A few days after our meeting in the pub Mark came into my shop and asked if I had any photos of the paintings to show the buyer and so the next day I gave him some Polaroids of the paintings. I did not expect to hear from him because of the guideline price I had given him. Approximately 5 or 6 days later Mark again came to one of my shops saying that the buyer was very interested in buying the paintings. The buyer asked if he could met with me at Heston Service Station at 2.00p.m. on the following Friday to see the paintings and related paperwork. I asked Mark why a meeting there and was told that the buyer did not like to drive into London and Mark’s car was in for repair so could he use one of my hire cars. This was not a problem for me, so I booked out the car I was using(Blue Car) to Mark as I was taking delivery of a new car on the same Friday of the meeting.

On Friday 18th October Mark Hughes and I went to Balham Autos to pickup my new car only to find that it was not ready, so it was decided that I would hire one (Red Car). By the time I had gone home and collected the necessary documentation for the hire, time was moving on and it was decided that I would hire a driver to take Mark to meet the buyer and stay with him till I arrived as I still had to do some banking and pay the staff at my shops. The driver I hired was Robert Rother who I paid £50.00 , it was agreed that Robert would drop Mark off at the meeting and wait with him until I arrived and then return with my car home were I would see him later. Mark and Robert left Balham Autos at approximately 1.00p.m with the paintings in the car I had hired Mark. I then returned to my shop in Garret Lane, Earlsfield in the Red hire car, only to discover that I had left my briefcase in the back of the car that Mark and Robert had taken to the meeting. I told my Manageress that I would send Robert back with a check to pay the staff and left for the meeting. On the way to the meeting I saw Dennis Rother (Robert’s brother) who joined me for the ride and would come back with his brother.