The pair promised themselves to one another in a \u201cbetrothal ceremony\u201d, which Farquhar described\u00a0 as \u201cone of the happiest moments\u201d of his life in a diary entry (via The Guardian<\/a>), adding: \u201cGone are the fears of dying alone.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
After Field moved into Farquhar\u2019s home, he began poisoning him with a potent mix of alcohol and drugs, which he\u2019d disguise in food and cups of tea. Without a medical diagnosis to explain the hallucinations and night terrors, Farquhar believed he was losing his mind. He also suffered physical injuries from falling over during states of confusion.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
Once Field had convinced Farquhar to change his will and make him the main <\/span>beneficiary, the next stage of his wicked plot could commence: Farquhar\u2019s death.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
Prosecutors later argued that Field had hoped that his extensive gaslighting campaign, which involved hiding Farquhar\u2019s possessions and deleting his phone contacts, all of which Field recorded in journals, poems and videos of Farquhar in his drug-addled states, would encourage him to take his own life.<\/span><\/p>\n
But when that failed, Field took it upon himself to kill the 69-year-old. He made it look like Farquhar had drunk himself to death by leaving a half-empty bottle of whisky in his room,<\/span> which chimed with the belief from some of those closest to him that he had developed an alcohol problem.<\/span><\/p>\n
Farquhar was found dead on his sofa by a cleaner in 2015. He had been suffocated by Field.<\/span><\/p>\n
Farquhar had previously dedicated his third book, <\/span>A Wide Wide Sea, to him, and Field also delivered the eulogy at his funeral.<\/span><\/p>\n
$\""Ann\"$ <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
\u201cI have not said, as perhaps I should, that I desire you, and desire to woo you; that my earnest hope is that you would see me as I see you: I see you as a beautiful, fun, lovely, insightful woman of faith and grace,\u201d he wrote in one letter (via The Guardian<\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\n
During the trial, Moore-Martin\u2019s niece Anne-Marie Blake, who described her as being \u201c<\/span>more like a mum and\u2026 like a grandmother to my children\u201d, said (via The Bucks Herald<\/a>) that her aunt was concerned following Farquhar\u2019s death: \u201c<\/span>It\u2019s like death is creeping along our houses one by one and if you look at it my house is next.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
Blake said that Moore-Martin was \u201cvery much under his spell\u201d and the family were concerned about \u201c<\/span>the amount of time she was spending with someone who was a stranger\u201d to them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
As with Farquhar, Field moved into her home, where he also subjected Moore-Martin to sustained gaslighting, which included writing messages on her mirrors addressed from God encouraging her to \u201cpray for Ben\u201d and give him money.<\/span><\/p>\n
She was taken to hospital in February 2017 following a seizure, which is when the police were informed about Field\u2019s behaviour by Blake after a concerning exchange with Field.<\/p>\n
He arrived at Moore-Martin\u2019s home to collect some belongings and she asked him several questions, including (via The Bucks Herald<\/a>): \u201cHave you been taking things from my aunt\u2019s house? Have you been accepting money from my aunt? Have you been trying to change my aunt\u2019s will?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
Blake told the court that he had answered \u201cyes\u201d to all three questions.<\/p>\n
Moore-Martin had changed her will to include Field but after learning of his scheme, she removed his name.<\/p>\n
In May 2017, 83-year-old Moore-Martin died in a care home of natural causes.<\/span><\/p>\n
$\""Ben\"$ <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>