Amy Appleton, 32, (left) and Sandy Seagrave, 76, who have been each killed exterior a semi-detached home in a quiet avenue in Crawley Down on 22 December. (PA/Sussex Police)

A person “intent on homicide” killed his spouse and a pensioner with a strolling stick amid a “psychotic episode” days earlier than Christmas, a court docket has been instructed.

Daniel Appleton, 38, of Crawley Down, West Sussex, denies murdering Amy Appleton, 32, and Sandy Seagrave, 76, who each suffered head accidents within the village on 22 December.

Jurors have been instructed on Monday that he chased Amy out of their dwelling and attacked her on the driveway earlier than Seagrave, who was passing by, went over to intervene.

She tried to talk to Appleton however he murdered her together with her personal strolling stick earlier than utilizing it to kill his spouse, too, Hove Crown Courtroom was instructed.

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Opening the case in opposition to him on Monday, Nicholas Corsellis QC stated Appleton then went inside to kill himself “in probably the most decided of how”, inflicting self-inflicted slash wounds.

The emergency companies managed to save lots of Appleton, who the court docket heard has no prison previous or historical past of violence.

Corsellis instructed the jury the defendant “accepts that he was accountable” however to think about whether or not the killings occurred due to “his psychological state resulting from the usage of unlawful medication, or was it on account of a brief psychological psychotic breakdown which the defendant is innocent for?”

Hair and nail samples from Appleton revealed traces of a psychoactive substance much like LSD, the court docket heard.

“This isn’t a case of what occurred, who did it, however a query of why and the lead as much as,” Corsellis stated.

The trial continues.