Court hears of ‘bizarre victory speech’ by Crawley Down man on double murder charge

A man who beat his wife and an elderly neighbour to death outside his home in Crawley Down later made a bizarre ‘victory speech’, a court heard.
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Daniel Appleton, 38, stood in the middle of the road outside his house and shouted at houses across the road during a ‘psychotic episode.’

He beat pensioner Sandy Seagrave, 78, to death with her own walking stick as she remonstrated with him for attacking his wife Amy, 38, the court heard.

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Janet Spragg, who had been walking her dog, said she watched in horror as he killed the old lady before posing with his arms out, dressed only in his boxer shorts.

Daniel Appleton arrives at Lewes Crown CourtDaniel Appleton arrives at Lewes Crown Court
Daniel Appleton arrives at Lewes Crown Court

Mrs Spragg said: “He walked across to the houses. It was quite bizarre. He started shouting to the houses,”

He swore and said: ‘You think I’m a nutter. I’ll show you.’

Mrs Spragg said: “It was like a victory speech.It was like a weird victory speech.

“It was very calm. It was quite surreal.

“His arms were out, he was confident, he was big, bold.

“Very confident, very in control, just shouting at the houses.”

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Mrs Spragg described the moment she saw Appleton beat Sandy Seagrave to death.

“He raised the stick above his head with his right hand,” she said. “I shouted stop, I screamed at him.

“I could see what his intentions were.He brought down the stick onto her head. I think he did it a second time.

“You can’t quite compute that’s happened.

“It was horrific, it was horrific.

“It was full force and she was lying still.

“There was no movement going on there was no need for any of that.

“It was senseless.”

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Appleton went back inside his house before coming back to the street a few minutes later, shouting.

“When he came out a second time, he looked desperate, addled, he didn’t have that demeanour any more.”

Appleton has admitted responsibility for the deaths of his wife and Sandra Seagrave but denies murder.

A jury will decide if he was out of control after taking powerful psychotic drugs. They had earlier heard how Appleton had searched for lyrics by an American rapper who died from a drug oversose.

The hearing continues.