UK UK - Sarah Wellgreen, 46, Kent, 9 Oct 2018

[Spy Versus Spy]

13:09

Lacomba: 'My solicitor told me to stay quiet'

Ben Lacomba was held at North Kent Police Station for three days following his arrest on October 16, 2018, but during all interviews and questions, he stayed silent as “that’s what my solicitor advised me to do”. He says:

I felt a level of frustration, the sort of things the police were coming out with were wildly incredible.



“I wanted to correct them and show them what they were saying wasn’t true, their theories.



“But my solicitor told me to stay quiet so I followed his advice.”

 

[Spy Versus Spy]

13:16

Lacomba visits web page titled 'How can I check if my phone is being tracked'

After being released on bail on October 19, three days after his arrest on suspicion of Sarah Wellgreen’s murder, Lacomba is told he has to reside at his home address and visit the police station every day.

He was also prohibited to contact members of his family. Police continue to search his house.

On October 20, Lacomba visited a web page titled “How can I check if my android phone is being tracked or tapped” and another with a heading “How to tell if your cellphone is being tracked, tapped or monitored by spy software”. Explaining this, he claims:

I was completely paranoid that the police were bugging my phone, tracking me, investigating me for Sarah’s murder.”

 

[Mrs Marple]

He was also prohibited to contact members of his family. Police continue to search his house

Snipped BBM is this normal? Anyone know?

 

[Websleuther08]

Nice Post. Welcome.

Thank you

 

[Alyce]

Am bringing this bit of testimony back re the situation with the car and dirt.
So what we know is that at 4.30pm on October 9, his car was clean ( BL gets home about 5.30pm).
BLs story is that he then drives home via country lanes and this is where his taxi gets dirty.
But, why would he do that when he could have taken an alternate route ( same length of time ) where his car would not get dirty. Surely he is just making problems for himself and he will then have to get his car cleaned for the next day before he starts work.



October 10
Dirty car’
Lacomba then left at 8.19am for the school run and CCTV “importantly shows” his taxi to be dirty, despite being clean an hour before he got home the previous evening.
Alison Morgan told jurors: “There is obvious mud on that vehicle. Where was it the car went overnight to get mud on it in that way?”
The court then head Lacomba got his taxi cleaned of “potentially incriminating mud” between 10am and 10.30am on October 10.

 

[Spy Versus Spy]

Live updates as Sarah Wellgreen's ex-partner goes on trial accused of her murder

Court Day 11 cont....


13:28

Woman's pyjama top found wet in shed 'just a rag', says Lacomba

When being questioned over a red and grey woman’s pyjama top that found wet in his shed in a later police search, Lacomba describes it as “just another old rag” but says he does not recognise it. He says:

If I used it as a rag that’s where it would have been put with the other old rags and stuff.”

Lacomba says he would use these old rags for the odd jobs he was doing while on bail like clearing out the guttering. He says his mum would help him with these jobs.

On November 9, Lacomba says his back garden decking was taken up by police.

 

[Spy Versus Spy]

13:31 KEY EVENT

Lacomba arrested and charged with Sarah Wellgreen's murder on December 20, 2018

Ben Lacomba was arrested again on December 20, 2018 and charged with the murder of Sarah Wellgreen (Image: Jim Bennett)


Lacomba explains that he fixed the decking at his house and continues to work in the garden and at home until he is unexpectedly rearrested on December 20.

He is again questioned for three days and remains silent as advised to be by his solicitor. He says:

It was frustrating and annoying to hear everything the police were saying and accusing me of that I knew I could explain.



“But my solicitor advised me again to say absolutely nothing.

Lacomba was charged with murder and has been remanded in custody ever since.

 

[Spy Versus Spy]

13:33

Court breaks for lunch

The court has now broken for lunch as the defence have finished their questions.

Prosecution will begin cross-examination when the trial resumes this afternoon.

 

[Spy Versus Spy]

( Finally! I was starting to fear some kind of Judicial fasting Day )

 

[Elgana]

He was also prohibited to contact members of his family. Police continue to search his house

Snipped BBM is this normal? Anyone know?

I think that bail conditions can vary from case to case, so he can be prohibited from communicating with his family or other people if they think it may interfere with the case.

Custody and bail | nidirect

 

[mrazda71]

@Websleuther08

Welcome! There's a few of us UK members here. Personally, I follow mainly UK cases unless I come across a non uk case like Delphi, Chris Watts or Douglas Garland.

Great first post

 

[mrazda71]

BRING ON THE PROSECUTION QUESTIONS TO BL ... bring them on! Popcorn anyone?

He composes nasty notes on his phone so he lobs it in the river? Oh please!

If and I mean IF his solicitor advised him to 'no comment' it then it's because he knew he was likely guilty ... if police were accusing me of murder and I knew it wasn't me? There's not a person alive who could make me 'no comment' ...

 

[wookielover185]

I actually live in the same village as BL - less than 400 metre away - with regards to the lanes and why didnt he take an alternative route - not really possible around that way. Every road is a country road and you need to pull over in to mud and puddles that never go away

 

[mrazda71]

I actually live in the same village as BL - less than 400 metre away - with regards to the lanes and why didnt he take an alternative route - not really possible around that way. Every road is a country road and you need to pull over in to mud and puddles that never go away

Welcome! Great to have new members, even better to have members with local knowledge!

What is the feeling locally?

 

[Only Me!]

Wouldn't SW have made a noise though, if she was water boarded?

Not sure he is clever enough to think of that, it's quite sophisticated... but who knows? Only him.

Hi, I have often visited websleuths but haven't joined till now. The reason is that I went to school with BL and was in the same class for a number of years.

Regarding his intelligence, Ben was in the grammar stream throughout secondary school and was a smart lad.

I haven't seen seen him for over 20 years but it's still shocking to see someone you know on trial for murder.

TBH I can't believe the prosecution hasn't got anything more concrete than this.

 

[wookielover185]

Welcome! Great to have new members, even better to have members with local knowledge!

What is the feeling locally?

not 100% sure to be honest - i'm normally at work. when the searches where going on every one was involved - literally everyone and the feeling then was that he had done it. the whole " we lived acrimoniously" is rubbish. He was always complaining about his ex . he came around my house once (which was a surreal experience and about 8 months before the disappearance) and all he did was moan about her then.

 

[Legally Bland]

Lacomba says he would use these old rags for the odd jobs he was doing while on bail like clearing out the guttering. He says his mum would help him with these jobs.

RSBM.

Oh come on. He's now got his mum 2 storeys up a ladder clearing the gutter to explain away a wet jumper.

 

[Alyce]

Snipped from one of SVS court reports

A small suitcase in the boot of Wellgreen’s car belonged to Lacomba and was “surprised” that Sarah took without asking him. It was full of “boys clothing” which Lacomba claims not to have recognised.

I am wondering if these clothes had been given to SW by AG. He gave her the bike for her son because his son had grown out of it. Could have been the same with clothing ?

 

[Alyce]

RSBM.

Oh come on. He's now got his mum 2 storeys up a ladder clearing the gutter to explain away a wet jumper.

Which is just what someone with fibromyalgia would be doing - when she's not digging up the very small patch of lawn out front of the house.

 

[Legally Bland]

Welcome new posters!