Deceased/Not Found UK - Leah Louise Ware (still missing) and Alexandra Morgan, May/Nov 2021 *Guilty*

[Honeybirdette]

MB is an absolute car-crash on the stand, if you go by the reporting. Very strange, very pompous man. Doesn’t miss an opportunity to humble-brag about “his” cars, motorbikes, property, connections and money. All sounds like bull IMHO.

Absolutely!! I think he’s coming across terribly in the witness box from the live updates.
I feel like he wants everyone to believe he’s some sort of ladies man.
He’s got his main girlfriend Lisa AND then he’s got his bit on the side girlfriend “princess/leah” AND then on top he’s got the multiple other escorts he meets regularly. It seemed to be common knowledge among his friends/witnesses and even his sister that he had a main girlfriend and a side girlfriend so he obviously wasn’t trying to hide it or be low Key about it.

I wonder what Lisa makes of all this, are they still together?

 

[MsMiniSleuth]

And don't forget he has kids with Lisa too. What a mess.

 

[MsMiniSleuth]

10:43

Good morning - trial is back under way​

Good morning and welcome back.
Court has recenty resumed again for today, with Mark Brown continuing to give evidence.
Mark Brown is in court wearing a dark blue suit jacket and tie, a white shirt and a pair of light blue jeans. His hair is slicked back and he has some light stubble on his face.

10:47

'Are you just making this up as you go along Mr Brown?'​

Prosecution barrister Duncan Atkinson KC resumes with his questions and asks Brown about the bag of drugs that he alleges Leah Ware “swiped” from somebody on the way back from their security job in Ashford.
Asked what drugs were inside, the defendant replies: “I’m not sure but I assumed it was crack and heroin. I know what wraps of drugs looks like.” He adds that the drugs covered most of the bottom of a sports holdall bag.
Brown says he did not want anything to do with it, asked her to hide the bag, and says he was “more worried about the blowback" - the defendant says she was selling the drugs via Snapchat, leading Mr Atkinson to ask:
“Are you just making this up as you go along Mr Brown?”
“No,” replies Brown.
Other than the one instance in which he saw the drugs, Brown says it never came up in conversation again. In response to this, Mr Atkinson says:
“Your partner has brought a large bag of stolen Class A drugs to your farm, you expect blowback from that, and it doesn’t come up?”

Brown responds by saying there was a lot going on at the time. He adds that they would always refer to the farm as a “safe haven” and Leah would not bring dealers there.

Mark Brown guilty of two murders - live updates

The trial has focused on the disappearances of Alex Morgan and Leah Ware

www.sussexlive.co.uk

 

[LammyTheRobot]

10:43

Good morning - trial is back under way​

Good morning and welcome back.
Court has recenty resumed again for today, with Mark Brown continuing to give evidence.
Mark Brown is in court wearing a dark blue suit jacket and tie, a white shirt and a pair of light blue jeans. His hair is slicked back and he has some light stubble on his face.

10:47

'Are you just making this up as you go along Mr Brown?'​

Prosecution barrister Duncan Atkinson KC resumes with his questions and asks Brown about the bag of drugs that he alleges Leah Ware “swiped” from somebody on the way back from their security job in Ashford.
Asked what drugs were inside, the defendant replies: “I’m not sure but I assumed it was crack and heroin. I know what wraps of drugs looks like.” He adds that the drugs covered most of the bottom of a sports holdall bag.
Brown says he did not want anything to do with it, asked her to hide the bag, and says he was “more worried about the blowback" - the defendant says she was selling the drugs via Snapchat, leading Mr Atkinson to ask:
“Are you just making this up as you go along Mr Brown?”
“No,” replies Brown.
Other than the one instance in which he saw the drugs, Brown says it never came up in conversation again. In response to this, Mr Atkinson says:
“Your partner has brought a large bag of stolen Class A drugs to your farm, you expect blowback from that, and it doesn’t come up?”

Brown responds by saying there was a lot going on at the time. He adds that they would always refer to the farm as a “safe haven” and Leah would not bring dealers there.

Mark Brown guilty of two murders - live updates

The trial has focused on the disappearances of Alex Morgan and Leah Ware

www.sussexlive.co.uk

“Brown responds by saying there was a lot going on at the time. He adds that they would always refer to the farm as a “safe haven” and Leah would not bring dealers there.”

Ah but she did, didn’t she? In earlier evidence that dealer named Jack, the last person to see LW alive the day before she went missing, took her there in his car so she could collect her debit card. Perhaps - if LW is dead - that was the event that ignited MB’s rage?

 

[MsMiniSleuth]

11:04 KEY EVENT

'I didn’t burn Leah’s body'​

On Sunday, May 9, Brown returns to the farm and takes the Ford Fiesta to St Leonards test centre for an MOT. Brown tells the jury he either walked to his home from the test centre or received a lift from Chris Adams.
That day, he also went to the petrol station to buy around 38 litres of diesel, Brown tells the jury this was for the Peugeot.
He had also made a purchase of around six litres of petrol. He says this could have been for any number of things including his strimmer or a work generator.
Mr Atkinson KC asks if it could have been used to start a fire with Brown saying: “I very much doubt it.”
The jury is shown a picture of an oil drum which Brown had used as an incinerator. Some vegetation surrounding the oil drum is scorched with Brown adding he had “hundreds” of fires in that barrel.
“It took a number of days to burn the body of Alexandra Morgan. Did it also take Leah’s body a number of days to burn?” Mr Atkinson asks.
“I wouldn’t know, I didn’t burn Leah’s body,” replies Brown, who adds he has a number of petrol and diesel vehicles that the fuel could be used for.

Mark Brown guilty of two murders - live updates

The trial has focused on the disappearances of Alex Morgan and Leah Ware

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[MsMiniSleuth]

11:08

'Is that dumbing it down enough for you?'​

Mr Atkinson KC says that, in November, a number of bottles of Leah Ware’s medication were discovered in the barrel. Brown says he would always burn any extra medication so that Leah did not take too much.
Asked why he collected medication if the previous week’s had not been collected, Brown says he would not check to see if it had been collected and asks Mr Atkinson to “dumb it down a bit” so he can understand where he is coming from.
“You were collecting the medication to make it seem that Leah was alive even when you knew she was dead, is that dumbing it down enough for you?," Mr Atkinson says.

Mark Brown guilty of two murders - live updates

The trial has focused on the disappearances of Alex Morgan and Leah Ware

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[MsMiniSleuth]

11:22

Mark Brown withdrawing cash from Leah Ware's account​

On May 16, 2021, Brown withdraws £50 from his account. He does not make another cash withdrawal for a month. The following day he collects Leah’s medication and withdraws £200 in cash from Leah’s account, the jury hears.
He continues withdrawing money from Leah's account over the following days, the jury hears.
After the following Thursday (May 27), Friday and Saturday, Leah’s account is reduced to the balance of just £45. The court hears that Brown makes no withdrawals on the Sunday (May 30) or Monday. DWP payments enter her account on Tuesday (June 1) and Brown carries on withdrawing.
On Wednesday June 2, he withdrew £80, there had only been £85.10 left in Leah's account.
Brown makes another withdrawal on the Friday (June 4) when more DWP money goes into her account, doing so again on the following days.
In all, Brown withdraws £1,400 per week, the maximum amount that can be withdrawn from the account in a one week period. Brown tells the jury he had been leaving this in a bag in the horsebox on Little Bridge Farm.
On Wednesday June 9, Brown makes another withdrawal, Leah's balance is reduced to £37.84. No further withdrawals take place on the Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday. DWP payments enter her account on Monday (June 14) but no withdrawal is made. Mr Atkinson questions why he did not make a withdrawal that day.
After Leah’s balance is reduced from the thousands to very little, Mr Atkinson points out that Brown makes his first withdrawal from his own account in around a month, suggesting that he had been living off her money in this time - Brown denies this.
After Mr Atkinson points out one occasion where Brown withdrew money from his own account but not Leah’s, Brown says: “Sorry, didn’t realise it was illegal to take money from my own account. I should have got permission.”
After another similar occasion where he withdraws from his own account, Brown adds: “Sorry I should have got permission to take money from my account.”

Mark Brown guilty of two murders - live updates

The trial has focused on the disappearances of Alex Morgan and Leah Ware

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[MsMiniSleuth]

This is like a battle of words between Atkinson and Brown. The latter too cocky by half.

 

[MsMiniSleuth]

11:48

Brown withdraws more money​

On July 15, Brown withdrew £200 from Leah;s account in Uckfield where he was working that day.
Brown then goes down the High Street and puts the money into his own account, Mr Atkinson says.
The following day, he withdraws another £200 from Leah’s account and puts it again into his own account minutes later.
“The reality, Mr Brown, is that the withdrawals of cash from Leah's account had nothing to do with her and everything to do with you.”
The defendant denies this.

11:49

'This was all part of trying to make it look like she was alive'​

On May 31, 2021, Brown’s sister contacted him about renewing the redirecting of Leah’s post to her address. Brown had been unable to renew this himself as he could not find the email from the post office to do this. Brown tells the jury he told his sister to call up the post office to sort this on Leah’s behalf with Mr Atkinson stating: “Your sister was the next best thing, a female voice over the phone.”
After stating that Brown needed Leah’s post to continue to be sent to him, Mr Atkinson adds: “This was all part of trying to make it look like she was alive.”
“I wasn’t trying to make her look alive,” Brown responds.
Asked where Leah’s bank card was, Brown says he left the card and a note hidden in a COVID test box on top of the kitchen cupboards in his home once he knew he was going to be arrested.
Brown says he does not want to reveal the contents of the note but then reveals it includes references to her new pin number, him pledging his love to her, and asking her to look after Bertie the horse.

Mark Brown guilty of two murders - live updates

The trial has focused on the disappearances of Alex Morgan and Leah Ware

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[MsMiniSleuth]

11:51

Brown starts using adult site again​

Less than a month after Leah’s disappearance, Brown begins using the adult site again. A day later, he contacts a user called Nadia and, the day after that, another user called Little Lily Spring - the court hears that Brown asks her whether she was willing to have a “regular thing” once or twice a week at his workshop.
Mr Atkinson KC then asks: “That wasn’t because your last regular thing went up in smoke in a barrel?”
“No it wasn't,” Brown replies.
In one message to Little Lily Spring, Brown says he is looking for a long-term arrangement. Mr Atkinson KC asks what would have happened if Leah had returned but Brown says they were not in a sexual relationship and if he wanted to he would have just "stopped seeing the escort".

Mark Brown guilty of two murders - live updates

The trial has focused on the disappearances of Alex Morgan and Leah Ware

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[MsMiniSleuth]

From above:

Less than a month after Leah’s disappearance, Brown begins using the adult site again. A day later, he contacts a user called Nadia and, the day after that, another user called Little Lily Spring - the court hears that Brown asks her whether she was willing to have a “regular thing” once or twice a week at his workshop.

Mr Atkinson KC then asks: “That wasn’t because your last regular thing went up in smoke in a barrel?”

“No it wasn't,” Brown replies.

 

[MsMiniSleuth]

11:54

Brown's conversations with old school friend​

Mr Atkinson asks about June 2, 2021, when Brown starts to rekindle a relationship with a former school friend, Elizabeth Howard. They have a 25 minute conversation on June 3. On Friday, June 4, they shared Whatsapp messages.
Mr Atkinson KC asks Brown about the texts in which he says his “special lady” took her own life. Brown says these messages were about Leah and says he did say to Miss Howard that she was dead, to which Mr Atkinson says: “And that is because you knew that Leah was.”
“No, I just didn't want to talk about it and wanted to talk about other things,” the defendant replies.
On Friday, June 11, Brown tells Miss Howard that he and Leah had lost a baby at seven months and had been in a relationship for years.
Mr Atkinson says that , in one message, Brown says “She had lots of demons,” to which Miss Howard replied: “She is stunning.”
Brown responds with “She was” and then “She has peace now.”
“That was you telling her again that Leah was dead,” says Mr Atkinson KC.
“It was yes,” Brown adds before suggesting he was trying to avoid having to talk about Leah.
Brown says he was not trying to chat up Miss Howard but was hoping to form a relationship with her as friends.

Asked why he had given Leah’s TV to Ms Howard, Brown says the TV was his, as was Duke, as was Bertie, with Mr Atkinson stating this allowed Brown to dispose of them as he pleased before adding: “Leah was yours to dispose of when you chose.”
“No Leah was hers, she belonged to herself,” Brown replied.

Mark Brown guilty of two murders - live updates

The trial has focused on the disappearances of Alex Morgan and Leah Ware

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[MsMiniSleuth]

12:19

'I said she was no longer with us to avoid having that conversation'​

Brown now responds to questions about the other people who he told Leah was dead. One of these was a colleague, Mr Vestergard, at a Travelodge where Brown worked.
Brown denies telling Mr Vestergard that Leah had mental health issues in their first conversation, and says they were talking about cars and his workshop - Brown says one picture shows Leah with Bertie and says he may have told the colleague that “she is no longer with us".
He added that he may have mentioned the mental health issues in another conversation a while later.
“I said she was no longer with us to avoid having that conversation," Brown adds.
“But again it was a conversation brought up by you,” Mr Atkinson KC says.
The defendant insists he did not bring up this conversation but says it came up in another conversation they were having.

12:28

'You knew she was dead, because you had killed her'​

Brown speaks with someone on a dating site.
In one conversation, the jury hears that Brown said “I lost my partner nine months ago” and is asked by Mr Atkinson why he was telling this to a stranger, Brown replied with: “Because it was a random stranger on a dating site.”
Mr Atkinson follows this with: “Were you saying that Leah was dead?”
“No, I was saying I lost my partner 9 months ago. That’s when we had broken up.”
Mr Atkinson suggests Brown was “letting slip” that Leah was in fact dead before adding: “You knew she was dead, because you had killed her.”
Brown again denies this.

Mark Brown guilty of two murders - live updates

The trial has focused on the disappearances of Alex Morgan and Leah Ware

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[MsMiniSleuth]

12:35

Brown and Ms Howard's relationship 'petered out'​

Brown confirms that Leah had been vulnerable over the years. Asked if Elizabeth Howard was also vulnerable, Brown says not necessarily.
Asked why their relationship “petered out” - Brown says it was because he was busy. Brown later signed up for Tinder, and a ‘no strings’ dating website.
Asked by Mr Atkinson if he had not been too busy but was in fact more interested in Alex Morgan, Brown insists that she was in fact too busy to be on his phone.
On May 27, Brown makes online searches in relation to Alex Morgan and says he was interested in her.

12:38

Brown's first meet with Alex Morgan​

On Tuesday June 8, 2021, Brown drove from Little Bridge Farm to Cranbrook, spending some time in the vicinity of Alex Morgan’s home, according to cell site data. He was in the area from 8.09pm until 12.24am the following morning.
Brown says: “For an hour and ten minutes I was in her address,” adding that this was his first appointment with her.
The previous day, Mr Atkinson claims Brown had taken a picture of the Shell petrol station next to her home and that he had gone to her home. Brown denies both claims.
Brown confirms that on June 8, Ms Howard had been expecting him to go around her house. A little after 6pm, Brown texted Ms Howard to say: “I’ll be going dark around 8 ish but I'll let you know the second I'm on my way to you.”
At “8 ish” Brown confirms he was with Alex Morgan.

12:46

'I’m so sorry, that turned into a mission and a half'​

The court hears that shortly after midnight, Brown texted Ms Howard saying: “I’m so sorry, that turned into a mission and a half, old friend needed help, ex partner stalking her.”
Brown adds that he did not want to “mess her around” so decided to leave gifts for Ms Howard’s children. Mr Atkinson alleges that it was in fact Brown who had been doing the stalking which Brown denies and again confirms he did not take a picture of any petrol station by Alex Morgan’s house.

12:49

More from messages to Ms Howard​

The first time Alex Morgan went to Little Bridge Farm was Monday June 21, 2021.
On Tuesday June 22, Brown says to Ms Howard “I had Alex turn up, bless her” before adding that she “made a pass at me, silly girl, she’s like my daughter".
Brown says this ‘Alex’ is the friend in the Cranbrook area whose partner was stalking them and that Brown went to see after meeting Alex Morgan. Brown again insists that he called this person ‘Alex’ to protect them but that it is not their real name.
Brown later sends a picture of Alex Morgan to Ms Howard, and says “That’s my friend Alex". He again says it is not Alex Morgan that he is referring to.
“You’re talking to Elizabeth Howard about someone you don't want to identify. so you send her a picture on a separate occasion of a person you weren't in fact talking about?” Mr Atkinson says and asks why he would send a picture of Alex Morgan if he was not talking about her.
“Were you trying to get Elizabeth Howard jealous?," the prosecutor adds.
Brown replies: "Of what. Anyone in their right mind would give their right arm to be with Beth, but that man is not me, to be her friend is an honour and a privilege."

Mark Brown guilty of two murders - live updates

The trial has focused on the disappearances of Alex Morgan and Leah Ware

www.sussexlive.co.uk

 

[MsMiniSleuth]

Waiting to hear whether this other 'Alex' in same area was ever identified to police?

 

[MsMiniSleuth]

13:00

September 18, 2021

Jurors hear that Brown was in the vicinity of Alex Morgan’s home on September 18, 2021 after a visit to Etchingham and is now asked about the time he dropped cocaine at Alex’s address.
Brown says the cocaine fell from the pocket of his tactical vest and that he had taken it off someone from a security event. Brown tells the jury about how his security jobs would work and how he would confiscate drugs from people.
Brown says he would sometimes confiscate the drugs and burn them, other times there would be an amnesty bin, and on other occasions the drugs would be confiscated and then returned at the end of the event.


13:02

'I will give you the chance to speak Mr Brown'​

After Brown interrupts one of Mr Atkinson’s questions relating to his drug confiscation at a festival, the prosecution barrister says: “I will give you the chance to speak Mr Brown, but if you could please give me a chance to finish my question I would be ever so grateful.”

13:08

'You would just turn up and hang about outside'​

In the evening of September 25, Brown was at Little Bridge Farm, before he travelled to Alex Morgan’s address arriving at 8.52pm before heading home a short while later.
“I do believe she came out to me and met me at the petrol station,” Brown says.
“This was you stalking her, as you had this fantasy about her,” Mr Atkinson suggests.
“No,” replies Brown.
“You would just turn up and hang about outside,” Mr Atkinson says.
Brown denies this and says he was simply doing Alex’s friend a favour by providing her with cocaine.

13:09

Court breaks for lunch​

Court has now broken for lunch. Proceedings will get under way again in around an hour.

Mark Brown guilty of two murders - live updates

The trial has focused on the disappearances of Alex Morgan and Leah Ware

www.sussexlive.co.uk

 

[Ellsbells]

thank you for the reportings @MsMiniSleuth . I don't know what to make of it all. It seems Brown has dug himself one massive hole that he can't get out of.

 

[MsMiniSleuth]

14:18

Afternoon session begins​

The afternoon session has now begun in court.

14:24 KEY EVENT

Mr Atkinson KC clears up earlier error​

Mr Atkinson KC returns to June 7, 2021, in which he previously stated Brown took a picture of the Shell petrol station near Alex Morgan’s house.
The court hears that an image of the petrol station came onto Brown's phone from Google Maps and that he did not take the picture himself. Mr Atkinson apologises for the error. Brown confirms he had looked at the petrol station on Google Maps on that date.

Mark Brown guilty of two murders - live updates

The trial has focused on the disappearances of Alex Morgan and Leah Ware

www.sussexlive.co.uk

 

[MsMiniSleuth]

14:31

October 23, 2021​

Cell site data suggests Brown had last met Alex Morgan at Little Bridge Farm on September 27 before she next returned on October 26, the court hears.
The reason given for that lengthy gap between their meet ups was that one of Alex Morgan’s children was unwell, jurors are told.
Then on October 23, Brown mentions the transaction to Alex Morgan regarding £100k, 3-5 days at a hotel he would be guarding, a new ID, straight car, shopping money and that all she had to do was go out for a cigarette, bag up cash and do some shopping.
Brown confirms the majority of this message was made up and was in code. The defendant adds that he was not in fact doing a job at this hotel but that he coded it in case anyone was to look at his phone had he not deleted the message.
The defendant adds that Alex Morgan had hoped to use her money for a “dog grooming business and doggy day care.”
Brown says he became aware of her interest in leaving the escort side of business for camera work during their trip to Yorkshire. At this stage, she did not know he had a contact that could help out with this, the jury is told.
Asked why he did not phone her, Brown says they very rarely used the phone to talk to each other and it was almost always via Whatsapp.

Mark Brown guilty of two murders - live updates

The trial has focused on the disappearances of Alex Morgan and Leah Ware

www.sussexlive.co.uk

 

[MsMiniSleuth]

14:45

Brown asked about his message to Alex Morgan​

Brown is asked to explain the text and the "code" aspects to it.
Explaining "3-5 days in a hotel I'm guarding", Brown says: "It was three to five days in a hotel but not one I was guarding."
On "new ID straight car", Brown explains: "A car that wasn’t linked to anybody is a straight car."
Brown adds that a stolen car would be a “bent car” and one which is legal would be a “straight car.”
Asked what he meant when he said “go outside a couple of times for a cigarette, bag up cash and do some shopping” he tells the jury today: “My partner had been going through my phone.
Since my partner went through my phone we spoke in gobbledygook quite often.”
Brown confirms to the judge that he made it appear he and Alex were partaking in a kind of “con trick.”
Brown says he had previously been caught by his partner Lisa so now had a tendency to delete messages on his phone.

15:11

The note Alex Morgan left her son​

Brown is now asked about the note that Alex Morgan left in her son’s rollerblade box. He says she will have known the hotel in question at this time but Mr Atkinson KC questions why she had not named the hotel in her note.
Brown apologises for getting confused after believing Mr Atkinson had been referring to a different day in his questions. Mr Atkinson then says: “On the day that she came to you and died, I hope that helps hone things in for you.”
The defendant says the note will only refer to the fact that she had a meeting at Little Bridge Farm on the morning of November 14, which is why she left her postcode. Her reference in the note to “Premier Inn or Travelodge” was in relation to the security work that Brown is known to do, he adds.
The note in question reads: “photos evidence Brighton Premier Inn or Travel Lodge, security company on site. check postcode TN34 5NY Rock Lane, opposite Bartletts.”

15:38

Proceedings have now finished for the day​

Following a short break, it's been confirmed that there'll be no further evidence today. Proceedings have been wrapped up for the day.
The trial will resume tomorrow -

Mark Brown guilty of two murders - live updates

The trial has focused on the disappearances of Alex Morgan and Leah Ware

www.sussexlive.co.uk