, which had spilled out into the street.

Mr Pitter said a wedding between Amaani Jhangur and Hasan Khan, which had taken place that morning, “appears to have been at the heart of the tension”.

He told jurors an issue arose over the timing and location of the wedding and escalated to Amaani falling out with her own mother and sisters, and none of her family ultimately attended the wedding at the mosque.

The court heard that when Amaani was at the Khan family home in College Court later, her mother Ambreen Jhangur and sister Nafeesa Jhangur arrived, and an increasingly “unpleasant” argument in the street escalated into violence, and led to Nafeesa Jhangur being rendered unconscious.

Mr Marriott, who was out with his family on a post-Christmas walk, saw Nafessa Jhangur lying in the road and decided, “fatefully”, to see whether he could help, while his wife and children returned home.

Ms Norris, who was also out walking with her partner and children, did the same thing.

The court heard Jhangur had been told about his sister being injured, and arrived at the scene in a Seat Ibiza, driving into Hasan Khan’s father, Riasat Khan, who was standing in the middle of the road talking to a 999 call operator.

The Seat then hit a group of four people in the road – Nafeesa Jhangur, Ambreen Jhangur, Ms Norris and Mr Marriott – before coming to a stop in a nearby front garden.

Mr Pitter said Jhangur got out of the car while the engine was still running and stabbed Hasan Khan multiple times to the left side of his head and to his chest, with a knife he had taken with him.

Far-right Prevent referrals double the number of those for Islamist extremism

More right-wing extremists were referred to the government’s counterterrorism programme Prevent than Islamist extremists last year, as new figures show that referrals have reached a record high.

There were 8,778 referrals of individuals to the government’s anti-extremism scheme in the year to March 2025, Home Office figures show.

This is up 27 per cent on the previous year, and is the highest number of referrals recorded since the current data series began in April 2015.

Concerns over extreme right-wing activity accounted for 21 per cent (1,798) of the referrals, compared with 10 per cent (870) relating to Islamist extremism.

The proportion of referrals relating to right-wing extremism increased slightly year on year, from 19 to 21 per cent, while the proportion relating to Islamist extremism fell from 13 to 10 per cent.

However, referrals in the “no ideology” category made up the largest proportion, with 4,917 referrals, accounting for 56 per cent of cases. Only 7 per cent of these cases were deemed suitable for further intervention by Prevent.

Prevent is the government’s anti-extremism scheme and is designed to divert people from becoming involved in terrorism.

Counterterrorism officials said earlier this week that there had been a significant increase in referrals since the murders at a children’s dance class in Southport in July 2024.

The attacker in that incident, Axel Rudakubana, was referred to Prevent three times, but his case was closed due to a lack of distinct ideology. A review later found there was sufficient information to refer him to a panel for further assessment.

Before the Southport attack, referrals were expected hit similar numbers as previous years, but cases started to rise around the time of Rudakubana’s trial in January.

The 3,287 referrals in the following three months is the highest number in a single quarter since data began and is thought to be linked to increased vigilance following the shocking case.

The figures come as Britain’s most senior counterterrorism officer called this week for an increase in the capacity of mental health services to help manage the rising number of referrals involving individuals with no clear ideology.

Assistant commissioner Laurence Taylor said that “counterterrorism policing cannot take on everything”. He pointed to a “very significant increase in the volume of people either with mixed ideologies, no clear ideology, or very complex [problems]” in their investigations.

Mr Taylor warned that there is not enough capacity to help such individuals, adding: “I don’t believe we have the capacity in the system to deal with the complexities that people are displaying that are coming into our purview, so through Prevent or other means.

“So, I do think the capacity needs increasing. I do think the system needs strengthening, and it takes that whole approach, so that we can stop people being drawn into terrorism in the first instance. And that is really important when it comes to mental health; that requires some very specialist skills.”

Responding to the figures, David Anderson, a crossbench peer who served as the UK’s independent reviewer of terrorism legislation from 2011 to 2017, said: “Prevent is the canary in the coalmine. These figures show that established ideologies are being joined by crude but potentially deadly belief systems, such as a nihilistic fascination with extreme violence.

“They also point to the capacity of terrorist movements to exploit mental ill health and neurodiversity in the young.”

The data, published on Thursday, also showed that four in 10 referrals involved 11- to 15-year-olds, who made up the largest proportion with 3,192 cases, followed by 16- to 17-year-olds, who accounted for 1,178 cases. A total of 345 children referred were aged 10 and under.

Just over a third of people flagged to the programme had at least one mental health or neurodiversity condition, the figures show.

Only 17 per cent of cases referred to Prevent last year were adopted by the scheme for further intervention. Following initial screening and assessment, cases deemed at risk of radicalisation may be passed to a multi-agency “Channel panel”. Chaired by local authorities, these panels determine the extent of a person’s susceptibility to radicalisation, and whether a tailored package of support is necessary to address that risk.

Of the 8,778 referrals made to Prevent in the year to March, 1,727 individuals were discussed by a Channel panel and 1,472 were adopted as Channel cases for further support.

Alex Carlile, also a crossbench peer, who served as the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation between 2001 and 2011, said the figures are “unsurprising”, adding that it is crucial that Channel panel assessments follow a consistent methodology to avoid “unnecessary” Prevent involvement, particularly in respect of children.

He told The Independent: “They [the figures] reflect increased concern about about potentially violent political extremism, which inevitably results in more referrals.”

Security minister Dan Jarvis said: “We must direct people away from the dangerous path of radicalisation – whether it be Islamist ideology, Extreme Right-Wing or those seeking mass violence.

“Prevent has diverted 6,000 people away from violent ideologies, stopping terrorists, keeping our streets and country safe.”

More follows on this breaking news story…

British grandmother on death row in Bali ‘will fly back to UK today’

A British grandmother who was facing a death sentence in Bali for smuggling a large haul of cocaine into the island will fly back to the UK on Thursday, according to reports.

Lindsay Sandiford, 69, was being held in the notorious Kerobokan prison for more than a decade but will return to London Heathrow after being spared the firing squad, the Daily Mirror reported.

A source told the newspaper: “Lindsay is extremely unwell. She is desperate to get home and to be with her family.

“More than a decade in one of the world’s worst prisons has taken its toll on her and she wants nothing more than to get back to the UK.”

An Indonesian government source told AFP in October that an agreement had been reached with the UK government which would see Sandiford, from Redcar in Teesside, free to return home.

A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) spokesperson told The Independent: “We are supporting two British Nationals detained in Indonesia and are in close contact with the Indonesian authorities to discuss their return to the UK.”

She is scheduled to leave her cell in Kerobokan jail this afternoon alongside fellow UK national Shahab Shahabadi, 35, who was detained in 2014 and is serving a life sentence for drug offences, according to the Mirror. It is just a 45-minute car journey from the prison to Denpasar International airport, where they will finally be handed over to the UK ambassador, Dominic Jermey.

Sandiford was arrested at Bali’s Denpasar National airport in 2012 after customs officers discovered a haul of cocaine worth an estimated £1.6m in a hidden compartment of her suitcase when she arrived from Thailand.

She claimed that a British gang had forced her to smuggle the drugs – and threatened to kill one of her two sons if she refused to cooperate.

Police accused the grandmother-of-two of being part of an international drug network that imported drugs from several countries, including Peru, Colombia and Thailand. She was found guilty of smuggling 4.8kg of cocaine hidden in the lining of her suitcase on a flight from Bangkok. Prosecutors sentenced her to death.

Pastor Christine Buckingham – who visited Sandiford in jail just last week – told the Mirror: “She is in extremely ill health and she’s very keen to get back and be with her family after these 13 years. She wants to get home and enjoy some creature comforts.

When asked what Sandiford intends to do when she touches down in the UK, Ms Buckingham said: “We’re deeply grateful to the Indonesian government and of course the British government for working this out together. We look forward to her getting home now. She’s very unwell. The most important thing is that she gets home, we need her to be checked medically and then the plan is that she says she will spend as much time as she can with her family.”

Bank of England holds rates in boost to savers before Budget

The Bank of England (BoE) has voted not to reduce interest rates today, despite inflation holding lower than expected in September, along with jobs data showing vacancies are still falling. That led to some economists to predict the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) members would vote to cut the base rate to 3.75 per cent – but it remains at 4 per cent instead.

There have been three cuts this year and could still be a fourth, with the MPC meeting again in mid-December and money markets pricing in a bigger chance of a reduction then, once the upcoming Budget has been taken into account.

It’s worth noting that any subsequent bond market movements on the back of today’s vote is unlikely to impact Rachel Reeves’ Budget in terms of government headroom, as the OBR takes rates from a set date period which has almost certainly already passed.

Follow The Independent’s live coverage of the latest stock markets and business news here:

What is tacit knowledge – could your work skills spark a new career?

Whether it’s solving a logistical problem, navigating a tricky client meeting or being able to design, craft or build, we all have certain skills that feel straightforward to us yet can seem out of reach to others. A big part of this is tacit knowledge, the personal ‘know-how’ that individuals possess, built up over time. In a work context, this tacit knowledge can open interesting doors to potential new career paths, in which this real-world experience can be shared with the next generation of workers.

Understanding the concept of tacit knowledge is perhaps easiest when compared to its counterpart: explicit knowledge. “Explicit knowledge is something you can fully articulate linguistically and can be understood without context while tacit knowledge is something that can’t be described in the same way and needs its context to be appreciated,” Dr Neil Gascoigne, Reader in Philosophy at Royal Holloway University of London and co-author of Tacit Knowledge, explains.

Gascoigne gives the example of the famous physics equation of E=mc^2. This formula is considered a piece of explicit knowledge, as words can be used to explain the idea. However, the average person wouldn’t know how to use this formula. This is where tacit knowledge comes in. You would need to have studied physics, put your knowledge into practice and learned first-hand how to use formulas effectively in order to make the most of the explicit knowledge given.

In the workplace, a company handbook might explicitly set out the business’ practice for a certain task. However, you would need some tacit knowledge gained through work experience or time in the company to complete this task most successfully and efficiently.

As tacit knowledge is harder to explain with words, it often has a mysterious quality to it. However, as Gascoigne points out, this is only to the untrained eye. “Tacit knowledge often seems obscure to people unless they possess similar skills themselves. Without them, it doesn’t become apparent what expertise is exactly on display,” he elaborates.

“For instance, say I am watching a Grand Slam tennis match. I know there’s an astonishing kind of athleticism, but if I don’t play tennis or am not a committed tennis fan, I might not be able to tell the difference between a really great shot and a more average shot,” Gascoigne says.

This same idea applies in the workplace. Tacit knowledge is gained through experience and consequently, while we all have tacit knowledge, the areas we have it in differ. What’s more, it can even seem quite mysterious to ourselves. When we have worked in a certain industry for a period of time, we aren’t always aware of the tacit knowledge we have gained. While explicit knowledge relates to aspects of our job that we might have had to sit down and learn, our tacit knowledge is obtained in a practical way over time, by doing tasks again and again and subtly learning and improving as we go along.

After a while, we know exactly how to tackle projects or solve problems, almost without thinking. For instance, in the construction industry, this tacit knowledge would help you judge site safety or develop practical skills like site excavation, land levelling or brick laying. If you work in social care, it is only with time and experience that you can pick up on subtle emotional cues or manage crisis situations effectively. While in engineering, years spent tackling complex technical issues allow you to troubleshoot effectively, and draw on a myriad of possible solutions from projects past.

Whatever sector you work in, the knowledge needed to succeed is always a mixture of explicit and tacit, and the latter – this know-how built from personal experience, intuition, and practice – is incredibly valuable when it comes to judging real-world situations, solving complex problems and having an edge over competitors.

And while by definition, not explicit, that doesn’t mean that tacit knowledge can’t be shared. Indeed with time, attention and training, you can drill down on years-honed skills and information, and share it with others through teaching.

In fact, it is at the core of sharing your craft – and that’s far more than a simple list of instructions. “To learn how to do something, you really need to follow the example of somebody who already knows how to do it,” says Gascoigne. “These people have learnt the rules, internalised them and use tacit knowledge to know when they apply and when they don’t.”

Tacit knowledge is particularly valuable when it comes to Further Education teaching (defined as any education for people aged 16 and over who aren’t studying for a degree). This is because the focus is on preparing students for employment, and teachers need to draw on tacit knowledge to share how things really work in their industry. This ensures that students complete their qualifications not only with theoretical competence but also practical and employable skills.

This is why this type of practical learning that further education teachers specialise in can be so valuable. Workshop-style teaching and skills-led mentoring allows for those with experience to share the vital tacit knowledge they have built up over time in real-world scenarios. Meanwhile, those learning from them can see these nuggets of knowledge in action and have a chance to put them in practice as they learn.

If you’re passionate about your industry and interested in sharing your own tacit knowledge,  becoming a Further Education teacher can be a really rewarding and valuable career move. Further Education covers a huge range of industry sectors including construction, law, engineering, digital, hospitality, tourism, beauty and more. This includes BTECs (Business and Technology Education Council qualifications), T Levels, NVQs (National Vocational Qualifications) or City & Guilds Qualifications.

Teaching in a mixture of colleges (often General Further Education Colleges or Sixth Form Colleges) and Adult and Community Learning Centres as well as workplace and apprenticeship settings, Further Education teachers share their years of real world industry  skills with people of all ages and backgrounds from those straight out of school aged sixteen to those making career switches later in life.

You don’t always need an academic degree or prior teaching qualifications to start teaching in Further Education. You can undertake teacher training on the job, often funded by your employer, so you can start earning straight away. Furthermore, it doesn’t have to be an all or nothing option. Further Education offers flexible opportunities – so you could teach part time alongside your other commitments. This means you could have a best of both worlds set-up, where you are still working in your chosen industry and teaching alongside it at a time that suits your schedule.

Whether it’s shifting your career fully or adding teaching into the mix, becoming a Further Education teacher can be a life-changing decision. One that taps into your well of tacit knowledge and creates a sense of fulfillment from helping shape the next generation of workers in your field.

Why not consider sharing your tacit knowledge where it matters most – helping inspire the next generation of workers in the field you love? Visit Further Education to find out more

Armed police storm college campus in Reading after boy injured

Armed police officers are at a college in Reading after a boy was injured in an assault.

Images on social media show a large police presence at Reading College on Kings Road on Thursday afternoon following the incident. Thames Valley Police said a boy had sustained injuries and was receiving medical treatment, but did not give any detail on his age or condition.

The force added searches are “ongoing” with armed officers present on the scene, and advised members of the public to avoid the area. A police helicopter is circling the area as searches continue, according to local media reports.

An automated message on Reading College’s phone line said the student is not believed to be in a life-threatening condition. The message said: “We are currently dealing with an incident at Reading College where one student has sustained injuries not believed to be life-threatening.

“Their family have been informed. The police have been notified and are present.

“Please be reassured that all actions have been taken to ensure students’ safety.”

A Thames Valley Police spokesperson said: “We are aware of an assault with injury in Kings Road, Reading.

“A boy has sustained injuries and is receiving medical treatment. Search activity is ongoing, supported by armed officers, and a visible police presence remains. We advise members of the public to avoid the area at this time while officers work swiftly to resolve the situation.

“We will provide an update when we are in a position to do so.”

This is a breaking news story, more to follow…

Man who murdered young couple out of ‘resentment’ jailed for life

A man who murdered his stepdaughter and her husband, then picked their children up from school, has been jailed for at least 29 years.

Josh Bashford, 33, and Chloe Bashford, 30, were killed in their home in Newhaven, East Sussex, on 9 June 2023.

Two months later, Derek Martin, 67, from Brighton, admitted manslaughter of the couple.

However, he denied murdering them, claiming he was suffering from an “abnormality of mental functioning” at the time.

In October, jurors at Brighton Law Courts rejected Martin’s claims of “diminished responsibility”, finding him guilty on both charges of murder.

After killing the couple, Martin collected two of their four children from school before taking them to their grandmother’s house, the court heard.

On Thursday, Mrs Justice Justine Thornton KC  jailed Martin for life with a minimum term of 29 years.

“Your attacks were driven by rage and resentment,” she told Martin.

“The murders of Chloe and Josh has caused profound grief to their families.

“As a result of your actions, their families will suffer for the rest of their lives.

“Chloe and Josh were killed in their homes where they were entitled to feel safe.

“There is only one sentence for murder, and that is imprisonment for life.”

Grieving mother Elaine Sturges, 65, told the court that her life will  “never be the same” after the loss of her daughter and she is putting on a “brave face” as she brings up Mr and Mrs Bashford’s four children.

She said that Mrs Bashford would have “felt safe” with Martin as he had known her since she was born.

The court heard a statement from the couple’s eldest son, Brooklynn Bashford, who paid tribute to his “loving” parents and said: “There is not a single day that goes by where I don’t think about them.”

The 18-year-old said he has “nightmares” and “constant flashbacks” of the day his parents died.

Speaking of Martin, he said: “I will never forgive him.”

The court previously heard that Martin and Mrs Bashford were reportedly “close” and had spent the morning together, before he attacked her with a hammer and stabbed her eight times, just after midday.

He then ambushed Mr Bashford, who had been driving home from work, and chased him into an upstairs bedroom before stabbing and ligaturing him.

Later, after stopping to dispose of Mrs Bashford’s phone and drop off the children, he went into Brighton police station and said: “I’ve murdered two people.”

Prosecuting, Julian Evans KC told the trial the couple were killed in “quick succession” inside their home .

Mr Evans KC said Martin first attacked Mrs Bashford with a hammer at around 12.16pm.

He then went into the kitchen to “retrieve” a large knife, which he used to “repeatedly stab” the mother and cause her severe injuries from which she died.

Some four minutes later, at around 12.20pm, Mr Bashford arrived home.

“Just after he entered the house, Derek Martin attacked him,” the prosecutor said.

“In the course of the attack, Derek Martin repeatedly stabbed Josh with a knife and compressed his neck with a ligature, causing injuries from which he too died.”

Martin removed the handles from the doors of the bedrooms in which the bodies were lying, changed his clothes and took the doorbell camera off the front door, the court heard.

While Martin was no longer in a relationship with Mrs Bashford’s mother, Ms Sturges, he had stayed “close friends” with his stepdaughter and she referred to him as “step dad” in a text to her friend the day she died, the court heard.

Her 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.

Martin first admitted being responsible for the killings in police interview on June 10 2023.

Mr Evans recounted the interview in court: “He said that he felt he was getting ‘used’ all of the time. He could not do enough for people and he had got into a lot of debt himself as well.

“Then he said that he ‘just lost it’ and he ‘just flipped’. He hit Chloe on the head with the hammer. He did not know what had happened.

“He said that Josh came in the door. He (Martin) was behind the door. He said that Josh saw him with the knife in his hand and he ran upstairs.

“Martin followed Josh upstairs and Josh ran into the bedroom.

“He said that he remembered stabbing Josh. He stabbed him somewhere in the front of his body. He did not know how many times he stabbed him.”

Five psychiatrists were instructed to assess whether Martin could use the diminished responsibility defence.

The court heard that Martin had been suffering a mild to moderate “depressive episode” at the time of the attack.

Judge Thornton said she gave “very little weight” to Martin’s age when deciding his sentence.

Martin was jailed for life, with a minimum term of 29 years. He will also be ordered to pay a victim surcharge.

He has already served 878 days of his sentence on remand.