A DOUBLE murderer “created theatre” in the court room when he blamed his victims for his own actions, a top police officer has said.

Luke D’Wit, who was convicted on two counts of murder on Wednesday, appeared in a wheelchair during the trial, claiming he had developed an illness after being taken into custody at HMP Chelmsford.

On day ten of the trial, he told the court: “There is a growth on my leg which is getting worse; my foot has distorted round, and I can no longer put any pressure on that, and a bladder infection has affected the neurological pathways.”

Gazette: Scene – D'Wit left the Baxters' address at 7.55pm on Good FridayScene – D'Wit left the Baxters' address at 7.55pm on Good Friday (Image: Essex Police)

But Det Chief Insp Rob Kirby, head of major crime at Essex Police, was sceptical about the seriousness of D’Wit’s health.

He said: “D’Wit has claimed he has developed an illness since being in prison – make your own mind up about that, I guess.

“In the body-worn footage he describes how he ran to the scene.”

He added the “theatre” D’Wit created in the community was translated to the courtroom, when he claimed he teamed up with Stephen Baxter to create fake personas for Carol Baxter to talk to.

He said: "D’Wit is a huge manipulator, and part of that manipulation in court has been where he has tried to claim it was Stephen who encouraged D’Wit to create these personas to communicate with Carol.

“To try and blame one of the people he has murdered for some of his actions is despicable beyond belief – Stephen was not party to making the personas at all.

“That level of control and theatre that he created in the community he tried to create in court as well.”

Gazette: Questioned – D'Wit repeated what he told police on the day the Baxters were found when he appeared in court Questioned – D'Wit repeated what he told police on the day the Baxters were found when he appeared in court (Image: Essex Police)

The police investigation, which began after D’Wit’s arrest in July last year and continued up until the beginning of the trial in February, was undertaken by more than a dozen full-time detectives.

Mr Kirby continued: "We had 15 full-time detectives on this case from the point of the arrest.

"It was a really significant investigation, unique in nature and never seen before in our county, but it was absolutely right we put the resource in it that we did."