1
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I want to report a missing person.
2
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Ben Lacomba phoned us
to report Sarah was missing.
3
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We all went to bed
and then when me and the kids
4
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woke up in the morning, she wasn't there.
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I tried to call her,
got no answers.
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I was trying as much as I could,
7
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phoning her, messaging her, like nothing.
8
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No sign of her,
no idea where she's gone.
9
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I put a shout-out
saying, "Is anybody free?"
10
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"There's a missing lady."
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"Fancy going and having a look for her?"
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Did she go missing before?
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She hasn't gone missing before
14
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but got a bit of a weird life,
let's put it that way.
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He was saying
that Sarah was depressed
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and he was worried that
she may harm herself.
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That appeared to be
very untrue information.
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We all had our
suspicions beforehand.
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There was
no financial footprint,
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there was no digital footprint.
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There was no sign of Sarah at all.
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At one stage,
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we had over 1,000 people
out looking for Sarah.
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Where is she?
How could she be missing?
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And we had
a real breakthrough.
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We found that just after 2:00 a.m.,
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Ben Lacomba's car was on the move.
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And he didn't return
until 4:30 in the morning.
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When the car was first parked
there, it was pristine.
30
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When it returned from
wherever it had gone,
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it was covered in mud.
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I'm not
clear at the moment, Ben,
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whether you're just trying
to think of an answer
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or whether you've decided
not to answer the question.
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Why wasn't he helping us?
36
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Was he responsible for
Sarah's disappearance?
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There's no end to it
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until one day she's actually found.
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{\an8}
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{\an8}Morning,
Kent Police switchboard.
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{\an8}Hello, I want to
report a missing person.
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{\an8}
43
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{\an8}Kent Police first got
a phone call from Ben Lacomba
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{\an8}on the morning of
the 11th of October, 2018.
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{\an8}He phoned us to report Sarah was missing,
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{\an8}but actually had gone missing
47
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{\an8}a couple of days prior to that.
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Ben Lacomba, one-time
lover of Sarah Wellgreen
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and father of their two children.
50
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How old is this person?
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I know her date of birth, 14/12/71.
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I see,
and did she go missing before
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or is this out of character?
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Sarah, he told us, had come home from work
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on the evening of the 9th of October.
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She'd come into the house,
and she'd seen her children to bed,
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and then she'd gone to bed herself.
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When Ben Lacomba said he
woke the following morning
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around 7:00 a.m., he'd
gone to Sarah's room
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and found that she was missing.
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She hasn't gone missing before,
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but got a bit of a weird
life, let's put it that way.
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All right, okay,
64
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so what concerns do
you have at the minute?
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- She lives with me.
- Yeah.
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- She's my children's mum.
- Okay.
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And she's not
like, we're not together,
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we just live together sort of thing.
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Ben Lacomba did
live with Sarah Wellgreen.
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The former lovers had
had the ups and downs,
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as one of Sarah's children
discovered all too abruptly
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{\an8}one day when at school.
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{\an8}
My mum was kicked out of the house.
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{\an8}Shortly, so was I.
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{\an8}I remember the day well.
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{\an8}I was in a class or doing something
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and Ben turned up to my school
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with a suitcase filled with my belongings
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and told the teachers at the time
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that I am not allowed
to return to the home.
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The call from
Ben Lacomba to Kent Police
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was escalated as high priority.
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Ben speculated Sarah was
with a new boyfriend.
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Do you
know Sarah's boyfriend's
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number and address?
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I do know his number
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'cause he texted me last night.
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But I didn't know whether
to really contact him
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because Sarah's got a couple
of phones that she left,
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that were in her room and I found out
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that she's sort of like, seeing
a few blokes sort of thing.
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- Okay.
- So it looks like
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she's cheating on him sort of thing.
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So I didn't, although he contacted me,
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I haven't replied to him.
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- Okay.
- I just spoke to Lewis
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and obviously I said to him like,
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"I'm going to be ringing
the police today."
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Lewis, Lewis
Burdett, Jack's brother,
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the boys from Sarah's
relationship some years before.
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He was in touch with the
new man in Sarah's life.
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{\an8}He couldn't
get in contact with my mum.
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{\an8}He'd been trying for like
all day, heard nothing.
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{\an8}Last time he spoke to her
was like the night before.
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So I thought "Oh, that's all right,
106
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"she's probably just
ignoring ya," to be honest.
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So I tried, couldn't get nothing
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and then contacted my nan, brother.
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Nobody else could.
And then I contacted Ben myself.
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Ben was getting
the police exercised.
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Is there a reason
that she may gone missing?
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Anything going on that
might be upsetting her
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or any reason you know, that
she might go missing at all?
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Like I said, like, nothing.
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Obviously I found out about like,
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her sort of seeing quite
a few blokes and things.
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I can only guess really, like,
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I know shew as assaulted at the weekend.
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- Who was she assaulted by?
- An employee at her work.
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I'm sorry, it's just quite.
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No, that's all
right, that's all right. I just want--
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I'm just trying to think,
she's got a complicated life, like,
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and it's just a bit messy really.
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Ben Lacomba
had now given police
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a potential person of interest
if Sarah had come to harm.
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So that initial report came
in on the 11th of October.
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And from there, we then
started our investigation
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{\an8}as to where Sarah might be.
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{\an8}
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{\an8}I was trying as much as
I could, phoning her,
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{\an8}messaging her, trying to
think of any different way
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to get hold of her whatsoever.
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Phoning people she might've
been with, seen, but nothing.
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I believe it was a couple
of hours almost of that day.
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I firstly put it down to that
she was just having a bad day
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and didn't want to talk to anyone.
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Later on the day of the 11th,
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with Sarah Wellgreen having not been seen
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or spoken to for over 48 hours,
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the brothers had become very concerned.
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I phoned Ben, to begin with,
from his mobile number,
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got nothing through, it's about seven
o'clock in the afternoon,
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and then managed to get
the house phone number.
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One of the children answered the phone
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and I got them to go wake him up.
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He didn't really seem bothered
by it at all, like, nothing.
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The Burdett boys
were living in Hampshire.
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Their mother's home
in New Ash Green, Kent
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was an hour away.
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Amongst their worries, their
half brothers and sister
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who were living with Mum and Ben Lacomba.
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We just wanted to make sure
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that the younger children were all okay.
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And we all drove up to Kent in order
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to get a better understanding
of what was going on.
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Because at the time, it was all hearsay.
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And it's not until you get to the village,
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see and understand what's going on,
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that it all sinks in an awful lot more.
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This was a very modern family.
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Sarah's grown up boys
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and her three children with her ex-lover.
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Ben Lacomba no longer in
a relationship with Sarah,
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but living in the attic
bedroom of the same house.
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And Sarah missing.
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The chapter of her life with Ben Lacomba
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had begun 14 years earlier.
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She was single then, having divorced.
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Sarah and Ben Lacomba
actually met online in 2004.
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She had two sons.
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She met Ben when I was
about eight years old,
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nine years old maybe.
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And I believe they met through
a online dating website.
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And to begin with, it was nice,
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just seemed like a nice bloke.
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In the beginning it was fairly normal.
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You know, nothing other
than the fact, you know,
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my mum is introducing someone.
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So it's a big step.
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You know, it meant a lot to her.
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And in the beginning it was just nice.
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Sarah moved out to Spain
where Ben Lacomba was living
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and they spent some time there together.
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{\an8}Ben had
proposed the move to Spain.
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He recommended that she quit her job
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and join him as he trained as a pilot.
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{\an8}So determined was she
to make this work,
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{\an8}that not only is she
gone to those, back then,
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{\an8}unusual lengths to meet this person,
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she was then willing to leave the country
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to build the relationship.
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It was pitched to my
mom as a new life,
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somewhere fresh to go and start,
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a place where they can have
their own home together,
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different country,
everything will go well,
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he'd provide for her,
all things like that.
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It meant giving up her career.
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She was a branch manager at Lloyds.
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She really loved that job.
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She was very independent
before she met Ben
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and I think anyone who would be,
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00:08:58,403 --> 00:09:02,123
meet someone and then told
that they'll take care of you,
203
00:09:02,203 --> 00:09:04,523
we can go move to another country
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00:09:04,603 --> 00:09:08,603
and you can spend more time with your
children, appeals to anyone.
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00:09:12,123 --> 00:09:16,083
From the start, the move
suited Ben more than Sarah.
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00:09:16,163 --> 00:09:17,723
He was full of promises,
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00:09:17,803 --> 00:09:21,163
but Ben's aspirations were seldom met.
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00:09:21,243 --> 00:09:22,843
I believe he was
training to be a pilot
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00:09:22,923 --> 00:09:25,123
for a commercial airlines,
things like that.
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00:09:25,203 --> 00:09:28,323
Done all the training for
it and it never took off.
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00:09:28,403 --> 00:09:30,803
All he did was just work at the airport.
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00:09:30,883 --> 00:09:34,683
He was going to be a pilot
and earn this amount of money.
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00:09:34,763 --> 00:09:37,803
"We'll be fine financially."
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00:09:37,883 --> 00:09:41,243
But my mum being a banker, I
don't think it took her long
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00:09:41,323 --> 00:09:44,043
to realize that was never gonna happen.
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00:09:44,123 --> 00:09:47,163
So as time went on, things
were obviously rocky.
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00:09:47,243 --> 00:09:49,843
Then her and Ben had their first child,
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00:09:49,923 --> 00:09:52,443
and it was a couple of months after
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00:09:52,523 --> 00:09:54,643
is when we returned back to the UK.
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The lovers were now
parents of their own child.
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00:09:59,403 --> 00:10:02,523
Their twins followed soon
after they returned to England.
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It made a massive impact
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because where he had his own children,
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00:10:07,243 --> 00:10:10,923
me and Jack would be sort of
in a way pushed to one side,
225
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because he's got his
own little family now.
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He doesn't really need us anymore.
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The man
Sarah thought was headed
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00:10:18,283 --> 00:10:21,403
for a career as a pilot
with a home in the sun
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00:10:21,483 --> 00:10:23,643
while she spent time with the children
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now offered a different proposition.
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00:10:26,083 --> 00:10:29,083
After we came back from
Spain, we lived in a caravan
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00:10:29,163 --> 00:10:31,163
for a little bit, for a couple of months.
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00:10:31,243 --> 00:10:34,163
Sarah first returned
to her old job in the bank
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and then retrained as a beautician
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00:10:36,443 --> 00:10:38,883
with a plan to open her own business.
236
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None of that had been part of her plan
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when she began her relationship with Ben,
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and that relationship became fractured.
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It was after we
came back to England
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and we started moving around,
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things were not all that they seemed.
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00:10:52,443 --> 00:10:55,283
You know, you can always
tell when something's wrong
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00:10:55,363 --> 00:10:57,603
in a relationship when you're a child.
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00:10:57,683 --> 00:10:59,883
Despite having had
three of their own children,
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00:10:59,963 --> 00:11:03,123
Ben and Sarah were far from
content in the relationship.
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00:11:03,203 --> 00:11:04,683
There were daily arguments.
247
00:11:04,763 --> 00:11:07,403
Nobody wants to see their mom argue
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00:11:07,483 --> 00:11:09,803
and be in a relationship like that.
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00:11:09,883 --> 00:11:12,643
And I think that did go on for a while.
250
00:11:12,723 --> 00:11:14,283
The arguments became more frequent.
251
00:11:14,363 --> 00:11:16,043
The situation was deteriorating.
252
00:11:16,123 --> 00:11:19,683
The way they'd speak
to each other, it just all changes.
253
00:11:19,763 --> 00:11:22,043
Whatever life they tried
to build for themselves,
254
00:11:22,123 --> 00:11:24,203
whatever life they've been striving for
255
00:11:24,283 --> 00:11:25,683
hasn't really worked out.
256
00:11:26,963 --> 00:11:29,523
As things got on through
the years, things change.
257
00:11:29,603 --> 00:11:30,723
You notice things a little bit more.
258
00:11:30,803 --> 00:11:32,083
You notice all the arguments
and things like that
259
00:11:32,163 --> 00:11:33,483
that keep happening.
260
00:11:33,563 --> 00:11:35,043
In a way, you just wanna get away from it.
261
00:11:35,123 --> 00:11:38,123
So yeah, you'd like to get
out as soon as possible.
262
00:11:38,203 --> 00:11:40,323
And that's what Lewis did.
263
00:11:40,403 --> 00:11:42,563
Ben encouraged him to leave.
264
00:11:42,643 --> 00:11:46,723
Not long after, things came to
a head between Sarah and Ben.
265
00:11:46,803 --> 00:11:49,163
So that was the day when everything
266
00:11:49,243 --> 00:11:50,723
probably hit its worst point.
267
00:11:50,803 --> 00:11:53,043
He then decided to throw
her out the house one day,
268
00:11:53,123 --> 00:11:54,883
changed all the locks.
269
00:11:54,963 --> 00:11:56,843
A relationship began
with hopes
270
00:11:56,923 --> 00:11:59,723
of the high life in Spain
had fallen apart
271
00:11:59,803 --> 00:12:03,603
and would soon spiral
further towards murder.
272
00:12:04,523 --> 00:12:06,443
The information that we were
getting from Ben Lacomba
273
00:12:06,523 --> 00:12:08,603
was that Sarah was depressed,
274
00:12:08,683 --> 00:12:10,203
that she would take herself away,
275
00:12:10,283 --> 00:12:12,203
and he was worried that
she may harm herself.
276
00:12:12,283 --> 00:12:14,003
And as we later found out that appeared
277
00:12:14,083 --> 00:12:17,163
to be very untrue information.
278
00:12:23,323 --> 00:12:26,203
{\an8}
279
00:12:26,283 --> 00:12:27,323
{\an8}Things that not worked out
280
00:12:27,403 --> 00:12:29,803
between Sarah Wellgreen and Ben Lacomba.
281
00:12:29,883 --> 00:12:31,483
But for legal and financial reasons,
282
00:12:31,563 --> 00:12:33,043
Ben Lacomba had to allow her back in
283
00:12:33,123 --> 00:12:35,123
to what had been the family home.
284
00:12:35,203 --> 00:12:37,403
She had nowhere else to go,
285
00:12:37,483 --> 00:12:40,323
{\an8}nowhere to turn to apart from Ben.
286
00:12:40,403 --> 00:12:43,243
{\an8}That was the only place she
could really go back to.
287
00:12:44,483 --> 00:12:47,723
{\an8}In 2013, although they were
living in the same house,
288
00:12:47,803 --> 00:12:51,843
{\an8}over the next few years we
learned that their relationship
289
00:12:51,923 --> 00:12:53,243
{\an8}was starting to deteriorate.
290
00:12:53,323 --> 00:12:57,803
{\an8}You have to focus on just
getting through the week
291
00:12:57,883 --> 00:12:59,563
{\an8}and doing what you can to help.
292
00:12:59,643 --> 00:13:04,083
{\an8}That seems to be a very,
very toxic four year period.
293
00:13:04,163 --> 00:13:05,483
Throughout this toxic time,
294
00:13:05,563 --> 00:13:07,243
Sarah with nowhere else to live,
295
00:13:07,323 --> 00:13:10,883
faced a Ben Lacomba who
was refusing to move out.
296
00:13:12,003 --> 00:13:14,803
There were short periods
where Sarah did move out
297
00:13:14,883 --> 00:13:16,403
and stayed with other people,
298
00:13:16,483 --> 00:13:18,443
but she needed and wanted
to be with her children.
299
00:13:18,843 --> 00:13:21,643
So actually she moved back
into the home address.
300
00:13:21,723 --> 00:13:24,123
Not a popular
decision with her sons.
301
00:13:24,203 --> 00:13:25,963
I didn't agree
with it whatsoever.
302
00:13:26,043 --> 00:13:27,803
I don't believe anybody
my side of the family
303
00:13:27,883 --> 00:13:29,363
agreed with her moving back in there.
304
00:13:29,443 --> 00:13:32,163
Everyone told her it was a bad idea.
305
00:13:32,243 --> 00:13:35,123
But the more I spoke to her about it,
306
00:13:35,203 --> 00:13:38,283
it was just simply so she
could see her children.
307
00:13:38,363 --> 00:13:40,163
But then obviously come round,
308
00:13:40,243 --> 00:13:41,563
it was her decision she made.
309
00:13:41,643 --> 00:13:46,003
And that came at a very
personal cost for her.
310
00:13:46,083 --> 00:13:47,723
She didn't like Ben at the time.
311
00:13:49,203 --> 00:13:51,483
Back as primary
carer of her children
312
00:13:51,563 --> 00:13:55,083
but stuck living with the
man she no longer wanted.
313
00:13:55,163 --> 00:13:58,443
During that four year period
when this dispute is ongoing,
314
00:13:58,523 --> 00:14:00,163
they are still living together.
315
00:14:00,243 --> 00:14:03,003
They're not sleeping together,
they're in separate parts of the house.
316
00:14:03,323 --> 00:14:05,643
They're not in a financial
position to move on from that.
317
00:14:05,723 --> 00:14:09,283
I mean there's only one reason
that you stay in a house
318
00:14:09,363 --> 00:14:11,363
with somebody you don't
want to be with anymore,
319
00:14:11,443 --> 00:14:13,763
and that's because you
don't have any choice.
320
00:14:14,963 --> 00:14:18,283
She was willing to make that
sacrifice for her children.
321
00:14:19,243 --> 00:14:21,643
But that four years
that's forced upon them,
322
00:14:21,723 --> 00:14:24,483
four years in which whilst effectively,
323
00:14:24,563 --> 00:14:26,563
legally at each other's throats,
324
00:14:26,963 --> 00:14:29,323
they are also co-habiting.
325
00:14:29,403 --> 00:14:33,523
And that cannot have been a
happy time or a healthy time.
326
00:14:35,603 --> 00:14:36,643
Inside this house,
327
00:14:36,723 --> 00:14:38,683
tensions were constantly running high.
328
00:14:39,123 --> 00:14:41,723
Ben Lacomba became an all seeing ex-lover
329
00:14:41,803 --> 00:14:46,003
living in the attic, watching
his former lover come and go.
330
00:14:46,083 --> 00:14:49,683
He has CCTV fitted
all around the house.
331
00:14:49,763 --> 00:14:52,923
But why does he need to
know exactly what's going on
332
00:14:53,003 --> 00:14:54,563
in every room of the house?
333
00:14:54,883 --> 00:14:59,323
Why does he need to have this
sort of omniscient overlord
334
00:14:59,403 --> 00:15:03,043
looking down approach
to his domestic life?
335
00:15:03,123 --> 00:15:08,323
And when you look at that
combined with repeated failures,
336
00:15:08,403 --> 00:15:11,243
you think that maybe this
is a ticking time bomb.
337
00:15:15,723 --> 00:15:18,123
{\an8}
338
00:15:18,203 --> 00:15:21,323
{\an8}By 2018, Sarah's professional
life had progressed.
339
00:15:21,403 --> 00:15:24,083
She now had her own clients
working as a beautician
340
00:15:24,163 --> 00:15:26,603
and she had been offered
further work in that line
341
00:15:26,683 --> 00:15:29,043
to give her a permanent salary.
342
00:15:29,123 --> 00:15:32,603
Lacomba, meanwhile, had few
friends, no female partners,
343
00:15:32,683 --> 00:15:34,243
and he was running a taxi,
344
00:15:34,323 --> 00:15:37,163
having abandoned his
ambition of becoming a pilot.
345
00:15:37,243 --> 00:15:40,043
To fill the time, he could
watch Sarah come and go
346
00:15:40,123 --> 00:15:43,283
via the security cameras,
and that's what he did.
347
00:15:43,363 --> 00:15:46,323
It was quite an elaborate setup.
He had cameras at the front,
348
00:15:46,403 --> 00:15:48,083
the side, and the rear of his house,
349
00:15:48,163 --> 00:15:50,323
all controlled by a system
350
00:15:50,403 --> 00:15:52,243
which was actually kept in his bedroom,
351
00:15:52,323 --> 00:15:54,843
which was in the attic
conversion of their house.
352
00:15:54,923 --> 00:15:56,883
She knows she's being watched.
353
00:15:56,963 --> 00:15:59,443
She knows that her every
action is being recorded.
354
00:15:59,523 --> 00:16:02,803
She's well aware, because
it's impossible not to be,
355
00:16:02,883 --> 00:16:06,683
that there's CCTV all around this house.
356
00:16:06,763 --> 00:16:08,963
Surely Ben
Lacomba could have seen Sarah
357
00:16:09,043 --> 00:16:11,523
leave the house one particular evening.
358
00:16:11,603 --> 00:16:14,003
But he would claim he did not.
359
00:16:14,083 --> 00:16:16,683
In October 2018, three days
360
00:16:16,763 --> 00:16:19,883
before the birthday of her
son, Sarah disappeared.
361
00:16:21,043 --> 00:16:24,683
No sign of her, no idea where she's gone.
362
00:16:24,763 --> 00:16:26,523
Remember they're still
living in the same house.
363
00:16:26,603 --> 00:16:29,043
So he is aware of this immediately.
364
00:16:29,123 --> 00:16:31,643
He knows on that very, very first morning
365
00:16:31,723 --> 00:16:34,763
of her being missing
that she is not around.
366
00:16:34,843 --> 00:16:37,003
He knows the following
morning she's still not home.
367
00:16:38,483 --> 00:16:41,083
Sarah's mother
and boyfriend were concerned
368
00:16:41,163 --> 00:16:42,843
and alerted Jack and Lewis.
369
00:16:42,923 --> 00:16:44,923
Sarah's boys were already getting worried
370
00:16:45,003 --> 00:16:46,923
on not hearing from their mum.
371
00:16:47,003 --> 00:16:48,323
They called Ben.
372
00:16:48,403 --> 00:16:51,363
He didn't really seem bothered
by it at all, nothing.
373
00:16:51,443 --> 00:16:53,123
I got a call from Lewis saying
374
00:16:53,203 --> 00:16:54,443
that no one's heard from my mum
375
00:16:54,523 --> 00:16:58,083
in I believe it was a couple
of hours or most of that day.
376
00:16:58,163 --> 00:16:59,843
There's lots of thoughts
in the beginning of it.
377
00:16:59,923 --> 00:17:01,323
There's lots of things
that go through your mind
378
00:17:01,403 --> 00:17:02,963
when it's all happening.
379
00:17:03,043 --> 00:17:05,642
The boys urge
Lacomba, "Call the police."
380
00:17:05,723 --> 00:17:09,122
Then he finally calls the
police, and he only does so
381
00:17:09,203 --> 00:17:11,763
at the instigation of
other family members.
382
00:17:11,843 --> 00:17:13,003
Morning,
Kent Police switchboard.
383
00:17:13,083 --> 00:17:15,603
Hello, I want to
report a missing person.
384
00:17:16,003 --> 00:17:19,443
After Ben Lacomba called us,
we went straight to the house
385
00:17:19,763 --> 00:17:23,243
and we started our investigation
into trying to find Sarah.
386
00:17:23,323 --> 00:17:26,683
Ben Lacomba didn't seem
to be that concerned.
387
00:17:26,763 --> 00:17:28,083
The way he was presenting to us
388
00:17:28,162 --> 00:17:31,003
was described to me by
my officers as quite odd.
389
00:17:31,083 --> 00:17:33,043
He didn't really want to engage with us,
390
00:17:33,123 --> 00:17:36,043
he didn't really want us at the house.
391
00:17:36,123 --> 00:17:38,683
Which for somebody that
had reported Sarah missing,
392
00:17:38,763 --> 00:17:40,843
he didn't seem to act in that way.
393
00:17:41,163 --> 00:17:43,963
In fact we learned later on
that it was Sarah's family
394
00:17:44,043 --> 00:17:46,723
had put pressure on
Ben Lacomba to phone us
395
00:17:46,803 --> 00:17:47,923
to report her missing.
396
00:17:49,683 --> 00:17:52,443
From the very
start, officers were worried.
397
00:17:52,523 --> 00:17:54,003
We searched the home address.
398
00:17:54,083 --> 00:17:56,563
We found that Sarah's car
was still there.
399
00:17:56,643 --> 00:17:58,883
We found that her handbag was still there
400
00:17:58,963 --> 00:18:01,283
with her purse, and her
cash, and her cards.
401
00:18:01,363 --> 00:18:05,163
In fact, on speaking to Sarah's
family and to Ben Lacomba,
402
00:18:05,243 --> 00:18:07,923
apart from her personal mobile phone,
403
00:18:08,003 --> 00:18:09,643
everything else was still at the house.
404
00:18:09,723 --> 00:18:11,643
So that raised some alarm
bells straight away,
405
00:18:11,723 --> 00:18:15,043
that Sarah may not have just gone out.
406
00:18:15,123 --> 00:18:17,483
Actually, what had happened to Sarah?
407
00:18:17,563 --> 00:18:20,243
On the first day that I was called,
408
00:18:20,323 --> 00:18:21,843
I didn't think much of it.
409
00:18:21,923 --> 00:18:24,603
I mean, I tried to call
her, got no answers.
410
00:18:24,683 --> 00:18:26,523
Sarah doted on her children
411
00:18:26,603 --> 00:18:28,763
and she would never have been missing
412
00:18:28,843 --> 00:18:30,003
on one of her son's birthdays.
413
00:18:30,083 --> 00:18:32,723
She actually had plans for his birthday,
414
00:18:32,803 --> 00:18:34,003
and she wasn't there.
415
00:18:34,083 --> 00:18:37,323
So our worry about Sarah was very high.
416
00:18:38,523 --> 00:18:41,763
It was a difficult night
that night because obviously
417
00:18:41,843 --> 00:18:44,283
you have everything
going through your brain.
418
00:18:44,363 --> 00:18:46,403
When we got to Kent,
there was nothing else
419
00:18:46,483 --> 00:18:49,843
to think about other than, where is she?
420
00:18:49,923 --> 00:18:51,443
How could she be missing?
421
00:18:51,523 --> 00:18:52,923
Why would she be missing?
422
00:18:54,963 --> 00:18:58,443
We began searches in the wider
area of New Ash Green as well.
423
00:18:58,523 --> 00:19:03,483
It's quite a rural area
where that estate is built.
424
00:19:03,563 --> 00:19:05,483
So we were looking in that
area to see whether Sarah
425
00:19:05,563 --> 00:19:07,403
might've been located nearby.
426
00:19:08,323 --> 00:19:10,043
The authorities
alerted the public.
427
00:19:10,123 --> 00:19:12,083
There was a sense of purpose quickly
428
00:19:12,163 --> 00:19:13,883
about the search for Sarah.
429
00:19:13,963 --> 00:19:15,883
{\an8}I checked Facebook before I went to bed,
430
00:19:15,963 --> 00:19:18,083
{\an8}like I generally do.
431
00:19:18,163 --> 00:19:21,363
{\an8}And there was, on the village account,
432
00:19:21,443 --> 00:19:24,483
there was a shout-out from
a young man called Lewis
433
00:19:24,563 --> 00:19:26,603
saying that his mum had gone missing
434
00:19:26,683 --> 00:19:28,523
and had anybody seen her.
435
00:19:28,603 --> 00:19:30,043
That played on my mind through the night.
436
00:19:30,123 --> 00:19:32,843
I woke up about five in the morning
437
00:19:32,923 --> 00:19:34,643
and she was still missing.
438
00:19:34,723 --> 00:19:37,803
So I put a shout-out
in the morning saying,
439
00:19:37,883 --> 00:19:38,883
"Is anybody free?
440
00:19:38,963 --> 00:19:40,563
"There's a missing lady.
441
00:19:40,643 --> 00:19:43,003
"Fancy going and having a look for her?"
442
00:19:43,363 --> 00:19:47,003
I arranged with the local pavilion that
443
00:19:47,083 --> 00:19:49,523
and I was absolutely shocked
how many people turned up.
444
00:19:49,603 --> 00:19:51,363
The village is a little bit like that,
445
00:19:51,443 --> 00:19:54,083
kind of comes out if anything goes wrong.
446
00:19:54,163 --> 00:19:58,563
So we started to send people
out in different directions.
447
00:19:58,643 --> 00:20:01,363
And then more people came
and more people came.
448
00:20:02,643 --> 00:20:04,003
For me, it became more serious
449
00:20:04,083 --> 00:20:06,163
when I'd see all the effort
450
00:20:06,243 --> 00:20:07,363
the whole community was putting in
451
00:20:07,443 --> 00:20:09,043
towards the searching
and things like that.
452
00:20:09,123 --> 00:20:10,923
We kind of thought
we were just going
453
00:20:11,003 --> 00:20:12,723
looking for somebody down and injured.
454
00:20:12,803 --> 00:20:15,683
That's what the police had
said to me that morning.
455
00:20:15,763 --> 00:20:17,163
So we were looking at the roads,
456
00:20:17,243 --> 00:20:18,683
looking to anywhere somebody
457
00:20:18,763 --> 00:20:22,083
could have got themselves
off of the road if they were injured.
458
00:20:23,243 --> 00:20:24,563
The boys meanwhile,
459
00:20:24,643 --> 00:20:28,083
were getting very concerned
about Ben Lacomba's behavior.
460
00:20:28,163 --> 00:20:30,203
A couple of days after she went missing,
461
00:20:30,283 --> 00:20:31,763
we wanted to try and see the children,
462
00:20:31,843 --> 00:20:33,163
and we were blocked from it.
463
00:20:33,243 --> 00:20:35,163
And I always thought
that was a bit strange.
464
00:20:35,243 --> 00:20:38,643
Then I found out that he
had taken the children
465
00:20:38,723 --> 00:20:41,603
to his mother's sister's house
466
00:20:41,683 --> 00:20:43,803
and that we weren't allowed to see them.
467
00:20:43,883 --> 00:20:45,483
So it was from that point
468
00:20:45,563 --> 00:20:48,043
where my suspicions grew a lot more.
469
00:20:48,123 --> 00:20:50,403
You can tell he's
obviously hiding something.
470
00:20:50,483 --> 00:20:52,243
It only points you to one answer.
471
00:20:53,443 --> 00:20:56,043
An answer they
did not want to hear.
472
00:20:56,123 --> 00:20:58,883
Every day, you believe
something will turn up,
473
00:20:58,963 --> 00:21:01,723
some sort of new
evidence, anything at all,
474
00:21:01,803 --> 00:21:04,083
some sort of sighting or anything.
475
00:21:04,163 --> 00:21:07,243
The police looked into
absolutely everything
476
00:21:07,323 --> 00:21:09,403
and still nothing was being turned up.
477
00:21:09,803 --> 00:21:11,723
Was Sarah Wellgreen dead?
478
00:21:11,803 --> 00:21:13,643
Had Ben Lacomba killed her?
479
00:21:13,723 --> 00:21:16,003
If so, where had he put the body?
480
00:21:24,003 --> 00:21:25,883
Kent police were alarmed from the moment
481
00:21:25,963 --> 00:21:27,043
that they had received the call
482
00:21:27,123 --> 00:21:29,483
about Sarah Wellgreen's disappearance.
483
00:21:29,563 --> 00:21:31,643
It was quite suspicious
that Sarah had left
484
00:21:31,723 --> 00:21:33,243
all of her property behind.
485
00:21:33,323 --> 00:21:34,323
{\an8}Her family were telling us
486
00:21:34,403 --> 00:21:36,123
{\an8}that she would never walk anywhere.
487
00:21:36,203 --> 00:21:37,523
{\an8}She always used her car.
488
00:21:37,603 --> 00:21:39,123
And that was still at the home.
489
00:21:39,563 --> 00:21:41,763
So we were very worried
right at the beginning.
490
00:21:41,843 --> 00:21:44,923
And we classed Sarah a
high-risk missing person.
491
00:21:45,003 --> 00:21:46,563
Had she come to some harm?
492
00:21:46,643 --> 00:21:47,683
Had she harmed herself?
493
00:21:47,763 --> 00:21:50,163
Had she had an accident nearby?
494
00:21:50,243 --> 00:21:52,483
Had she left and couldn't return
495
00:21:52,563 --> 00:21:54,043
because she was being held somewhere?
496
00:21:56,123 --> 00:21:58,443
{\an8}In very few days,
we were told that, you know,
497
00:21:58,523 --> 00:22:00,483
{\an8}it was not a missing person.
498
00:22:00,563 --> 00:22:04,163
{\an8}It was being treated
as a potential murder.
499
00:22:07,003 --> 00:22:09,003
So we carried out quite
extensive searches
500
00:22:09,083 --> 00:22:10,683
in the local New Ash Green area.
501
00:22:10,763 --> 00:22:13,883
It's quite a rural area
and a lot of woodland,
502
00:22:13,963 --> 00:22:17,083
and we did a lot of
what we describe as fingertip search,
503
00:22:17,163 --> 00:22:18,803
in trying to find any evidence
504
00:22:18,883 --> 00:22:20,723
of where Sarah might have gone.
505
00:22:21,763 --> 00:22:24,763
We did quite a lot of
work around the local CCTV
506
00:22:24,843 --> 00:22:27,043
to see if we could find Sarah going out
507
00:22:27,123 --> 00:22:28,603
or anybody coming to the address.
508
00:22:28,683 --> 00:22:32,083
We did some work on Sarah's phone,
her missing phone,
509
00:22:32,163 --> 00:22:35,563
and we were able to establish that
that phone went offline
510
00:22:35,643 --> 00:22:38,483
at four minutes past four in the morning.
511
00:22:38,563 --> 00:22:40,043
And we did some financial work to see
512
00:22:40,123 --> 00:22:42,123
whether there was any transactions,
513
00:22:42,203 --> 00:22:44,363
and we did a lot of
work around her digital
514
00:22:44,443 --> 00:22:46,203
and social media footprint.
515
00:22:46,283 --> 00:22:47,883
There was no financial footprint,
516
00:22:47,963 --> 00:22:49,523
there was no digital footprint.
517
00:22:51,363 --> 00:22:54,643
Despite that, Ben Lacomba
carried on his life as normal.
518
00:22:54,723 --> 00:22:57,963
His former lover, the mother
of his children, missing,
519
00:22:58,043 --> 00:23:00,683
yet he ran an event business
as a sideline
520
00:23:00,763 --> 00:23:02,043
and he planned a party.
521
00:23:02,123 --> 00:23:06,003
He ran kids war games
with these foam guns.
522
00:23:06,083 --> 00:23:08,803
And we were really baffled with Ben
523
00:23:08,883 --> 00:23:12,163
when about day three
or four of our searching,
524
00:23:12,243 --> 00:23:16,003
he went into the village office
to book the village hall.
525
00:23:16,083 --> 00:23:19,523
And we thought that
was completely bizarre.
526
00:23:19,603 --> 00:23:23,123
There's half the village looking for the
mother of his children,
527
00:23:23,203 --> 00:23:27,523
and he's trying to arrange
a kid's game in the village.
528
00:23:29,083 --> 00:23:32,163
We did realize that we
were dealing with somebody
529
00:23:32,243 --> 00:23:34,163
that didn't kind of think
like the rest of us did.
530
00:23:34,243 --> 00:23:37,963
So we applied that really
to our searches of,
531
00:23:38,043 --> 00:23:40,443
okay, what do we think he thinks?
532
00:23:40,523 --> 00:23:43,843
How do we think his thought pattern is?
533
00:23:45,603 --> 00:23:49,203
We're still pretty sure she's
here right under our nose.
534
00:23:50,443 --> 00:23:52,003
The search
parties combed every inch
535
00:23:52,083 --> 00:23:54,723
of the woodlands and country
lanes around the area.
536
00:23:56,603 --> 00:23:58,763
Most feared the worst had happened.
537
00:23:58,843 --> 00:24:00,963
They were probably looking for a body.
538
00:24:02,003 --> 00:24:06,283
As searches for Sarah continued
and turned up nothing,
539
00:24:06,363 --> 00:24:08,043
Ben Lacomba planned his children's party
540
00:24:08,123 --> 00:24:09,243
in the village hall.
541
00:24:09,323 --> 00:24:11,723
But with no body, there
could be no arrest.
542
00:24:12,603 --> 00:24:14,323
Three days into the hunt for Sarah,
543
00:24:14,403 --> 00:24:16,923
police asked Ben Lacomba for his phone.
544
00:24:17,003 --> 00:24:19,043
Could they check to see
if information on it
545
00:24:19,123 --> 00:24:21,323
might reveal digital signals
546
00:24:21,403 --> 00:24:24,523
to show where Sarah's
still missing phone was?
547
00:24:24,603 --> 00:24:26,363
Usually, we get a lot of
cooperation from people,
548
00:24:26,443 --> 00:24:28,523
especially when there's
concern for a loved one.
549
00:24:28,603 --> 00:24:30,963
Actually Ben Lacomba was more interested
550
00:24:31,043 --> 00:24:33,203
in what we could retrieve from his phone
551
00:24:33,283 --> 00:24:36,283
and refused to give us
his phone that evening.
552
00:24:36,363 --> 00:24:39,043
He told us that he would
see us the next day.
553
00:24:39,123 --> 00:24:41,523
He told us he'd come to the police
station and we could do it then,
554
00:24:41,603 --> 00:24:44,243
but he needed to do some
things on his phone first.
555
00:24:44,323 --> 00:24:46,763
As we later found out, that evening
556
00:24:46,843 --> 00:24:50,003
after my officers have
left, Ben Lacomba drove
557
00:24:50,083 --> 00:24:54,043
{\an8}from his home address to Greenhithe,
which is a town nearby.
558
00:24:54,123 --> 00:24:56,163
{\an8}He went to the River Thames there
559
00:24:56,243 --> 00:24:58,003
{\an8}and he threw his phone in the river.
560
00:24:59,043 --> 00:25:01,723
{\an8}The following day, we
couldn't get hold of him
561
00:25:01,803 --> 00:25:04,723
until he'd been and
bought another handset,
562
00:25:04,803 --> 00:25:07,483
an identical handset to the
one he'd just disposed of.
563
00:25:07,563 --> 00:25:10,683
And he put his original SIM card in there.
564
00:25:10,763 --> 00:25:12,203
Ben Lacomba seemed very keen
565
00:25:12,283 --> 00:25:14,803
to get rid of any evidence
which might incriminate him.
566
00:25:14,883 --> 00:25:17,003
It was hoped that the
cameras which proliferated
567
00:25:17,083 --> 00:25:18,923
on the property would yield evidence.
568
00:25:19,003 --> 00:25:21,163
Oddly, no luck there either.
569
00:25:21,243 --> 00:25:25,883
We found that his CCTV
system was corrupted.
570
00:25:25,963 --> 00:25:27,163
And he told us that that system
571
00:25:27,243 --> 00:25:29,723
hadn't been working for over a year.
572
00:25:29,803 --> 00:25:32,043
So there wasn't anything on his footage
573
00:25:32,123 --> 00:25:35,083
that we could find to help us find Sarah.
574
00:25:37,123 --> 00:25:38,803
As detectives tried to overcome
575
00:25:38,883 --> 00:25:40,403
the strange series of evidence gaps
576
00:25:40,483 --> 00:25:43,283
linked to Ben Lacomba,
the search went on.
577
00:25:43,363 --> 00:25:46,083
No body meant there was still hope.
578
00:25:46,163 --> 00:25:48,083
It does hurt, it's a strange feeling
579
00:25:48,163 --> 00:25:50,483
{\an8}because you've got so
many different emotions
580
00:25:50,563 --> 00:25:51,923
{\an8}going through you at the time.
581
00:25:52,003 --> 00:25:54,803
{\an8}Like even, oh, they
haven't found anything.
582
00:25:54,883 --> 00:25:56,403
Could she still possibly be alive?
583
00:25:58,083 --> 00:26:00,163
Was the answer
to that question to be found
584
00:26:00,243 --> 00:26:02,683
somewhere in the fields, and the ditches,
585
00:26:02,763 --> 00:26:05,323
and the country lanes
around New Ash Green?
586
00:26:05,403 --> 00:26:08,403
The community and the boys
were not about to give up.
587
00:26:08,483 --> 00:26:12,003
One particular search will
always stay in my mind
588
00:26:12,083 --> 00:26:14,843
of a potential area in the woods.
589
00:26:14,923 --> 00:26:16,723
And Jack had come out on the search,
590
00:26:16,803 --> 00:26:20,883
which I don't actually think
is necessarily the best thing.
591
00:26:20,963 --> 00:26:23,683
But we were digging and
we realized that no,
592
00:26:23,763 --> 00:26:26,523
this wasn't going anywhere, it wasn't.
593
00:26:26,603 --> 00:26:29,643
But we couldn't stop Jack digging.
594
00:26:29,723 --> 00:26:31,763
And it was the most heartbreaking thing
595
00:26:31,843 --> 00:26:36,843
to stand there and watch a young
boy digging for his mother.
596
00:26:40,203 --> 00:26:41,403
By October 16th, a week
597
00:26:41,803 --> 00:26:43,963
since she was last sighted
on security cameras,
598
00:26:44,043 --> 00:26:47,363
and five days since Ben Lacomba
had reported her missing,
599
00:26:47,443 --> 00:26:49,083
detectives pounce.
600
00:26:49,163 --> 00:26:51,043
{\an8}And on the 16th of October,
601
00:26:51,123 --> 00:26:55,563
{\an8}I had Ben Lacomba arrested on
suspicion of Sarah's murder.
602
00:26:56,363 --> 00:26:57,643
Ben, it's the police.
603
00:26:57,723 --> 00:26:58,883
You are under the arrest
604
00:26:58,963 --> 00:27:01,963
for suspicion of murder
of Sarah Wellgreen.
605
00:27:02,043 --> 00:27:04,323
Over the next two days
whilst he was in custody,
606
00:27:04,403 --> 00:27:06,283
we interviewed him a number of times.
607
00:27:06,363 --> 00:27:10,083
In fact, we had seven hours
worth of interviews with Ben.
608
00:27:10,163 --> 00:27:13,643
Throughout all interviews,
he remained silent.
609
00:27:13,723 --> 00:27:16,123
He refused to answer any questions.
610
00:27:16,203 --> 00:27:19,123
You're here on
suspicion of murdering her.
611
00:27:20,443 --> 00:27:21,563
We believe she may be dead,
612
00:27:21,643 --> 00:27:23,123
and that may be at your hand.
613
00:27:25,363 --> 00:27:26,803
So did you kill her?
614
00:27:30,483 --> 00:27:32,043
And for somebody
that was innocent,
615
00:27:32,123 --> 00:27:34,523
somebody that had nothing to
do with Sarah's disappearance,
616
00:27:34,603 --> 00:27:36,363
somebody that had phoned us with concern
617
00:27:36,443 --> 00:27:37,643
that she'd gone missing,
618
00:27:37,723 --> 00:27:40,883
for him not to help us was really strange.
619
00:27:41,923 --> 00:27:44,163
So I'm not
clear at the moment, Ben,
620
00:27:44,243 --> 00:27:46,603
whether you're just trying
to think of an answer
621
00:27:46,683 --> 00:27:49,323
or whether you've decided
not to answer the question.
622
00:27:49,403 --> 00:27:51,283
And it was at very early stages,
623
00:27:51,363 --> 00:27:54,363
we were a week after
Sarah had gone missing.
624
00:27:54,443 --> 00:27:56,723
There was still a lot of investigation
625
00:27:56,803 --> 00:27:57,763
that we needed to do.
626
00:27:57,843 --> 00:28:01,643
I had strong suspicions that
Ben Lacomba was responsible.
627
00:28:01,723 --> 00:28:05,483
But at that stage,
Ben Lacomba was released on bail
628
00:28:05,563 --> 00:28:07,803
and we continued our investigations.
629
00:28:07,883 --> 00:28:11,003
{\an8}You can only assume that Ben
630
00:28:11,083 --> 00:28:13,963
{\an8}is relying upon the lack of a body here
631
00:28:14,043 --> 00:28:17,043
to guarantee that he doesn't
get arrested or charged.
632
00:28:19,403 --> 00:28:21,203
The first time he was arrested
633
00:28:21,283 --> 00:28:25,043
{\an8}essentially told us all
what we were all thinking.
634
00:28:25,123 --> 00:28:28,963
{\an8}Then he was released, we weren't
necessarily too sure why.
635
00:28:30,083 --> 00:28:32,723
A series of mysteries
was now to be examined.
636
00:28:32,803 --> 00:28:34,883
Lacomba had said, inexplicably,
637
00:28:34,963 --> 00:28:37,883
his own CCTV not been working.
638
00:28:37,963 --> 00:28:41,283
But his home was not the
only one with cameras.
639
00:28:41,363 --> 00:28:42,643
What we did find is one
640
00:28:42,723 --> 00:28:46,083
of Ben Lacomba's neighbors had CCTV,
641
00:28:46,163 --> 00:28:48,003
and that overlooked the
front of their house
642
00:28:48,083 --> 00:28:49,323
into the main car park,
643
00:28:49,403 --> 00:28:51,283
and behind that neighbor's house as well.
644
00:28:53,083 --> 00:28:55,163
It was to be
a huge undertaking
645
00:28:55,243 --> 00:28:58,803
as they searched frame by
frame through CCTV images
646
00:28:58,883 --> 00:29:01,163
{\an8}capturing the comings and goings of cars
647
00:29:01,243 --> 00:29:03,963
{\an8}around the home
where Ben and Sarah lived.
648
00:29:04,043 --> 00:29:05,603
{\an8}And there were revelations.
649
00:29:05,683 --> 00:29:08,323
{\an8}From viewing the neighbors CCTV,
650
00:29:08,403 --> 00:29:10,443
we found that pretty much every day
651
00:29:10,523 --> 00:29:14,043
{\an8}Ben Lacomba would come
home and he'd park his car
652
00:29:14,123 --> 00:29:16,283
{\an8}in the car park right next to his house.
653
00:29:16,363 --> 00:29:17,923
{\an8}I call that car park one.
654
00:29:19,283 --> 00:29:21,083
{\an8}Actually the day that Ben Lacomba
655
00:29:21,163 --> 00:29:24,003
{\an8}came home from work on the 9th of October,
656
00:29:24,083 --> 00:29:27,243
he parked his car in
what I call car park two,
657
00:29:27,643 --> 00:29:30,043
{\an8}and that's behind the
neighbor's home address
658
00:29:30,123 --> 00:29:33,123
{\an8}in an area that's not covered by CCTV.
659
00:29:33,203 --> 00:29:35,763
It's quite dark there and
an area where Ben Lacomba
660
00:29:35,843 --> 00:29:39,003
could still get to his house,
but without being seen.
661
00:29:39,083 --> 00:29:41,003
And I wondered why did he not park
662
00:29:41,083 --> 00:29:43,483
where he would normally
park right by his house?
663
00:29:43,563 --> 00:29:46,883
It was lit, it was covered by CCTV.
664
00:29:46,963 --> 00:29:48,923
In fact, CCTV that he knew about,
665
00:29:49,003 --> 00:29:50,043
because he'd asked his neighbor
666
00:29:50,123 --> 00:29:51,443
what the coverage was before.
667
00:29:51,523 --> 00:29:53,003
Why did he park somewhere else?
668
00:29:54,883 --> 00:29:56,403
{\an8}
669
00:29:56,483 --> 00:29:57,563
{\an8}On the 9th of October,
670
00:29:57,643 --> 00:30:00,363
{\an8}they see Sarah Wellgreen
leaving the shared home.
671
00:30:00,443 --> 00:30:02,923
{\an8}Later on the 9th, Sarah returns.
672
00:30:03,003 --> 00:30:05,723
{\an8}We know from CCTV
that Sarah came home
673
00:30:05,803 --> 00:30:08,283
{\an8}just before 8:00 p.m.
on the 9th of October.
674
00:30:08,363 --> 00:30:11,003
{\an8}We can see Sarah parking
her car next to her house
675
00:30:11,083 --> 00:30:13,243
{\an8}and we see her going
into her home address.
676
00:30:13,483 --> 00:30:16,883
That's the last time anyone saw Sarah,
677
00:30:16,963 --> 00:30:20,203
apart from her children and Ben Lacomba.
678
00:30:20,283 --> 00:30:22,003
And at that stage, we could only go on
679
00:30:22,083 --> 00:30:23,403
what Ben was telling us.
680
00:30:25,123 --> 00:30:27,283
He said that Sarah had
come into the house,
681
00:30:27,363 --> 00:30:29,283
she had gone to see her children
682
00:30:29,603 --> 00:30:31,323
and then she'd gone into her bedroom,
683
00:30:31,403 --> 00:30:33,043
which was on the second floor.
684
00:30:33,123 --> 00:30:35,403
Ben Lacomba slept in the attic room
685
00:30:35,483 --> 00:30:37,843
on the third floor of the house.
686
00:30:37,923 --> 00:30:40,603
Minute analysis of
the neighbor's CCTV footage
687
00:30:40,683 --> 00:30:42,003
exposed Ben's claims that his cameras
688
00:30:42,083 --> 00:30:45,203
had not been working as untrue.
689
00:30:45,283 --> 00:30:48,123
One of the things that that CCTV shows
690
00:30:48,203 --> 00:30:53,203
is Ben's CCTV cameras and
their flickering light
691
00:30:53,603 --> 00:30:55,003
that says they're active.
692
00:30:55,083 --> 00:30:57,123
And what it shows is that the night
693
00:30:57,443 --> 00:31:00,003
of Sarah's disappearance,
someone turned them off.
694
00:31:01,723 --> 00:31:03,523
The CTTV system itself
695
00:31:03,603 --> 00:31:06,163
was located in Ben Lacomba's bedroom.
696
00:31:06,243 --> 00:31:08,083
So who else could have
turned that camera off?
697
00:31:09,803 --> 00:31:11,803
In the
extensive search for Sarah,
698
00:31:11,883 --> 00:31:14,883
Ivan Beasley's team undertook
the largest search operation
699
00:31:14,963 --> 00:31:16,563
Kent police have ever seen.
700
00:31:16,643 --> 00:31:19,043
They trawled through private CCTV footage
701
00:31:19,123 --> 00:31:20,803
in a 10 mile radius.
702
00:31:21,683 --> 00:31:23,083
And we had a real breakthrough.
703
00:31:23,163 --> 00:31:26,963
We found that just after
2:00 a.m. that night,
704
00:31:27,043 --> 00:31:28,883
Ben Lacomba's car was on the move.
705
00:31:29,163 --> 00:31:31,123
{\an8}And we captured it on a number of cameras
706
00:31:31,203 --> 00:31:34,323
{\an8}at private addresses,
traveling around two miles
707
00:31:34,403 --> 00:31:36,203
{\an8}away from the home address.
708
00:31:39,163 --> 00:31:42,523
{\an8}So we knew Ben Lacomba had
gone out, and he didn't return
709
00:31:42,603 --> 00:31:46,123
{\an8}until about half past four in the morning.
710
00:31:48,323 --> 00:31:51,563
{\an8}So Ben Lacomba had told us
that he'd been in bed all night
711
00:31:51,643 --> 00:31:54,363
and that when he woke in the
morning, Sarah was missing.
712
00:31:54,763 --> 00:31:57,163
But we've now found his car on the move
713
00:31:57,243 --> 00:31:58,963
and it had been away from the home address
714
00:31:59,043 --> 00:32:00,163
for over two hours.
715
00:32:02,123 --> 00:32:06,763
{\an8}Learning all the information
and the CCTV footage
716
00:32:06,843 --> 00:32:10,723
of him leaving, being
gone for a few hours,
717
00:32:10,803 --> 00:32:13,083
I've reminisced about that an awful lot.
718
00:32:14,123 --> 00:32:15,843
I know the route that he's taken.
719
00:32:15,923 --> 00:32:18,763
I know the last point of
camera that he was on.
720
00:32:18,843 --> 00:32:22,643
I know he was gone for
approximately two hours
721
00:32:22,723 --> 00:32:24,643
before he returned back to the point
722
00:32:24,723 --> 00:32:26,483
and took the same route home.
723
00:32:26,563 --> 00:32:28,123
What had Ben Lacomba been doing
724
00:32:28,203 --> 00:32:30,043
in the two hours in which
he had found a place
725
00:32:30,123 --> 00:32:31,083
where there were no cameras,
726
00:32:31,483 --> 00:32:34,003
no passersby, at three in the morning
727
00:32:34,083 --> 00:32:37,003
when he had told police
he'd been asleep in bed?
728
00:32:37,083 --> 00:32:40,083
He was liar, but was he a killer?
729
00:32:44,163 --> 00:32:48,163
{\an8}
730
00:32:48,243 --> 00:32:50,243
{\an8}October 10th dawned brightly in Kent.
731
00:32:51,803 --> 00:32:53,803
Already on the road, Ben Lacomba.
732
00:32:56,043 --> 00:32:58,483
The following morning after
Sarah had disappeared,
733
00:32:58,563 --> 00:33:01,763
{\an8}his car had mud all around his wheels
734
00:33:01,843 --> 00:33:04,483
{\an8}and all up the sides of
both sides of his car.
735
00:33:04,563 --> 00:33:06,883
{\an8}So that car had been out overnight
736
00:33:06,963 --> 00:33:08,923
{\an8}and it had been off the road.
737
00:33:09,003 --> 00:33:10,523
So where had that car been?
738
00:33:13,723 --> 00:33:15,723
Within two hours of us seeing that car
739
00:33:15,803 --> 00:33:19,043
{\an8}the following morning,
he'd got the car cleaned again
740
00:33:19,123 --> 00:33:21,523
{\an8}and it was spotlessly clean as per usual.
741
00:33:21,603 --> 00:33:23,123
{\an8}So where had the car gone?
742
00:33:23,203 --> 00:33:24,843
{\an8}Why was it dirty?
743
00:33:24,923 --> 00:33:27,203
And why was he cleaning it
straight away afterwards?
744
00:33:29,083 --> 00:33:31,483
Although our evidence was
building to show that,
745
00:33:31,563 --> 00:33:34,683
in my opinion,
Ben Lacomba was responsible,
746
00:33:34,763 --> 00:33:37,563
the real frustration was
we couldn't find Sarah.
747
00:33:39,323 --> 00:33:41,883
The entire
community was asked for help.
748
00:33:41,963 --> 00:33:45,163
Could they find anything
of Sarah's, like her phone?
749
00:33:46,163 --> 00:33:48,683
{\an8}On one occasion, we found a mobile phone
750
00:33:48,763 --> 00:33:50,043
{\an8}that fitted that description.
751
00:33:50,123 --> 00:33:55,283
{\an8}And we were...
I cannot describe the feeling.
752
00:33:55,363 --> 00:33:57,243
We all sat in silence
waiting for the police
753
00:33:57,323 --> 00:34:01,043
to say yes or no, and it was a no.
754
00:34:02,803 --> 00:34:04,883
The area around New Ash Green,
755
00:34:04,963 --> 00:34:06,243
and the community believes the body
756
00:34:06,323 --> 00:34:09,443
of Sarah Wellgreen was out there.
757
00:34:09,523 --> 00:34:12,523
Finding it might lead to
the prosecution of her killer.
758
00:34:12,603 --> 00:34:15,843
Most presumed that to be Ben Lacomba.
759
00:34:15,923 --> 00:34:17,403
{\an8}One of the searchers knew Ben
760
00:34:17,483 --> 00:34:21,083
{\an8}and of the difficulty
facing Sarah's neighbors.
761
00:34:21,163 --> 00:34:22,883
{\an8}Ben was a taxi driver.
762
00:34:24,682 --> 00:34:27,523
You know, he's used to
all the country lanes,
763
00:34:27,603 --> 00:34:30,003
all these routes all times of day.
764
00:34:30,083 --> 00:34:31,282
He knows when it's quiet.
765
00:34:31,363 --> 00:34:33,722
He knows where there's cameras.
766
00:34:33,803 --> 00:34:38,363
He knows, you know, landmarks,
what he's looking for maybe.
767
00:34:38,443 --> 00:34:40,643
Unfortunately what
worked to his advantage
768
00:34:40,722 --> 00:34:42,202
was that the area has got so much
769
00:34:42,282 --> 00:34:44,762
vast and desolate woodland.
770
00:34:44,843 --> 00:34:48,123
{\an8}Some of it isn't accessible to dog walkers
771
00:34:48,202 --> 00:34:49,883
{\an8}or isn't a public walking spot.
772
00:34:49,963 --> 00:34:52,643
So they're quite remote and he
would have been able to find
773
00:34:52,722 --> 00:34:54,803
a suitable burial site
in those locations.
774
00:34:56,363 --> 00:34:58,563
We looked for access
points, maybe a gate,
775
00:34:58,643 --> 00:35:02,483
maybe a footpath, anywhere Ben could stop,
776
00:35:03,723 --> 00:35:06,323
maybe not get disturbed in
the middle of the night.
777
00:35:06,403 --> 00:35:08,323
He's then got easy access,
778
00:35:08,403 --> 00:35:12,163
whether it'd be a field, trees,
cover, he's got everything.
779
00:35:12,243 --> 00:35:16,403
We then were so far in, we couldn't stop.
780
00:35:16,483 --> 00:35:18,883
We couldn't just say,
"Oh well, we've looked,
781
00:35:18,963 --> 00:35:20,443
"we've not found her."
782
00:35:20,523 --> 00:35:22,563
We were invested with the family,
783
00:35:22,643 --> 00:35:26,163
we'd got to know them, we'd
got to know the police.
784
00:35:32,563 --> 00:35:33,843
Search come up that way.
785
00:35:33,923 --> 00:35:38,003
So we kept going, we got
teams of cadaver dogs.
786
00:35:38,083 --> 00:35:39,843
They came down from Yorkshire
787
00:35:39,923 --> 00:35:42,563
and as far as the West Country.
788
00:35:42,643 --> 00:35:45,963
And we went out with them in the woodland
789
00:35:46,043 --> 00:35:49,083
and everything surrounding
the village, nothing.
790
00:35:49,163 --> 00:35:51,003
But we had a few positives.
791
00:35:51,083 --> 00:35:53,883
The police came out and it wasn't.
792
00:35:53,963 --> 00:35:55,843
As villagers,
police, and dog handlers
793
00:35:55,923 --> 00:35:58,403
searched the countryside for
signs of Sarah Wellgreen,
794
00:35:58,483 --> 00:35:59,923
Ben Lacomba was still
795
00:36:00,003 --> 00:36:02,083
going about his business
as a taxi driver.
796
00:36:02,163 --> 00:36:05,003
He also went to the family court.
797
00:36:05,083 --> 00:36:06,963
Within a few days of
her disappearance,
798
00:36:07,043 --> 00:36:09,683
Ben Lacomba had gone to the family court
799
00:36:09,763 --> 00:36:11,763
and was trying to
convene an urgent hearing
800
00:36:11,843 --> 00:36:14,803
so that he could have prime
custody of the children.
801
00:36:14,883 --> 00:36:17,403
Now I wonder what the urgency was.
802
00:36:17,483 --> 00:36:20,243
Why did he need to do that so quickly?
803
00:36:20,323 --> 00:36:22,923
And the only answer I came
up with was that he knew
804
00:36:23,003 --> 00:36:25,203
{\an8}Sarah would never be coming home.
805
00:36:25,283 --> 00:36:27,643
{\an8}Kent police and
the Crown Prosecution Service
806
00:36:27,723 --> 00:36:29,603
{\an8}decided to charge Lacomba with murder.
807
00:36:30,643 --> 00:36:32,363
{\an8}The time is 06:45.
808
00:36:33,363 --> 00:36:34,763
{\an8}You are further under the arrest
809
00:36:34,843 --> 00:36:37,563
{\an8}on suspicion of murder of Sarah Wellgreen.
810
00:36:37,643 --> 00:36:40,203
{\an8}This is a further arrest on the
discovery of fresh evidence.
811
00:36:40,283 --> 00:36:42,523
{\an8}It was the only
answer to what had happened.
812
00:36:42,603 --> 00:36:44,443
{\an8}But would a jury agree?
813
00:36:45,283 --> 00:36:46,763
{\an8}Do you understand that?
814
00:36:46,843 --> 00:36:48,523
{\an8}Okay, you don't have to say anything.
But it may harm your defense
815
00:36:48,603 --> 00:36:49,643
{\an8}if you do not mention when questioned
816
00:36:49,723 --> 00:36:51,203
{\an8}something which you
later rely on in court.
817
00:36:51,283 --> 00:36:53,403
{\an8}Anything you do say may
be given in evidence.
818
00:36:53,483 --> 00:36:56,843
It is unusual for somebody
to be charged with murder
819
00:36:56,923 --> 00:36:58,283
{\an8}and tried for murder when there's no body.
820
00:36:58,363 --> 00:37:00,043
{\an8}It's certainly not unheard of.
821
00:37:00,123 --> 00:37:01,923
{\an8}I've been involved in one
of those cases myself.
822
00:37:02,003 --> 00:37:04,243
It is not usual.
823
00:37:06,283 --> 00:37:07,523
To get their man,
824
00:37:07,603 --> 00:37:10,683
detectives needed an unusual
investigative approach.
825
00:37:10,763 --> 00:37:15,363
We had to carry out what are
negative proof of life inquiries
826
00:37:15,443 --> 00:37:18,483
and that was really hard to do.
827
00:37:18,883 --> 00:37:20,483
A jury was about to be asked
828
00:37:20,563 --> 00:37:22,003
to believe a negative.
829
00:37:22,083 --> 00:37:26,283
If someone cannot be seen to
be alive, they must be dead.
830
00:37:26,363 --> 00:37:29,043
The inquires that were
carried out to try and prove
831
00:37:29,123 --> 00:37:31,043
that Sarah was no longer alive
832
00:37:31,123 --> 00:37:33,563
were very complex and ongoing
833
00:37:33,643 --> 00:37:35,683
throughout all of our investigation
834
00:37:35,763 --> 00:37:37,163
up to the point of our trial.
835
00:37:37,603 --> 00:37:42,163
I needed to show that there was no
physical sightings of Sarah.
836
00:37:42,243 --> 00:37:45,483
I also needed to show
there was no financial
837
00:37:45,563 --> 00:37:47,283
or digital footprint of Sarah.
838
00:37:47,363 --> 00:37:50,123
We did ongoing work with her phones,
839
00:37:50,203 --> 00:37:53,003
we did ongoing work with her social media
840
00:37:53,083 --> 00:37:56,123
and I would say it's very
difficult in this day and age
841
00:37:56,203 --> 00:37:58,523
to be able to leave no footprint at all.
842
00:38:00,243 --> 00:38:02,123
If the jury
at Woolwich Crown Court
843
00:38:02,203 --> 00:38:03,883
accepted the prosecution argument,
844
00:38:03,963 --> 00:38:07,123
then the next thing to be
shown was that Ben Lacomba
845
00:38:07,203 --> 00:38:09,203
{\an8}had been responsible for her death.
846
00:38:09,643 --> 00:38:11,963
{\an8}Amongst the videos the jury was shown
847
00:38:12,043 --> 00:38:13,403
{\an8}was the one revealing that Lacomba
848
00:38:13,483 --> 00:38:16,163
{\an8}had driven seven miles
from home three nights
849
00:38:16,243 --> 00:38:19,403
{\an8}after Sarah disappeared
to throw away his phone.
850
00:38:19,483 --> 00:38:21,363
{\an8}So when a question
was put to Ben Lacomba
851
00:38:21,683 --> 00:38:24,523
about why he threw his
mobile phone into the river,
852
00:38:24,603 --> 00:38:27,523
he said that in the past
he'd written some messages
853
00:38:27,603 --> 00:38:30,003
on his phone that he hadn't sent,
854
00:38:30,083 --> 00:38:33,723
but it was a cathartic way
of him expressing his views.
855
00:38:33,803 --> 00:38:35,563
And he decided that if those messages
856
00:38:35,643 --> 00:38:37,083
had ever been seen by the police,
857
00:38:37,163 --> 00:38:39,163
they might be construed in a way
858
00:38:39,243 --> 00:38:42,763
that might raise suspicion
about him being involved.
859
00:38:42,843 --> 00:38:45,483
So that was his answer for why he decided
860
00:38:45,563 --> 00:38:46,923
to throw his phone in the river.
861
00:38:47,003 --> 00:38:48,523
So the Crown had to prove
862
00:38:48,603 --> 00:38:50,203
that Ben had carried out a murder,
863
00:38:50,283 --> 00:38:53,123
and they had to do that
with the absence of a body.
864
00:38:53,203 --> 00:38:55,723
So ordinarily, that's not easy.
865
00:38:55,803 --> 00:38:58,083
He made it very easy for them.
866
00:38:59,283 --> 00:39:02,923
Lacomba was found
guilty of murder on November 2019.
867
00:39:03,003 --> 00:39:05,203
He will serve a minimum of 27 years
868
00:39:05,283 --> 00:39:07,363
before he is eligible for parole.
869
00:39:07,443 --> 00:39:09,323
He has still to reveal the whereabouts
870
00:39:09,403 --> 00:39:11,083
of the body of Sarah Wellgreen.
871
00:39:12,003 --> 00:39:15,523
The investigation into who
killed Sarah is closed.
872
00:39:15,603 --> 00:39:18,043
Ben Lacomba has been found
guilty of murdering Sarah,
873
00:39:18,123 --> 00:39:19,763
and he's been sentenced.
874
00:39:20,883 --> 00:39:22,803
The proactive search for Sarah
875
00:39:22,883 --> 00:39:24,603
has sadly had to come to an end.
876
00:39:25,563 --> 00:39:27,683
But any further information
that comes out
877
00:39:27,763 --> 00:39:30,643
that might help us find where Sarah is,
878
00:39:30,723 --> 00:39:33,763
we are reviewing and
reacting appropriately to.
879
00:39:35,083 --> 00:39:36,963
Lacomba has left
behind his own three children
880
00:39:37,043 --> 00:39:39,243
and two of his ex-lover's boys,
881
00:39:39,323 --> 00:39:41,043
who will be forever haunted
by not knowing
882
00:39:41,123 --> 00:39:43,603
where their mom is buried.
883
00:39:43,683 --> 00:39:46,403
Lacomba is still keeping quiet.
884
00:39:46,483 --> 00:39:48,643
{\an8}The hardest part is that she's still,
885
00:39:48,723 --> 00:39:50,803
{\an8}to this day, not been found.
886
00:39:50,883 --> 00:39:53,723
{\an8}That's probably the hardest
thing to actually deal with.
887
00:39:57,203 --> 00:39:58,563
{\an8}As to why he's not done it,
888
00:40:00,083 --> 00:40:05,083
{\an8}I don't think anyone can
know that other than him.
889
00:40:05,203 --> 00:40:09,083
There's still that missing piece
890
00:40:09,163 --> 00:40:11,203
and it'll always be like that.
891
00:40:12,483 --> 00:40:14,403
We'll always have that missing big piece
892
00:40:14,483 --> 00:40:16,363
because of what he's done.
893
00:40:16,443 --> 00:40:21,043
It'd be a lot easier if he
was to say where she was,
894
00:40:21,123 --> 00:40:24,923
but I believe he will keep on denying it
895
00:40:25,003 --> 00:40:28,083
so he has a hope that he
can have a relationship
896
00:40:28,163 --> 00:40:29,523
with his children.
897
00:40:29,963 --> 00:40:31,003
I believe he's withholding that
898
00:40:31,083 --> 00:40:34,443
because that's the only sort
of power that he has left.
899
00:40:34,523 --> 00:40:37,723
Like as soon as he tells us that,
900
00:40:37,803 --> 00:40:41,163
that's him admitting to doing
it, which he has never done.
901
00:40:41,243 --> 00:40:43,243
But all the evidence pointed towards him.
902
00:40:43,363 --> 00:40:46,083
Whether he will admit that
or not, we can only hope.
903
00:40:48,883 --> 00:40:50,763
Whilst the police
have had to stop the search
904
00:40:50,843 --> 00:40:52,283
for the body of Sarah Wellgreen,
905
00:40:52,363 --> 00:40:54,163
those who first
volunteered to look for her
906
00:40:54,243 --> 00:40:56,883
when she was officially missing continue.
907
00:40:56,963 --> 00:40:59,643
The boys and they feel
that the area of Kent
908
00:40:59,723 --> 00:41:01,203
Lacomba traveled to that night
909
00:41:01,283 --> 00:41:04,083
is not so big that they cannot find her.
910
00:41:05,203 --> 00:41:07,323
The involvement in the searches,
911
00:41:07,403 --> 00:41:11,123
I feel as though if I wasn't involved,
912
00:41:12,243 --> 00:41:17,243
I wouldn't be doing anything
else that would be useful.
913
00:41:17,323 --> 00:41:21,003
The whole reason I came back
to Kent was to find her.
914
00:41:21,083 --> 00:41:22,883
I've been here ever since.
915
00:41:24,563 --> 00:41:29,723
We definitely think she's still
right under our nose somewhere.
916
00:41:32,523 --> 00:41:34,923
We still got lots,
lots more work to do,
917
00:41:35,003 --> 00:41:37,243
but they are a great support network.
918
00:41:37,323 --> 00:41:40,803
If that's the farm, there's
the access roads from here.
919
00:41:41,203 --> 00:41:44,843
Without them, I don't think,
920
00:41:46,483 --> 00:41:48,243
I don't think I would be as capable
921
00:41:48,323 --> 00:41:52,043
and as strong as I am today
to carry on with what we do.
922
00:41:52,123 --> 00:41:54,683
So around there, down,
down, down, down, down,
923
00:41:54,763 --> 00:41:58,563
around, and then we got
whole of his park view here.
924
00:41:58,643 --> 00:42:00,043
I don't think it's
difficult to remain hopeful.
925
00:42:00,123 --> 00:42:02,803
This is something that
I've always talked about
926
00:42:02,883 --> 00:42:05,283
with the others and with Jack about.
927
00:42:05,363 --> 00:42:06,283
We've always got to have hope,
928
00:42:06,363 --> 00:42:08,323
and the more and more we search,
929
00:42:08,403 --> 00:42:09,803
the closer we to are finding Sarah.
930
00:42:11,203 --> 00:42:13,043
All I've been doing
for the past year
931
00:42:13,123 --> 00:42:16,523
is working with some
others who are involved.
932
00:42:16,603 --> 00:42:18,883
Going to points of interest,
933
00:42:18,963 --> 00:42:23,963
marking out on maps,
and waiting for everyone
934
00:42:24,083 --> 00:42:25,523
to be able to get together
935
00:42:25,603 --> 00:42:29,923
so we can then kickstart it all up again.
936
00:42:30,003 --> 00:42:33,963
Ground level, we'll be
looking for any kind of area
937
00:42:34,043 --> 00:42:37,123
that looks like it's been disturbed,
possibly dug over.
938
00:42:37,203 --> 00:42:38,883
We're three years into this now.
939
00:42:38,963 --> 00:42:42,043
So we're going to be looking for really
940
00:42:42,123 --> 00:42:44,243
a mound of stones where the soil was sunk,
941
00:42:44,323 --> 00:42:45,683
but the stones will not sink.
942
00:42:46,963 --> 00:42:48,963
It's nonstop, I never
switch off from this.
943
00:42:49,043 --> 00:42:52,043
Even if I've got a spare hour,
944
00:42:52,123 --> 00:42:54,443
I will be looking at maps
trying to find some more points
945
00:42:54,523 --> 00:42:56,603
that we need to go and look at.
946
00:42:56,683 --> 00:43:00,203
We press on, we wouldn't let
the boys down at this stage.
947
00:43:00,283 --> 00:43:04,763
So we are now at the stage
where we're looking at areas
948
00:43:04,843 --> 00:43:07,643
that we need to bring specialists in.
949
00:43:09,323 --> 00:43:14,003
We know that we're not
looking for a person anymore.
950
00:43:14,083 --> 00:43:15,683
You know, we are gonna find bones.
951
00:43:17,203 --> 00:43:20,403
That's quite hard to get into your head.
952
00:43:21,603 --> 00:43:24,763
So it's tough, it's a tough one.
953
00:43:26,123 --> 00:43:27,723
Tough or not
to find Sarah out here
954
00:43:27,803 --> 00:43:30,403
in the Kent countryside,
those living in the villages
955
00:43:30,483 --> 00:43:32,243
which experienced
the sudden disappearance
956
00:43:32,323 --> 00:43:34,203
and murder of Sarah Wellgreen
957
00:43:34,283 --> 00:43:37,643
are determined to find her,
and they believe they will.
958
00:43:37,723 --> 00:43:40,123
I can see those boys getting closure.
959
00:43:41,443 --> 00:43:43,523
I can see them all getting closure,
960
00:43:43,603 --> 00:43:46,363
and I just hope that
we can be part of that.
961
00:43:49,203 --> 00:43:51,403
It'd mean everything
just to have a place
962
00:43:51,483 --> 00:43:54,083
where you can bury her
and there's a place
963
00:43:54,163 --> 00:43:55,443
that you can actually go to.
964
00:43:56,283 --> 00:43:58,243
If you ever feel down about anything,
965
00:43:58,323 --> 00:44:01,083
you've got that place you can go.
966
00:44:01,163 --> 00:44:02,923
Without it, you've got nothing.
967
00:44:17,083 --> 00:44:20,083
{\an8}