An amateurish underpinning job? Is that a carbon stain on the wall?

[Daisy]

In the Crown Admissions at trial, the CPS reported that “the police scenes of crime department examined the house and garden looking for any evidence of the location of a localized fire. Results were negative.”
Any discolouration above the ground level is either inherent in the brick design, or is the result of fungus or moss forming on the surface. Discolouration below ground level is caused either by moisture or previously adhering surfaces. I have attached some photos which will hopefully give you a better sense of the scene as a whole.


Photo 4 - Notice the two gravelled areas. These are the areas of underpinning pre-dating the area by the garage in which Samuel's body was buried. The dimensions are near identical. In shot is a bag of sand for ongoing building works at the house.

Photo 5 - Close-up of one of the areas of underpinning at 2 Prospect Close. The concrete here has been gravelled over.

Photo 6 - The rear drive of 2 Prospect Close, still incomplete at the time. Notice how access to the rear of the property is completely open to the street.

[Daisy]

More photos

Photo 12 - A photo taken from the scenes of crime officer excavation. Notice the remnant tree root. This site was designed to underpin the garage and block roots from trees. The trees were cut down following an application for planning permission by Samuel, citing evidence from a surveyor that the roots were undermining the structural integrity of the garage.

Photo 13 - A photo taken from the scenes of crime officer excavation. Notice the different layers. The top (white) layer is the concrete which Mark ordered which has been described as of "amateur installation." Beneath this is the third )grey) professionally laid layer of mortar. Two more layers lie under it. Forensic analysis shows that the workmanship involved and materials used in these mortar layers are in stark contrast to Mark's work. Marks work was "less well compacted and more voided at the upper and edge surfaces, suggesting a non-specialist installation and the absence of shuttering." By comparison, the "mix quality and consistency (both thoroughness of mixing and degree of compaction) of the mortar layers suggests preparation by an experienced person." According to the haulier's own description "I remember thinking he was out of his depth. He looked as though he had never used a wheelbarrow before. He clearly didn't have a clue what he was doing." Notice the smooth finish to the mortar. Thid would have appeared completely normal to Mark when he arrived on 17th November 2009. There was no reason for him to suspect that there was anything buried beneath.

Photo 14 - Further excavation into the second layer of mortar.