Mark Brown: Double murder-accused was controlling of girlfriend, court hears

A man accused of murdering his girlfriend and another woman seemed "controlling", a court has heard.

Mark Brown, 41, denies murdering Leah Ware, 33, from Hastings, East Sussex, and Alexandra Morgan, 34, from Sissinghurst, Kent.

His trial at Hove Crown Court heard evidence from Tamsin Gregory, a friend of Ms Ware.

She said she had never met Mr Brown, but that she had "concerns" about Ms Ware's relationship with him.

While seeing Ms Ware, Mr Brown had been in a relationship with another woman for about 15 years, and they had a son together.

Ms Gregory said: "Leah wanted him to leave his wife for her but I think she knew he wasn't going to.

"I had my concerns about the relationship, she told me a few things and she didn't seem happy at all.

"It seemed like he was very controlling of her, she had to ring him and check in somewhere so it looked like she was in a certain location at a certain time.

"I never went to the farm and Leah said he didn't want me up there, so she kept me a secret from him."

Mr Brown first met Ms Ware in 2018 when he hired her through an adult services website where she worked as an escort.

Their relationship developed and Ms Ware moved to Little Bridge Farm, a site Mr Brown rented, until her disappearance in May 2021.

The prosecution alleged that Mr Brown killed Ms Ware on or around 7 May 2021. Her remains have never been found.

Ms Gregory said: "Leah was using drugs and she said he would buy her drugs and watch her smoke them, but he never took them, and then he would do weird stuff like moving stuff around, basically to mess with her head.

"Leah was going to try and get her children back and he would make her feel like she was worthless and wasn't worth having them."

She also recalled two conversations with Ms Ware - one where she was told Mr Brown had made her pose, tied up and gagged, in the boot of a car for photographs, and a second phone call when Ms Ware said she was "worried" because the photos were missing.

The trial continues.

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