Jurors told CCTV cameras switched off at home of man accused of murdering Portsmouth beautician

Security cameras at the home of a man accused of murdering his ex-lover were switched off several times before she vanished, a court heard.
By Ben Fishwick
Published 4th Oct 2019, 09:50 BST
CCTV showing a Vauxhall Zafira car belonging to Ben Lacomba, 39, who is accused of murdering mother-of-five Sarah Wellgreen, as the jury in his trial have visited the home where it is alleged she spent her last moments alive. Picture: Kent Police/PA WireCCTV showing a Vauxhall Zafira car belonging to Ben Lacomba, 39, who is accused of murdering mother-of-five Sarah Wellgreen, as the jury in his trial have visited the home where it is alleged she spent her last moments alive. Picture: Kent Police/PA Wire
CCTV showing a Vauxhall Zafira car belonging to Ben Lacomba, 39, who is accused of murdering mother-of-five Sarah Wellgreen, as the jury in his trial have visited the home where it is alleged she spent her last moments alive. Picture: Kent Police/PA Wire

Ben Lacomba, 39, is on trial accused of killing 46-year-old mother-of-five Sarah Wellgreen, who went missing on October 10 last year.

Woolwich Crown Court heard the CCTV cameras at the property Lacomba shared with Ms Wellgreen in New Ash Green, Kent, were switched off on the night of her disappearance.

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Prosecutor Alison Morgan QC told jurors the cameras had also been switched off for 90-minute periods twice in the week before the beautician vanished. Her body has never been found. Ms Wellgreen was a beautician in Portsmouth.

Sarah WellgreenSarah Wellgreen
Sarah Wellgreen
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Jury visit home where beautician allegedly spent 'last moments alive'

Meanwhile, Lacomba was also filmed on security cameras driving away from the home at 2am on October 10 before returning two hours later.

Giving evidence on Thursday, Detective Sergeant Alastair Worton said police went through 22,000 hours of CCTV footage from cameras around the area.

He said officers discovered the CCTV at Ms Wellgreen's home had been deactivated because a neighbouring camera spotted its infrared light going out.

CCTV of a car park where Ben Lacomba, 39, who is accused of murdering mother-of-five Sarah Wellgreen, chose to park his taxi, as the jury in his trial have visited the home where it is alleged she spent her last moments alive. Picture: Kent Police/PA WireCCTV of a car park where Ben Lacomba, 39, who is accused of murdering mother-of-five Sarah Wellgreen, chose to park his taxi, as the jury in his trial have visited the home where it is alleged she spent her last moments alive. Picture: Kent Police/PA Wire
CCTV of a car park where Ben Lacomba, 39, who is accused of murdering mother-of-five Sarah Wellgreen, chose to park his taxi, as the jury in his trial have visited the home where it is alleged she spent her last moments alive. Picture: Kent Police/PA Wire
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Using previous footage, they also found it was switched off before on October 3 and again on October 8.

DS Worton said the CCTV camera at the property was switched off at 12.12am on October 10 and remained off until police seized its footage the next day.

The prosecution told the jury that Lacomba's Vauxhall Zafira, which has a distinctive All Night Cars logo, was captured on eight cameras between 02.13am and 04.27am on the same night.

CCTV photo dated of a Vauxhall Zafira car belonging to Ben Lacomba, 39, who is accused of murdering mother-of-five Sarah Wellgreen, as the jury in his trial have visited the home where it is alleged she spent her last moments alive. Picture: Kent Police/PA WireCCTV photo dated of a Vauxhall Zafira car belonging to Ben Lacomba, 39, who is accused of murdering mother-of-five Sarah Wellgreen, as the jury in his trial have visited the home where it is alleged she spent her last moments alive. Picture: Kent Police/PA Wire
CCTV photo dated of a Vauxhall Zafira car belonging to Ben Lacomba, 39, who is accused of murdering mother-of-five Sarah Wellgreen, as the jury in his trial have visited the home where it is alleged she spent her last moments alive. Picture: Kent Police/PA Wire

The jury were shown CCTV images believed to be Lacomba driving away from his home into Hartley Bottom, towards the village of Stansted, and back.

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Meanwhile, the jury also saw the last captured images of Ms Wellgreen on October 9.

The prosecution showed the jury images of both Lacomba and Ms Wellgreen walking into the property at different times of the day.

Lacomba denies murdering his ex-partner and claimed he was asleep all night only to wake up to find Ms Wellgreen missing from their home, the trial heard previously.

But the prosecution alleges Lacomba murdered Ms Wellgreen in a 'calculated manner designed to avoid detection, to leave no trace' and to 'remove her from his life forever'.

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Ms Morgan previously told the court his actions were motivated by 'the loss of the family home, the property and his children'.

Jurors previously heard the couple had split up but remained living under the same roof.

The trial continues.