The pair were both cleared of a charge of conspiracy to murder Mr Farquhar’s close neighbour Ann Moore-Martin and Field was also acquitted of her attempted murder.Field, a Baptist minister’s son, admitted deceiving both Mr Farquhar and his neighbour Miss Moore-Martin, into believing they were in relationships with him, as he tried to get them to change their wills, but denied any involvement in their deaths.
The jury heard that Field and Smith targeted Miss Moore-Martin a few months after murdering Mr Farquhar, but they were acquitted of charges relating to her death following 77 hours of deliberations.Field spiked Mr Farquhar’s food and drink with neat alcohol and hallucinogenic drugs, as part of the plot to kill him.
Field had undergone a ‘betrothal’ ceremony with gay Mr Farquhar while also having a string of girlfriends and was in a sexual relationship with spinster Miss Moore-Martin, who was 57 years his senior.Prosecutors told the court that Field had a ‘profound fascination in controlling and manipulating and humiliating and killing’.
According to prosecutors, Field had also drawn up a ‘100 clients’ list of future targets, which included his parents, grandparents and brother.