Exclusive:Waterlooville mum read book about 'dealing with difficult people' before being found dead
Stephen Sexton is facing a retrial for murder.
A woman who was found dead in her home read a book about living with difficult people before she died, a jury has heard.
“Jealous” Stephen Sexton, 39, is alleged to have strangled Joanna Derkacz, 37, in the early hours of December 28, 2023, at their home in Nevinson Way, Waterlooville.
Sexton, of Cherrywood Gardens, Totton, denies murder, rape, and coercive or controlling behaviour at the retrial.
At Winchester Crown Court this morning (Tuesday, November 3), the jury was guided through photographs taken by crime scene investigators, when they arrived at Ms Derkacz’s home.
The Christmas lights and decorations were still up, but many parts of the house were covered in blood - which the court heard actually belonged to Sexton, rather than the alleged murder victim. Ms Derkacz, however, had apparently been reading a self-help book prior to her death.
Nicola Shannon KC, prosecuting, said: “Crime scene investigators attended the scene - there were two cars outside, belonging to Ms Derkacz and Sexton respectively.
“There are a number of CSI photographs; there was no landline phone at the property. This is the house as it was when the crime scene investigators arrived.
“On the bookshelf in the living room there were a number of Polish books, and another titled How to Deal with Difficult People. Inside, there was a dedication that said ‘I dedicate this book for myself, and my lost mind’.
“Pages inside the book also have inscriptions and underlinings. At the very top of one page is an inscription in Polish. We take that to mean that this book belonged to Ms Derkacz.”
The book lists a number of ways to deal with people who are “difficult”, including limiting your response to their anger, not taking things personally, and knowing when to walk away from ‘toxic’ environments, the court heard.
The court also heard from Anna Opiela, a friend of Ms Derkacz, who described how things “changed” during the course of her relationship with Sexton.
She said: “Sometimes we were talking and she would become scared. She was very uncomfortable when having these conversations about her and Sexton.
“One day, when I met up with her, she had changed her behaviour completely.
“I also remember there was one night where he [Sexton] was taking cocaine.”