News from around the county Killer’s appeal bid is denied by judge
The mother of a woman knifed to death was “absolutely disgusted” to learn the man who murdered her daughter had tried to get his conviction overturned.
June Sadler says she and her family were completely unaware Foster Christian had made a bid to clear his name until it was reported online.
She had watched in court in October 2016 as the 55-yearold was jailed for a minimum of 30 years for killing Natasha Sadler-Ellis and her friend Simon Gorecki at a shared house in Canterbury after a row about the temperature of the shower water.
He was also found guilty of wounding Ms Sadler-Ellis’ son, Connaugh Harris, 20, with intent, and wounding a 16-year-old boy.
But last week Christian’s legal team attempted to win the right to appeal the convictions, branding them “unsafe”.
Mrs Sadler, from Margate, said: “I was absolutely disgusted when I saw it.
“We had no idea whatsoever how this monster could be allowed to appeal.
“For a top ranking barrister to say his convictions are unsafe is appalling. There should be no way this should be allowed to happen.”
London’s Appeal Court heard how Christian lived in the house with 49-year-old Mr Gorecki. Ms Sadler-Ellis, 40, lived nearby.
Christian claimed at his trial he had acted in self-defence, but the jury didn’t believe him.
His barrister, Rajiv Menon QC, argued jurors should have been allowed to consider a defence of “loss of control” and the trial judge was wrong to let jurors hear of Christian’s previous convictions.
But Lord Justice Simon said the judge’s ruling on loss of control was “entirely reasonable” and refused permission to appeal.