SAYS W OMAN WHO WAS FORCED

Sarah and Lacomba at their house in New Ash Green, Kent, in 2010.

After moving out three years later she lost touch with them, until Lacomba picked her up in his taxi one night. By that time he had split with 46- 46-year-old year-old bea beautician Sarah but was still living liv in the same house with h her and their three children. Sh She had two other children fr from a previous relationship relationship.

Leanne said: s “Ben would use his cab to hit on vulnerable women. I was vulnerable at the time as it was the tenth annivers anniversary of my mum’s death death. He took advantag tage of that. I invited him h in and one t hi ng led to another.” a

She said of t their relationship: “He would be really controlling and watch me to make sure I took my contraceptive pills. He thought I wanted to get pregnant in case we broke up. He’d even get me to lift my tongue up so he could check.”

Leanne said he made her appear on the Judge Rinder programme to try to con ITV out of some cash.

Lacomba told the show in 2015 that she was a lodger who owed £4,550 in rent. He persuaded her to hide the fact she was his girlfriend.

Judge Rinder’s TV judgments are not legally binding so the fines issued in the mock court battles are actually paid for by ITV.

But Lacomba’s plan backfired when Judge Rinder sided with Leanne. She said: “He wanted the money for the custody battle against Sarah. “He started getting teary to me saying he needed the money to get a barrister and that he wanted the kids.

“He knew I’d go along with it because I didn’t want to be blamed if he lost custody.

“At first I saw it as a man trying to fight for his children but further down the line you could see he wasn’t doing it to make their lives better. It was for him.

“He just wanted that control over her life. If he wants something, he’ll do whatever he can to get it. He thought he’d win the case so he was angry when he didn’t.”

Leanne said he dumped her months later – and forced her to quit her job at a nursery by turning up there ere with a bag of sex toys in an act of spite. ite. She said: “He broke up with me out of the blue and then said he’d destroy my life. He came to the nursery in front of the children with a clear bag of sex toys claiming they were mine.

“He also sent the bosses a number of private messages. I felt forced to hand in my notice.” Sarah had been working at a hostel and when Leanne