Murderer Ben Lacomba's refusal to say where the body of Sarah Wellgreen is has already cost police £780,000.

Last month her Sarah's ex partner Lacomba was found guilty of murdering the mum-of-five, from New Ash Green, and was jailed for life with a minimum term of 26 years and 43 days to be served before he can be considered for parole.

Despite being found guilty he has refused to confess where Sarah's body was hidden, but police and volunteers remain committed to the search for the 46-year-old's body.

During the trial PS Ryan Law told Woolwich Crown Court that to date 1,250 sites had been searched with 115 officers employed each day, and figures subsequently released by Kent Police show a total of £780,831 has been spent on the search.

A breakdown of expenses show £386,853 of that went on extra officers, £315,185 on overtime; £55,807 on accommodation, £21,789 on meals, and £1,195 on specialist equipment and tools.

A total of 166 extra officers from other police forces were brought in to help with the search.

Following Lacomba's conviction detective chief inspector, Ivan Beasley, said: "Our desire and efforts to find Sarah continue and we are in the process of planning further searches.

"This is not a result of the verdict but of our commitment to give her family closure."

Taxi driver Lacomba claimed he had been in bed the night Sarah disappeared from the home they shared in Bazes Shaw, but CCTV showed his car travelled out of New Ash Green through country lanes in the early hours of that morning, and returned along the same route two hours later.

An occupant of the house also described how they had woken up and realised neither Sarah or Lacomba were in the house, and that Lacomba had returned in the early hours of the morning.

Police later found a long-handled "grave-digger's shovel" in Lacomba's shed, and became suspicious of his behaviour - particularly after he had thrown his phones in the River Thames following a police request to examine them.

Subsequent investigation revealed he had turned his own CCTV off the night Sarah disappeared and had made efforts not to be caught on the CCTV of neighbouring property.

The trial heard how the couple had split in 2014 and a custody battle had ensued over the children, while Sarah started a new relationship.

In 2018 they had decided to try to live together again and Sarah moved back into the house, but the relationship again soured and she had told Lacomba of her plans to buy him out of the house.

On October 8 that year, the day before she was last seen, Sarah secured a new job selling beauty products, in what was said to be a new step to financial independence.

The following night she arrived home, and went to her room, where she sent texts to friends - telling one: "There's always something to look forward to, you just need to open your eyes a bit more and dream."

Those messages were the last anyone heard from her, and she was never seen again.

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