Embracing, professor with ‘ lover’ accused of inheritance murder plot
STANDING with an arm around his younger ‘lover’, this is a retired english professor posing with the man alleged to have killed him to inherit his house.
Deputy church warden Ben Field, 28, was ‘ betrothed’ to Peter Farquhar, 69, at a church ceremony, a jury heard. The image, from the ceremony at St Mary’s Church, West hampstead, shows the pair smiling and standing together.
The jury heard Mr Farquhar had written in his diary: ‘To have this wonderful young man in my life until I die... It was a beautiful day in London. God is good to me. Far more than I deserve.’ Both men are wearing small crucifixes around their necks and exchanged knives as a sign of their commitment. Other photographs showed to the jury included a selfie of Mr Field and Mr Farquhar when they became ‘engaged’.
Mr Field was an english student at the University of Buckingham when Mr Farquhar, a devout Christian was there a guest lecturer, Oxford Crown Court heard.
Mr Field, the son of a Baptist minister, allegedly fed Mr Farquhar mind-altering drugs and neat alcohol at his home in Maids Moreton, Buckinghamshire, while making him believe that they were in love.
he then allegedly convinced Mr Farquhar he was going mad in a successful bid to be written into the will of the former head of english at the fee-paying Stowe school. Mr Field then allegedly suffocated Mr Farquhar with the help of Martyn Smith, 32, in October 2015, before trying to kill a neighbour. Both deny charges of murder, conspiracy to murder and possession of an article for the use in fraud. But Mr Field has admitted four charges of fraud and two of burglary. The trial continues.