Joshua Jacques, 29, was sentenced to life in prison at the Old Bailey last week, with a minimum of 46 years. Five months after his release from prison, in April 2022, he fatally stabbed Samantha Drummonds and her family members at their Bermondsey, south London, home.
After their remains were found by the police, he claimed to have killed Ms. Drummonds, 27, her mother Tanysha Ofori-Akuffo, 45, grandmother Dolet Hill, 64, and Ms. Hill’s lover, Denton Burke, 58, as a “sacrifice”.
Judge Bryan stated that he was “well aware” of the impact skunk cannabis abuse had on his mental health and that it had contributed to his offence, yet he had committed the “horrific catalogue of murders” after smoking it.
Jacques was on probation at the time. He had been serving a 51-month prison sentence in 2019 for possessing and supplying Class A and Class B drugs. He had been released on a license on November 11, 2022.
Chief Inspector of Probation Martin Jones stated, following an independent assessment of the Probation Service’s management of Jacques.
