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Evidence that Ben Lacomba's car left New Ash Green on the night his ex partner Sarah Wellgreen disappeared has been question by defence barristers.
Prosecutor's showed CCTV evidence to jurors at Woolwich Crown Court today, suggesting murder suspect's car headed south from the village in the early hours of October 10 2018 - contrary to his claim he was home all night.
CCTV shown in court allegedly of Lacomba's car
They say his red Zafira, sign-written with "All Night Cars", can be seen passing various points in the area, including Blue Firs, Church Road, Hartley Hill, Pease Hill, and Plaxdale Green Road near Stansted village, between 2.13am and 2.20am the night Sarah disappeared.
It is then not picked up on a camera until it returns along the same route, back to New Ash Green, just under two hours later.
Prosecutor Alison Morgan QC called expert witness Danny Wheeler - a senior forensic image analyst - to explain the process of identifying the car, which involved comparing images of the cars captured on CCTV leaving and returning to New Ash Green in the early hours of October 10 - referred to as vehicles X and Y - with images of Lacomba's car itself after it was seized by police.
While several aspects of the vehicle in the CCTV corresponded to Lacomba's car - such as overall size, the shape of the bonnet, the brake lights, the position of the registration plates, and the shape of the rear window - other aspects of Lacomba's car could not be clearly seen in the CCTV, such as the sign writing on the side, the taxi badge or the aerial.
This was said to be possibly down to the quality of the CCTV, captured at night, and it was suggested there could be seen a lighter area on the side of vehicle X, corresponding to the point where Lacomba's car is sign-written.
The aerial too, might not have been picked up by the CCTV at night, and the overall colour would not be seen on infrared CCTV images.
But there were, judged Mr Wheeler, no "irreconcilable differences" between the cars in the CCTV and Lacomba's car.
But defence barrister Rebecca Trowler QC seized on the differences.
"There is some support - not strong support - for it being the same make and model," she said.
"Certainly not powerful support for it being the same make and model."
"Whoever approaches this must not make the mistake of looking at Mr Lacomba's vehicle, and then the recording, in a biased way because they have looked at Mr Lacomba's vehicle first."
She noted the fact the aerial can't be seen in the CCTV and suggested one explanation was that "the aerial isn't there".
"It could also be the same that vehicle X did not have a taxi badge," she added, and she suggested several models of other makes of car could have similar features.
Further evidence on the car captured by CCTV is expected to be heard over the coming days.
The trial continues.
