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

[Alyce]

11:47

'He wanted her found'

Junior prosecutor Richardson continued to read statements to the court.

Martin Pemble, a licensed police search advisor, who also attended on October 12, described Lacomba as Sarah’s “estranged husband”

Mr Pemble believed “there may have been third party involvement”.

Lacomba said he “worked nights and would turn his phone off before going to sleep” and this was why he did not immediately answer the door.

Lacomba said “he wanted her to be found”, according to Pemble

He added: “She had missed previous family events and couldn’t be relied on. The kids were used to her behaviour.”

“Ben stated he was happy to help as he wanted her found,” said Pemble.



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

 

[Alyce]

Joe Eleini was a 'Male Friend', Chimp. I think a relatively new one.

Others will correct me if wrong.

HTH

Think you're right on this SVS. I don't remember his name being mentioned before. The pre trial info that we had was that her last phone contact was with NJ at 9.20pm

It really does not seem to me as though SW was engaged to NJ and planning a wedding in Spain.

 

[Alyce]

12:22
Lacomba's first statment to police
At first, Lacomba told police they would have to wait for his mother to come home before attending the property.

He explained he would give a statement but “did not have much time” due to working that evening.


His first statement to police read:

“I live at 22 Bazes Shaw, New Ash Green, where I have lived for 11 years. I live here with Sarah Wellgreen but this isn’t her registered address.

“On October 9, I came home from work at approximately 5pm. When I got home, my mum Marilyn Lacomba was here. Sarah had not come yet and this was normal for her as she goes to see clients.

“About 7.30pm, I received a phone call from Sarah asking if the children had gone to sleep. She said she had a bike given by Anthony. Sarah was calling me in the car on the way home and arrived around 15 minutes after. My mum left before Sarah arrived.

“She was happy and there was nothing out of the ordinary. I put the children to bed. I remember Sarah went to her room around this time but I’m not sure whether she went to sleep or was up on her laptop. This was the last time I saw her. I went straight to bed.

“On October 10, I woke up between 7am and 7.30am to the noise of the kids. I went to the toilet and then woke to speak with the kids.

“They said Sarah wasn’t here. I went to her room to find her bed unmade. I went downstairs and tried to get the kids ready for school. I called my mum to come over.

“At 8.20am, I left the house to take the kids to school. It was manic that morning. When I went into Sarah’s room, I could see two phones on the bedside table. Because of this, I didn’t call as I thought she had left her phones here.

“It was strange and unusual for Sarah not to be here. She sometimes stays the night at other addresses but usually lets me know.

“When I left, I saw her car in the car park which was really strange. I came back home and then left again at 10am. I work in Dartford and texted her when I got to work at around 11.32am.

“I got home at about 3.45pm. I had been feeling unwell throughout the day and when we got home I threw up.

“When we got back, I noticed Sarah wasn’t home still so I looked through one of her phones to try and see what was going on.

“I didn’t see my message on either of her phones. I looked around and could see her bag was there which was odd. I told my mum that I needed to go to sleep as I was feeling really rough.

“I thought I’d leave it that night and if she still hadn’t come home I would call the police in the morning.

“I received three missed calls from Lewis. I spoke to Lewis and he asked whether I’d heard from Sarah. I said no and explained what had happened that day.

“I then said if she’s still missing the next day I’d call the police.

“I stayed up after this and at 8.14pm I received a message from Neil, her old partner who she split from in May.

“This is when she came back to live with me to try and be a family. This wasn’t going to work due to us previously being in court but we tried.

“She started seeing Neil again after being single for a month or two. He was concerned about her as he hadn’t heard from her and she hadn’t been in contact with her family.

“I was up for a bit after this and then went back to sleep as I was really tired through worrying and being ill.

“I got up Thursday morning and went to work for the day.

“At 10am I still hadn’t heard from Sarah so called the police to report her missing. I also spoke to Lewis at 7.53 and told him she hadn’t turned up.

“I told him I’d phone the police that morning. After calling the police, I stopped work and came home where I met a police officer named Rachel.

“I tried to recall everything that happened on the day Sarah went missing and the days afterwards. It can be difficult to recall everything that happened during the weekly routine.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


When asked about what Sarah did on the days previous, Lacomba said: “On Sunday she went swimming at Cascades with Anthony. Monday she went to Richmond to celebrate with friends. She went for a manager job selling beauty products in Stockport.”

Lacomba said “she wanted to buy the house but was in debt from doing her house up in Portsmouth. She spend £30,000 on that house.”

Lacomba says he had CCTV because he “found the cars of his tyres slashed previously”.

When asked if anything was taken by police, Lacomba said: “Photos in photo frames were taken, photos of the kids”

 

[Alyce]

When I went into Sarah’s room, I could see two phones on the bedside table. Because of this, I didn’t call as I thought she had left her phones here.
I work in Dartford and texted her when I got to work at around 11.32am.

So he definitely sent the text after he had seen her phones in her bedroom. Would really like to know how he thought she might receive that text. He has not said, I sent a text hoping she would pick up from her laptop/Ipad or similar.

 

[HayLouise]

So he did send text messages after seeing the two phones in the house, but then claims when he went through the phone(s) he didn’t see any of his text messages on there.. hmm

 

[Spy Versus Spy]

Maybe incase she had returned home to the phones? Thats his logic I think?


BS

 

[Alyce]

She went for a manager job selling beauty products in Stockport.”

The only Stockport I know of is near Manchester. Confusing as to why she would be buying the Kent house if she was moving to Stockport ?

 

[Alyce]

When asked if anything was taken by police, Lacomba said: “Photos in photo frames were taken, photos of the kids”

Well that explains the empty frames

 

[Legally Bland]

“Photos in photo frames were taken, photos of the kids”

Wouldn't it be more natural to just take the frames with the photos in them? I can only think this was done to draw attention to S possibly taking photos of the kids with her.

 

[Legally Bland]

She went for a manager job selling beauty products in Stockport.”

The only Stockport I know of is near Manchester. Confusing as to why she would be buying the Kent house if she was moving to Stockport ?

It says Richmond in the timeline, not sure which is correct:
________________
October 8 - Day before she went missing
Sarah secured a new job at Alan Howard Ltd in Richmond with a company car and fixed salary.

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

 

[Alyce]

It says Richmond in the timeline, not sure which is correct:
________________
October 8 - Day before she went missing
Sarah secured a new job at Alan Howard Ltd in Richmond with a company car and fixed salary.

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

I just had a google. The Company was founded in Stockport so that would explain the link.

 

[Alyce]

13:14
Inside Sarah's room

Detective Constable Celia King, the Family liaison officer who is part of investigation team has been single point of contact for the family to support them.

Her involvement began on October 14 when she joined DC Joanna Godfrey on a visit to Bazes Shaw.

She was told that Lacomba was being “a little bit more receptive to police but had not been wanting police around”.

But she said Mr Lacomba was “very obstructive” when they attended.

In a statement she said: “He said he did not want any more police around his house and could we come back next week.”

They explained their role of being there “to support him”.

He asked nothing of Sarah Wellgreen.

“He said we could come in but had to go straight upstairs to the bedroom so the kids wouldn’t see us.”



Used bed linen

Celia King was led to believe that Sarah Wellgreen’s bedroom was on occasion used by Marilyn Lacomba and she was staying there at the time of their visit.

They searched the bedroom for “any clues that could assist with knowing where Sarah was.”

“He said he doesn’t go in the room and only stands at the threshold to speak to Sarah when she’s in the room.”

She noticed empty photo frames. Two were on the wall and two were empty. Lacomba said “he wasn’t sure but thinks there were photos in them”. He believed the photos were of the children.

They found a grey shoulder handbag with a matching smaller bag, with a red purse inside.

A gold coloured duvet was discovered in a drawer which matched a pillowcase still on the bed, with another matching pillowcase in the wardrobe. This was Sarah’s bed linen and when his mother goes there, they swap the bed linen for her own.

DC King said: “The bottom sheet looked like it had been slept in, a used one. There was lots of stuff on top of the bed but it wasn’t a made bed.

“It was half folded into the drawer as if it had been stuffed in there. I took it out and to me it wasn’t clean.”

Another purse was found containing bank cards, a driving license and unpaid cheques from Lloyds bank.

Mr Lacomba said this purse was on the floor in front of the bed on the morning of October 10 but he had put it in a drawer “for safety”. This was seized by police.

Sarah Wellgreen’s clothes were in the wardrobe.



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

 

[Spy Versus Spy]

Im hoping/thinking theyre going to drop a couple of big forensics bombshells soon. From house/car?

Its all sounding plausible from prosecution up to date but the strongest points so far are the car on cctv and lying about being in the house through the night? Lots of other lesser inconsistencies in his stories so far but Im still thinking they need something a bit more definitive?

 

[Ironside]

Was this Mr Eleini a friend or lover? He sounds like a lover by the language used.

Does it even matter? I don't care if she was seeing half the men in Kent. She did not deserve to be made vanish regardless of how many men she was involved with.

 

[Alyce]

13:31

The missing phone

On DC Celia King’s visit on October 14, she said Marilyn Lacomba returned to the address and “Mr Lacomba jumped up off the floor where he was sitting and made a comment saying he thought that was Sarah was coming back. He was very nervous and then laughed that it was his mum.”

DC King wanted to seize his phone to be downloaded “in order to see if it had anything on it that would help us find Sarah”. He “reluctantly” agreed.

He said “it had some embarrassing stuff on it” but was reassured that DC King “wasn’t interested in his embarrassing photos or whatever he had on there”.

Lacomba asks “what do you think has happened to Sarah” and officers reply that they don’t know.
Lacomba was “frantically going through his phone” while officers spoke to him.

He needed to sign a consent form for data to be downloaded.

He agreed but when asked about location data, he said: “There was no point as he had turned off the location services”.



Did not consent to officers retrieving deleted data

When asked about retrieving deleted data, “He completely changed. He got quite animated. He said “why would I want you to have deleted data when I’ve deleted it for a reason.”

He did not consent to officers retrieving deleted data.

Officers gave him the form, “he scrutinized it” and then signed it.

Marilyn Lacomba returns and tells officers that she found Sarah’s ring and earrings in the bathroom and she had put them in her jewellery box to stop the children from getting hold of them.

Officers prepare to leave and Lacomba “eventually” gives them his phone but was “reluctant”. He said he could have another phone from his work.



Asked for his phone back

At 8.50pm officers left the house and went to the car park. They were standing by their car when they realised Lacomba was behind them.


He said he changed his mind and that he wanted his phone back. He said he needed it for work.
“I explained to him that we had downloaders back at the station and I could have the phone back to him that night.
“I said it was very important that it may help to establish where Sarah was.
“After a while, he got quite animated again and said ‘you said it was voluntary and I didn’t have to give it to you so I want it back’.” - DC King


Officers gave the phone back to him and he said he could “bring it down first thing tomorrow morning before work” despite previously saying he wanted it “for work”.

He agreed to bring it to Maidstone Police Station before 9.30am the following morning.

Lacomba never turned up.

DC King phoned him but it went straight through to voicemail so she left a message saying he needed to hand the phone over. She also left a voicemail to Marilyn.

At about 3.20pm on October 15, they returned to 22 Bazes Shaw and tried the doorbell but got no reply.



Went for custody meeting

On October 16, at about 10am, DC King received a call from Lacomba who confirmed he received the messages and said he was “sorry for not getting back”.

He said he couldn’t meet her as he had been in contact with his solicitor and needed to go to court to get an emergency care order for the children.

He said “he was concerned that if Sarah was to return, he worried about her mental health and he couldn’t have her having any custody of the children”.

“As they had been living together, he had assumed the custody had been shared” but his solicitor told him this was not the case.

He had an appointment at Dartford Family Court that day.

He agreed to hand the phone over.

Then Marilyn called DC King.

At 1.10pm, DC King rings Lacomba and asks him about timings with the court case. He explains he had been in court but had to go back at 2pm to see a judge.

When asked where he was, he replied: “Dartford town centre. Why do you want to know?”


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

 

[Alyce]

13:47

Sarah's son
Another statement read in court was that of Lewis Burdett, Sarah’s son from a previous relationship.

He gave his first statement to police on October 14, which said:


My mother is Sarah Wellgreen. I have a brother Jack. Although my mother shares 22 Bazes Shaw with Ben, they are no longer in a relationship. They were involved in a custody battle. My mum won.

“Ben had access to the children at various weekends. A few months after moving to Portsmouth, she met a man named Neil James and moved in with him in Farnham. She rented out Queens Road (Portsmouth).

“A few months ago, I moved out of Kent into Queens Road with a man named Roy and Jack (brother).

“It was soon after this that she split up with Neil and moved back to Kent.

“On weekends working in Portsmouth, she would stay in Queens Road or with friends. During the week, she would stay in Kent.

“I would speak with my mother every other day over the phone. She has four phones.

“When I last saw her on October 6, I saw the two other phones in her car. As far as I was concerned, she was driving to Kent but I haven’t seen her since.

“I was aware she was having a job interview on October 6. The last time I heard from her was around 2.30pm on Monday afternoon when she phoned to say she got the job.

“On the Wednesday afternoon, Neil told me he had not heard from my mother. I tried to message but got no reply. I tried to call Ben to see if my mother was there. Ben told me he had last seen my mother on Tuesday night and when he woke up on Wednesday morning, she had gone.

“We had a conversation and between us we agreed he would call the police on Thursday.

“I know my mother, she would not just leave her children. She loved the children. She had never gone off before. She always keeps in touch.

“It’s my understanding that 22 Bazes Shaw is in Ben’s name. However, my mother has a court order to say she is entitled to half.

“Myself and Jack were talked into applying for a mortgage to buy Ben’s half of the house. We started the process.

“I am aware there’s CCTV at 22 Bazes Shaw so when Ben told me she had gone missing overnight, I asked him to check the CCTV.

He said: ‘I must have switched them off by accident because the plug socket is next to the socket where I charge my phone’.”



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

 

[Alyce]

Asked for his phone back
At 8.50pm officers left the house and went to the car park. They were standing by their car when they realised Lacomba was behind them.
He said he changed his mind and that he wanted his phone back.
Officers gave the phone back to him
He agreed to bring it to Maidstone Police Station before 9.30am the following morning.
Lacomba never turned up.



So this is the Sunday night, October 14 - the same night the person is seen down by the river

 

[Spy Versus Spy]

I can sense it going either 3 ways...

Found Guilty and never admits it.

Found Guilty/Changes story to Arguement, fit of temper, didnt mean to harm/kill her, panicked, body in field/Countryside

Not Guilty

 

[Alyce]

14:41
'Mum went through a lot of pain with Ben'


In a second statement taken on October 17, Lewis Burdett said: “My mum met Ben in 2004 when I was 8 years old and my brother Jack was 7.

“Mum met Ben on a dating site while we were living in Queens Road and Ben was living in Spain.

“I was about 10 when we moved to Spain to live with Ben’s parents. We moved back to England and lived in Portsmouth, Dartford and Bazes Shaw.

“I dont know how but Ben kicked mum out of the house and changed the locks.

“I saw my mum go through a lot of pain with Ben and when Mum said she was going to move back in with him, I thought this was a stupid idea.

“I told her this. There was a plan for her to buy him out and live there with the children. Myself and Jack were arranging the mortgage.

“I wish to add that when I couldnt get in contact with mum, I was checking her Facebook. I did this on October 10 and saw there had been no activity on the account since October 8.

“She wasn’t on any other social media that im aware of. She had a Tinder dating app on her black iPhone.”

 

[Alyce]

Im hoping/thinking theyre going to drop a couple of big forensics bombshells soon. From house/car?

Its all sounding plausible from prosecution up to date but the strongest points so far are the car on cctv and lying about being in the house through the night? Lots of other lesser inconsistencies in his stories so far but Im still thinking they need something a bit more definitive?

I think he's guilty as charged.
But -
they don't have a body
the dogs did not find anything in the house
we don't yet know if anything was found in BLs car, but it was a while before the police took it in for checks, so maybe nothing there either.

His story, so far, is very implausible to me. But, at the same time, he and SW were not in a relationship and it was clear that she did not like him, so BL having a certain level of disinterest in SWs whereabouts could be considered normal under the cirucmstances.