UK UK - Sarah Wellgreen, 46, Kent, 9 Oct 2018 #2 *B. Lacomba guilty*

[HongKongPhooey]

11:13

'Is a shovel an appropriate Christmas gift for an elderly lady?'

His mother Marilyn Lacomba, born in 1953, is described as “elderly and not in the best physical health.”

The prosecution begins to question Ben Lacomba over the long handed shovel, which he claims to have bought his mother for Christmas.

Ms Morgan asks: “Are you suggesting this is an appropriate Christmas gift for an elderly lady, Mr Lacomba?”


Mr Lacomba feels its weight in the courtroom.

“Are you seriously suggesting that you picked that up in a DIY store and thought that was appropriate for you elderly mother?”, asks Ms Morgan.

“My mother said she wanted to dig and do some gardening at the front of my house,” replies Lacomba.

“She gets the gift of a shovel and the gift of hard labour on your front garden,” says Ms Morgan.

“I don’t remember her using it but I think she did use it a couple of times,” replies Lacomba.

“What a surprise that as an elderly woman she found it easier to use a trowel than a grave digger shovel,” says Ms Morgan.


Ms Morgan asks Lacomba where he got the shovel or how much it cost.

He says he “can’t recall” but thinks he bought it from B&Q or Wickes in Dartford.

“This is complete nonsense isn’t it Mr Lacomba”, says Ms Morgan. “You don’t have any sensible explanation for why you have a shovel that size in your shed.”

Marilyn visited Lacomba on the Saturday before he started giving evidence.


“Did you talk about that shovel?”, asks Ms Morgan.

“I don’t recall talking about any of the evidence I am giving,” says Lacomba

Excellent questioning. Actually having an inappropriate laugh here. Hope it serves to show how ridiculous his defence is

 

[Websleuther08]

Great post! Agree with it all. I hope mommy does time for all the lies she has backed up.
IMO mommy cleaned his shoes for him too and i cant wait to hear her answers. Its amazing what mothers will do for there children, maybe he never said it out loud but she knew what he had done
IMO

Thanks! If it were my son it wouldn't matter. I couldn't defend those actions at all and cover for him, my conscience would eat me up. Those shoes were diabolical

 

[Mrs Marple]

I can't really get over how someone can live with themselves (if he has truly done it) and go about life knowing where she is but can't bring closure to her friends, family, partners, colleagues and whatnot. I think that it's disgusting and if it were my mother I'd be distraught at not even knowing what has really happened to her. I think it's truly disgusting and I do feel for those around her and SW herself.

Snipped by me

IF he is found guilty, he might confess. Say it was an accident and he panicked. If he thinks confessing will get him a more lenient sentence, l think he might do it.

 

[Mrs Marple]

Excellent questioning. Actually having an inappropriate laugh here. Hope it serves to show how ridiculous his defence is

You'd be surprised at how awful some people are at picking gifts ...!!

 

[Websleuther08]

Snipped by me

IF he is found guilty, he might confess. Say it was an accident and he panicked. If he thinks confessing will get him a more lenient sentence, l think he might do it.

I really hope so, for her children's sake.

 

[Legally Bland]

“You were driving in this direction along this road weren’t you. You see there’s a problem with that explanation isn’t there Mr Lacomba. There wasn’t mud on one side of your car was there.

There was mud on both sides of your car. Not just the passenger side, the bit pulling into those passing places, but on your side - the driver’s side.” says Ms Morgan.

Lacomba claims he had to pull his whole car into one of the passing places and that’s why it was on the driver’s side.

RSBM. This is a good point, I never thought about mud being on both sides of the car.

 

[Spy Versus Spy]

You'd be surprised at how awful some people are at picking gifts ...!!

MOO:

You can either have a Shovel, or I can choose you some Shoes...........?

 

[Alyce]

how much of the front is actually the garden of #22 ?

does it extend beyond where the police are standing or is that public ground ?

 

[Spy Versus Spy]

13:11

Prosecution: 'Did you go back there to make sure everything was cleared up properly?'
“A journey out into torrential rain” leaving Bazes Shaw to Serenity Court in Greenhithe on the night of October 14. “Where did you go in that hour and a half please” asks Ms Morgan.

“I remember pulling over and I do remember eventually ending up in Greenhithe.”, Lacomba replies.

“Do you not want to tell us where you went in your car that night Mr Lacomba?”

“Mr Lacomba did you go back to where you buried Sarah that night. Did you go back there to make sure everything was cleared up properly?” asks Ms Morgan.

“No I’ve said what I was doing in that hour and a half,” replies Lacomba.

“Was it just the phones that you were getting rid of on that night?”, asks Ms Morgan.

Police did not find the adult woman’s pyjama top in Lacomba’s shed until a search on November 2 when it was “damp through gloves”. “There were little pieces of foliage with that top.”

“I assume it’s probably come from the bag of rags in my house” while he was at home doing odd jobs on bail, says Lacomba.”The first time I saw that top was during police interviews. I don’t know what woman would wear that top.”

“It was stuffed away after you thought that the police searches had finished after you’d been arrested and interviewed.” says Ms Morgan.

He claims he went to McDonald’s in Greenhithe so he could deliberately be captured on CCTV so he could confirm the actions of throwing the phones in the Thames with the police, yet he never told the police this and stayed silent in police interviews.

“You must have been terribly worried about Sarah Wellgreen” says Ms Morgan.

“I was worried about finding Sarah” says Lacomba.

 

[Spy Versus Spy]

Note :

Moo

I think there may be some error in the 12.30pm.post? The Original source report was amended by kentlive but the paragraph at end of report seems to be alien ( it may be the heading for a post we didnt get?)

Just keep in mind and I will add if corrected

SvS

 

[Mrs Marple]

MOO:

You can either have a Shovel, or I can choose you some Shoes...........?

I will take the shovel please. You can never have too many shovels.

 

[Spy Versus Spy]

13:17

Lacomba says he went into 'cold shock' when first arrested

Ben Lacomba is accused of murdering his ex-partner Sarah Wellgreen (Image: Jim Bennett)


“And every time the phone rang, you must have been terrified that it was bad news,” says Ms Morgan.

Lacomba pauses before saying “I had spoken to the police and reported her missing so I was expecting to hear news from the police.”

“You must have had a moment of complete terror that they had found Sarah and were coming to tell you the bad news”.

Lacomba replied: “I don’t think it had gone through my mind that something terrible had happened to her at that point, it was very early on,” when the police squad car arrived later on October 11.


“You were the one person in the whole world who knew precisely where Sarah was,” the prosecution said.

PC Thomas says he didn’t ask a single question about Sarah Wellgreen.

Lacomba says he went into “cold shock” when arrested on October 16.

“They (arresting officers) told you you were being arrested for murder and you didnt ask them a single question about that. Didn’t you want to know if they’d found the body? Didn’t you want to know how Sarah had been killed? Didn’t you want to know why they were arresting you for murder? So you chose to stay silent then as saying anything would have incriminated you wouldn’t it,” says Ms Morgan.

Lacomba confirms he stayed silent.

 

[Mrs Marple]

13:11

Prosecution: 'Did you go back there to make sure everything was cleared up properly?'
“A journey out into torrential rain” leaving Bazes Shaw to Serenity Court in Greenhithe on the night of October 14. “Where did you go in that hour and a half please” asks Ms Morgan.

“I remember pulling over and I do remember eventually ending up in Greenhithe.”, Lacomba replies.

“Do you not want to tell us where you went in your car that night Mr Lacomba?”

“Mr Lacomba did you go back to where you buried Sarah that night. Did you go back there to make sure everything was cleared up properly?” asks Ms Morgan.

“No I’ve said what I was doing in that hour and a half,” replies Lacomba.

“Was it just the phones that you were getting rid of on that night?”, asks Ms Morgan.

Police did not find the adult woman’s pyjama top in Lacomba’s shed until a search on November 2 when it was “damp through gloves”. “There were little pieces of foliage with that top.”

“I assume it’s probably come from the bag of rags in my house” while he was at home doing odd jobs on bail, says Lacomba.”The first time I saw that top was during police interviews. I don’t know what woman would wear that top.”

“It was stuffed away after you thought that the police searches had finished after you’d been arrested and interviewed.” says Ms Morgan.

He claims he went to McDonald’s in Greenhithe so he could deliberately be captured on CCTV so he could confirm the actions of throwing the phones in the Thames with the police, yet he never told the police this and stayed silent in police interviews.

“You must have been terribly worried about Sarah Wellgreen” says Ms Morgan.

“I was worried about finding Sarah” says Lacomba.

Someone kindly got the weather report and it said no rain in New Ash Green; Ms Morgan thinks it was raining heavily somewhere in Kent that night.

Where on earth could he have buried her?? It must have taken him a while to dig a big deep hole. How long do we think? And his phone was inactive for a couple of hours, thereabouts? I don't think she's far. But it must be somewhere where no one is going to notice newly disturbed earth. Where does he play with his nerf guns? Can anyone link to a map where his car was spotted that night please?

If he planned it maybe he was waiting for rain to make the ground softer. I'm sorry fellow sleuthers, that's a really creepy horrible thought.

 

[Spy Versus Spy]

13:26
A timeline of Sarah's mental health history

Sarah Wellgreen (Image: Facebook)


The court is told about Sarah’s mental state from 1985 right up until 2018.


1985: Sarah overdoses on Temazepam, a drug used to treat anxiety, aged 14

2009: Sarah “felt like driving her car into a tree” and thought “children would have been better off without her”. She later sought treatment for depressio,n but had no description of suicidal thoughts or self harm.

2010: Treatment was had in 2010, but she reported to “feel fine and was looking after the children well.”

There were no suicidal thoughts or self harm ideas between 2011 and 2017.

2017/18: Sarah was still receiving anti-depressants over this time, but confirmed she had no thoughts on suicide or self harm.

Lacomba says he “knew about a lot of it” because they were partners for 10 years.

“You tried to use Sarah’s mental health history as a weapon against her in the family proceedings didn’t you Mr Lacomba,” asks Ms Morgan.

 

[RosalindaA]

Snipped by me

IF he is found guilty, he might confess. Say it was an accident and he panicked. If he thinks confessing will get him a more lenient sentence, l think he might do it.

Agree 100%. When they charged and remanded him in custody I thought this might happen pre-trial. After all sentencing for partner murders must be at an all-time low in our country. The big problem for him now will be the distinct hints of a planned murder that have come out in evidence. But my impression of Lacomba is that he is stubborn and a "trier" and as a lot of murderers do, believes that he comes across as trustworthy and believable. It's possible that they gain this false impression of themselves from parents that have always given them the benefit of the doubt.

I am impressed by this Alison Morgan, Britain's answer to Kelly Siegler. The vision that floated in my mind is of the stage act where she is throwing knife after knife at him and literally pinning him to the wall so he will not be able to escape.
Every now and then, she breaks off casually to ask where he put Sarah. She's hoping for a slip of the tongue, or I think to provoke him into an outburst. A classic illustration of why so many lawyers do not put their defendants on the stand.

 

[Spy Versus Spy]

13:27
Court has paused for lunch

Check back soon when today’s proceedings resume for the afternoon.

 

[Spy Versus Spy]

Sorry @Alyce , I saw you had popped out after the first report today, so over eagerly grabbed the reins

 

[Alyce]

He calls his mum at 7.18am that morning to come round. “Did you ask her to do anything else that morning?” asks Ms Morgan.

Marilyn arrives at 7.38am and stays at 22 Bazes Shaw for 11 minutes. 7.51am she leaves again in her car. Then she comes back at 8.04am. “What was your mother doing that morning?”
“I can’t remember exactly what she was doing. I assume maybe she forgot something,” explains Lacomba.

“Did you ask her to do anything for you in those 15 minutes Mr Lacomba?” asks Ms Morgan.


-----------------------------------------


snipped from SVS's post earlier.

I had assumed that ML was called round in order to help get the children ready for school, but this evidence seems to dispute that reason, if she only stayed for 11 minutes.
Plus it was BL who took the children to school that day, departing with them at 8.16am, so again it would be interesting to know why ML came back at 8.04am, just for another 11 minutes.

 

[Mrs Marple]

Screenshot of route from Bazes Shaw to Plaxdale Green Road.

The logical route is on to the A20 going east. Going west brings you back to the area hale had just come from. There appear to be traffic cameras on the A20 but l haven't found an answer to exactly where.

Mereworth woods are just the other side of the M20 from where he was last seen on cctv. But of he wasn't seen for two hours. It makes me think he maybe drove for a bit longer. Then again, he had to carry thr body to a remote place once he got to the place.

 

[Delisa]

Have you seen the

Thanks! If it were my son it wouldn't matter. I couldn't defend those actions at all and cover for him, my conscience would eat me up. Those shoes were diabolical

Shoes

Have you seen the shoes?