Benjamin Field, 28, was giving evidence for the first time in his trial where he is accused of killing former school English teacher Peter Farquhar, 69, and retired headmistress Ann Moore-Martin, 83, after a sustained campaign of “gaslighting”.
Mr Farquhar, a novelist, died in October 2015, while Miss Moore-Martin, who lived a few doors away in the village of Maids Moreton, Buckinghamshire died in May 2017.
Field is on trial at Oxford Crown Court alongside magician Martyn Smith, 32, accused of murdering Mr Farquhar and planning to kill Miss Moore-Martin.
David Jeremy QC, defending Field, asked his client: “Did you suffocate him, Peter Farquhar? Administering drugs and gaslighting him? Did you intend to kill him?”
Field replied: “I did not.”
Mr Jeremy went on: “Did you conspire to murder Ann Moore-Martin? Did you attempt to murder Ann Moore-Martin? Give her drugs or tried to poison her? Encouraged or assisted her to commit suicide?”
Field replied: “I did not. Never.”
Mr Jeremy asked: “Did you talk to her about suicide?”
The bespectacled and bearded defendant replied: “Yes, I spoke to her about it on several occasions. I thought it seemed very unlikely that she would.”
The defendant, the son of a baptist minister, told the jury he had pleaded guilty to fraudulently pretending to be in a relationship with Mr Farquhar and Miss Moore-Martin.
Field was asked what was the…
… Read More
—
Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Premier Christianity News.