Who is Anne-Marie Blake? Real life niece of Ann Moore-Martin's in The Sixth Commandment
28 July 2023, 17:20
Who was the real Anne-Marie Blake, what happened to her and what has she said about her aunt?
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BBC crime drama The Sixth Commandment recently retold the dark tale of the Maids Morton Murders.
The hit series uncovered the sinister truth about churchwarden Ben Field and his manipulative plans to gaslight and drug two pensioners, Peter Farquhar and Ann Moore-Martin.
Retired headteacher Ann survived the initial torment but passed away in 2017 from natural causes, although her loving niece Anne-Marie Blake is convinced her aunt died because of Field's horrific actions.
Who is Anne-Marie Blake? Here we uncover more about the real-life trial's star witness, portrayed by Annabel Scholey in the show.
Who is Anne-Marie Blake?
Anne-Marie Blake is the real-life niece of Ann Moore-Martin, a retired headteacher who was cruelly exploited by convicted murderer Ben Field.
She was instrumental in bringing the underhand actions of the cruel churchwarden to light after she suspected he was manipulating her aunt.
During the high-profile trial against Field back in 2019, Anne-Marie was a crucial witness who spoke out against the seemingly charming student.
Providing critical evidence for the jury to hear, she helped lock the murdered up for good.
Ben Field was ultimately found guilty of the 2015 murder of retired teacher Peter Farquhar by a unanimous jury.
He was cleared of conspiring to kill Ann Moore-Martin, but admitted to duping her and drugging her in an attempt to inherit her assets.
What has Anne-Marie Blake said about her aunt Ann Moore-Martin?
Although Ann Moore-Martin passed away a frail woman aged 83, her loving niece Anne-Marie wants her to be remembered the same way she does.
She said: "I don’t want her seen as this elderly victim who didn’t know what she was doing. She is not a victim of Ben Field. Her name is Ann Moore-Martin and she was the strongest, most empowering individual I’ve ever met.
“She had this natural, inspirational manner about her that made an impression whenever she came into a room. She was everything to me. She was my idol.
”I’ve had to accept that, as much as my aunt wanted me to promise her that this wouldn’t be out there, it was out of my hands as soon as it became a murder trial. I do find it hard that I couldn’t protect her. I loved every bone in her body.”
What has Anne-Marie Blake said about Ben Field?
Despite the twisted churchwarden being cleared of conspiring to murder Ann Moore-Martin, Anne-Marie firmly believes he had a hand in her passing.
She explained: "I believe he caused the death of my aunt. Whether or not the jury thought so is a whole other discussion. It baffles me that they came to the conclusion they did.
"In my mind, Ben Field is without doubt the reason why my aunt isn’t here anymore."
Anne-Marie explained she attended the set of The Sixth Commandment and watched the whole series, but admitted she found Eanna Hardwicke’s portrayal of Ben Field difficult to watch.
Speaking of his chilling performance, she said: "It actually made me feel sick. I couldn’t look, in the end. I turned away every time he came on the screen.
"Éanna found that dark personality trait of Field’s and brought that out in the character, even down to the way they made him look."
Read more:
- Is Ben Field still in prison? What happened to the killer portrayed in The Sixth Commandment?
- How many episodes of The Sixth Commandment are there? When it is next on BBC One and who's in the cast?
- The Sixth Commandment: What’s the real story behind the series?
- Who is Annabel Scholey? The Sixth Commandment actress' other TV and film roles, husband and children
