Man convicted of pensioner’s murder in West Sussex

A man described as a “violent predator” has been found guilty of murdering an elderly individual in West Sussex. Sukhkit Bains, aged 46, fatally stabbed 72-year-old Michael Martin at Mr. Martin’s residence on St Botolph’s Road, Worthing, during March. A jury at Isleworth Crown Court found Bains, whose address is Brighton Road, Southgate, Crawley, guilty of murder on Tuesday. His sentencing is scheduled to take place at the same court on 1 November. After the verdict was delivered, Mr. Martin’s family issued a statement describing him as a loving and devoted father and grandfather who “would do anything to help anyone”. The court proceedings revealed that Bains, also identified as Sukhjit Bains, attempted to hide the killing of his acquaintance, Mr. Martin, by cleaning the knife, flipping a rug stained with blood, and placing his own blood-covered clothing into a washing machine. A family member discovered Mr. Martin deceased at his home at 18:30 GMT on 22 March. In a statement released after the case, Mr. Martin’s family stated: “Our dad met a violent predator that preyed on the vulnerable.” The statement continued: “He has taken away the last precious years we had with our dad and grandad. We had the best dad in the world. He was our hero and he taught us to love, to be kind and to always look after each other. There are simply no words to describe the level of pain and loss we continue to feel. This act is something we will never be able to comprehend or forgive.” Detective Inspector Amanda Zinyama, representing the Surrey and Sussex Major Crime Team, commented: “This was a distressing case and our thoughts continue to be with the family and loved-ones of Mr Martin.”