What happened to Martyn Smith from The Sixth Commandment?
Martyn Smith, a magician from Cornwall, was accused of being Ben Field's accomplice.
In 2015, churchwarden Ben Field and magician Martyn Smith were accused of befriending and manipulating lonely pensioners, murder and conspiracy to murder in the sleepy village of Maids Moreton, Buckinghamshire.
Now, BBC drama The Sixth Commandment is dramatising the crimes of Field (Éanna Hardwicke), who preyed upon elderly neighbours Peter Farquhar (Timothy Spall) and Ann Moore-Martin (Anne Reid) in a bid to get them to change their wills.
Field, a Baptist minister's son who was considering becoming a vicar, was found guilty of murdering Farquhar in 2019, but he was cleared of conspiring to kill Moore-Martin and of her attempted murder.
But who exactly is Smith and where is he now? Played by Conor MacNeill in the BBC drama, Smith went on to be cleared of all charges. Read on for everything you need to know.
Who is Martyn Smith?
Originally from Cornwall, Smith was a friend of Ben Field and fellow student of Farquhar's at the University of Buckingham.
As well as duping Farquhar into a fake relationship and moving into his home, Field managed to persuade the teacher to let Smith move in as a lodger.
Alongside Field, Smith also moved into the home of Moore-Martin and another of Field's potential victims, Liz Zettl.
After Field persuaded Farquhar to change his will to leave him his estate, Smith also benefited, receiving £10,000 from his will. Smith later explained that he'd had no idea he was a beneficiary of the will.
Smith also delivered letters to Ann on behalf of Field while he was on holiday in France.
Smith said that he believed Field and Moore-Martin's relationship was genuine and described it as "unusual but perfectly consensual", adding: "I didn't really think much about it."
What happened to Martyn Smith?
Smith was charged alongside Field for the murder of Farquhar and of conspiracy to murder Moore-Martin, as well as multiple counts of fraud and one count of burglary.
Smith was found not guilty of all charges.
Speaking at the trial, Smith said he went to counselling "to process" the death.
"I felt I needed to talk to somebody," he added.
During the trial, Smith was also asked about a bottle of whiskey that he had left in the home of Farquhar – whose food and drink Field had been lacing with alcohol and drugs – because it did not fit into his rucksack.
Asked whether he felt guilty about leaving the alcohol and whether he blamed himself, he said he did.
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Authors
Molly Moss is a Trends Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest trends across TV, film and more. She has an MA in Newspaper Journalism and has previously written for publications including The Guardian, The Times and The Sun Online.
