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The man accused of murdering missing mum-of-five Sarah Wellgreen has given evidence for the first time, telling a jury he had nothing to do with her disappearance.
Ben Lacomba, 39, of New Ash Green, spoke from the dock at Woolwich Crown Court as the trial entered its third week.
Defence barrister Rebecca Trowler QC asked him: “The jury have heard that you have pleaded not guilty to the murder of Sarah Wellgreen. Are you in any way responsible for the murder of Miss Wellgreen’s disappearance?”
He replied: “I’m in no way responsible for Sarah’s disappearance and I definitely have not killed her.”
Asked when he was first aware Sarah was missing, he replied: “I would say the day I reported her missing on October 11.”
Mr Lacomba was asked to give an account of his background - and told how he was born in Greenwich, to parents Marilyn and Juan Lacomba, grew up in Charlton, moved to Bexleyheath, and went to school in Bexleyheath and Erith.
He began working for a TV post production company called Red Post Production, starting as a runner before working in a tape library.
He later moved to Majorca to train as a pilot, living with his Spanish grandmother and it was while there that he met Sarah Wellgreen.
She moved out to live with him in Spain with her two older children, Jack and Lewis, and became pregnant.
“I was over the moon,” recalled Lacomba. “Sarah was actually worried about telling me. Once she told me I said it was absolutely fine.”
The couple then decided to move to New Ash Green in 2005 and described the early years of the relationship as “brilliant.”
“We were what I would describe as a fantastic team. We were a happy family.”
He said they had arguments occasionally, but only “the typical arguments that any family would have in day to day life.”
Ms Trowler asked him if he had known Sarah had suffered any mental health issues.
Lacomba replied: “Sarah was having issues with feelings of anger and said she would go to the doctors to talk about it. Subsequent to that she told he had prescribed her medication to help.”
Read more from the trial:
Ms Trowler also asked if he had been aware if Sarah had felt suicidal at times and he said he was not.
He said trust issues developed over a later pregnancy and the couple eventually spilt in 2014 when Sarah met another man on holiday in Turkey.
They remained living in the same house but the relationship soured further when the couple began arguing over custody of their children.
“Would it be fair to say the situation was acrimonious?” asked Ms Trowler.
“Exactly,” replied Lacomba.
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