Woolwich Crown Court has been told that it was likely that Sarah Wellgreen's alleged murderer turned off CCTV to hide his crime.

Alison Morgan, prosecuting, told Woolwich Crown Court: "The defendant murdered Sarah in a calculated manner, designed to avoid detection, to leave no trace and to remove Sarah Wellgreen, who was the mother of his three children, from his life forever.

"Despite his best efforts, he did leave a trace. In fact, he left far more than a trace of evidence.

"The Prosecution argues what was left behind provides a compelling picture from which you can be sure that he, and he alone, is responsible for Sarah Wellgreen's murder and disappearance."

She said Lacomba had parked his car in an unusually dark place away from the cameras.

Lacomba turned off CCTV to the house and there was evidence of a vehicle driven by the defendant being captured on CCTV, the jury heard.

Ms Morgan said: "The defendant claims he was asleep in bed.

"His own child says otherwise."

She said the child, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told police that when they woke up in the middle of the night they went to find their parents, but they weren't there.

Due to the absence of both of the parents, she said they then watched television downstairs.

Ms Morgan said CCTV from a neighbour's house shows a light coming from the conservatory of the house.

She said other CCTV footage pointed to Lacomba being Sarah's killer.

Ms Morgan said he had parked his car in a different area rather than in front of the house. Instead, it was left in a shaded area that could not be seen by CCTV cameras.

Neighbour Jay Ellis said in summer 2018, Lacomba turned up at his house twice to look at what his own cameras covered of the parking lot.

Another neighbour, at 4am on 10 October, awoke to see Sarah's car parked in it's usual spot but Lacomba's car was not there.

Ms Morgan also said it is most likely Lacomba turned off the house's own CCTV system which was faulty.

She said: "The defendant appears not to have been aware of whether or not the system was recording, or had some residual concern that it might.

"The only way to ensure that nothing would be recorded in the system was to switch it off."

She said footage, from next door, picked up the light from the infrared cameras when the CCTV was on. It also shows it was switched off.

Ms Morgan added: "The defendant knew exactly what would and would not be captured and, consistent with his steps to turn off the CCTV cameras from his own address, he took deliberate steps to take Sarah, likely dead by now, out of the address and into his car, avoiding being captured in the CCTV footage."

Footage was also captured of what appears to be a distinctive red Vauxhall Zafira with taxi markings travelling down dark lanes, disappearing for two hours, and then returning.

Ms Morgan said: "Experts concluded the analysis lends support to the contention that the vehicle going out and coming back that night is the same make and model as the defendant's vehicle."

The former partners, despite living together, had a fractious relationship and were locked in a custody battle, the court heard.

Text messages read out from Sarah to her on/off boyfriend Neil James heard her call Lacomba a 'fat twat' on the night of her apparent death.

She may have told Lacomba about her promotion - meaning she would have been able to move out and take her kids with her, the court heard Ms Morgan said: "Whilst it may never be possible to know what ran through the defendant's mind when he decided to kill Sarah Wellgreen, it appears that potential loss of property and his children motivated his actions."

Lacomba, wearing a navy suit and tie and sporting a beard and glasses, remained silent throughout.

He denies murder.

The trial continues.