Man who murdered girlfriend and three relatives in Bermondsey as ‘sacrifice’ jailed for life

A man has been jailed after he launched a fatal knife attack on his girlfriend and her family in a drug and alcohol-fuelled rage.

Joshua Jacques, 29, was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 46 years in prison after he killed Samantha Drummonds, her mother Tanysha Ofori-Akuffo, her grandmother Dolet Hill, and Ms Hill's partner, Denton Burke at Ms Hill's home in Bermondsey, in April 2022.

Metropolitan Police officers were called to a terraced house in Delaford Road where the four were found.

Jacques left a "bloodbath" in his wake when he attacked the victims with a knife, with officers finding Mr Burke's body at the foot of the stairs and the three women "heaped together" in the kitchen.

Armed police found 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”.

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.”

He had admitted their manslaughters but denied murder on the basis that he was mentally unwell at the time.

In December last year, an Old Bailey jury deliberated for two hours before finding Jacques, of Minard Road, Lewisham, south-east London, guilty of four counts of murder.

The judge was invited by the prosecution to consider whether the “exceptional nature” of the multiple killings warranted a whole life sentence.

An Old Bailey jury deliberated for two hours to find Jacques, from Minard Road, Lewisham, south-east London, guilty of four counts of murder.

Speaking outside court at the time of the guilty verdict, relatives of the victims said a whole life sentence was “only fair” as they condemned Jacques for his lack of remorse.

Tracey-Ann Henry, the aunt of Miss Drummonds, sister of Ms Ofori-Akuffo and Ms Hill, said: “Justice. Justice has been served for my mum, sister, niece and stepdad. So, rest in peace. Finally. Finally.”

She added: “It’s affected me really bad because I lost my mum, sister, niece and stepdad.

“I’m spending my second Christmas without my family. So, that is very going to be very emotional on Christmas Day.”

Mr Burke’s niece Chyloe Daley said the guilty verdict was a “very long time coming”.

She said: “Just the first word that comes is grateful. Sadness, but filled with joy because important things and people and lives were taken from us and, today, we heard what we felt like we’ve waited over a year for.”

She said the family would “hope and pray” that Jacques spends the rest of his life in prison.

Ms Daley added: “It’s up to the judge at the end of the day. But four family members were taken and I just think it is the only thing we can ask for now.

"I think it’s at that level of seriousness. Yeah, it’s only fair.”

On their lost loved ones, Ms Daley added: “They weren’t just lives that were taken, but they were people and they lived and they were funny, and they were caring and they were giving.

"That’s how we want to think about them from now on.”

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

He first had a mental health assessment in April 2016 after seeking hospital treatment for drinking water from a toilet.

Jacques was arrested after he threatened to stab and shoot a security officer, and, while in police custody, threw food around his cell.

He said he had took 3g of skunk cannabis a day and refused to consider cutting down, saying he would carry on smoking marijuana “even if it killed” him.

In 2018, he was detained under the Mental Health Act after he was seen praying in the middle of a busy road in Brixton, south London, and was in hospital from April 27 to around August 7 of that year.

Initially on admission, the impression was of drug-induced mania with psychotic features, jurors were told.

In February 2020, he was jailed for 51 months for conspiring to deal heroin and crack cocaine, and possessing cannabis. He was released on November 11 2021.

In probation reports from April last year, Jacques was described as chatty and engaged.

Three days before the killing, he called his probation officer to say that he had been offered a job at a radio station.

Two days later, Ms Drummonds confided in a friend that she believed Jacques was having an “episode” and had been “chatting all night and was fixated on topics”.

Mr Little told jurors no medical calls were made before the killings nor was Jacques taken to hospital.

On April 25, 2022, Jacques visited the house where Mr Burke and Ms Hill lived only for the second time.

Ms Ofori-Akuffo, also known as Racquel, sometimes stayed at the property to care for her mother, who was receiving treatment for cancer, while Ms Drummonds had been living there as her own flat was undergoing renovation, Mr Little told jurors.

After Jacques launched his attack, Ms Drummonds called his mother Norma Derrivere but all she was able to say was “Norma he’s sta… sta… ahhh”.

There were also FaceTime calls between Jacques and his mother that evening, and during one, after 2am, he said: “I’m ending it, I’m gonna make a sacrifice.”

Neighbour Alice Canal heard a cat screeching, a male voice swearing, movement, banging and what she believed was someone falling down stairs, which prompted her to call 999 at around 1.42am.

It was claimed on his behalf that Jacques had exhibited manic symptoms consistent with bipolar disorder.

He doubled his skunk cannabis intake from his birthday on April 19 last year – just days before the killings.

However, that escalation came weeks after he began having trouble sleeping which was a symptom of mania, the defence argued.

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