Believed planned murder

Crime was ‘pure evil’ says judge

●● Unsuspecting Sadie Hartley was murdered in her hallway of her £500,000 home in Helmshore after answering the door to Sarah Williams A JUDGE has described the murder of businesswoman Sadie Hartley as a “crime of pure evil” committed by a ‘vile, destructive and resentful’ former lover.

In sentencing at Preston Crown Court, Mr Justice Turner said Sadie Hartley’s ‘only crime was to love the man you (Sarah Williams) wanted for yourself’.

The judge said it was a ‘crime of obsession, of arrogance, of barbarity’ and that Williams had found in Katrina Walsh ‘both a fellow spirit and enthusiastic participant’ who took ‘depraved satisfaction’ in killing another human being.

He said: “You, Walsh, are every bit as morally degenerate as Williams. No wonder you have been the best of friends over so many years.

“You have so much in common being not merely indifferent to the suffering you inflict on others but positively revelling in it.

“You knew all along that this was no game or fantasy. Sadie Hartley died for your amusement.”

The judge told how the plot ‘involved many labyrinthine twists and turns’ but was ‘no fiction’.

He said instead it was a ‘well rehearsed and savage butchery of a blameless woman’ and a ‘game of death’.

He said: “The contrast between her (Sadie’s) life affirming generosity of spirit and your vile, destructive, resentful and self-regarding hypocrisy could hardly be starker’.”

The court heard how the judge had read ‘dignified and poignant statements’ of Harry and Charlotte Hartley, Ian Johnston and Julie Taylor and they revealed Sadie to be a ‘loving mother, and faithful partner’.

Mr Justice Turner said there can only be one sentence for murder and that was ‘life imprisonment’.

He said: “The level of sophistication involved in the preparation for the murder, involving as it did tracker devices, a car with falsified number plates and an imported stun gun, was of an unparalleled degree more closely redolent of a clinical assassination than a personal killing.

“The period of many months over which the meticulous planning took place reveals not only the highest level of culpability but it also gave both of you every opportunity to reflect on the evil you were about to perpetrate. These were opportunities you repeatedly chose to ignore. The murder method you adopted involved not only taking a knife to the scene but invading your victim’s home at night and slaughtering her like an animal by first incapacitating her with a massive electric shock to the head and then hacking and slashing her to death with almost unimaginable ferocity.

“Neither of you has shown the slightest remorse about what you did to Sadie Hartley or to the family and friends she left behind her.”

Dear Sadie, I think you should know that Ian has been cheating on you for over a year.

He’s been having an affair with me since returning from Camp Suisse in August 2013.

By his own admission, Ian is not in love with you, never has been and never will be.

The lack of any form of chemistry or spark between you has been mentioned several times by different people who have no vested interest in either of you.

The fact he doesn’t love you is blatantly obvious for anyone to see and clearly backed up by the way he is behaving.

Make no mistake about it, Ian knows that you are buying him and so does everyone else. He has said this himself by his own entirely free admission.

Right now he is letting you do it because it suits him to do so whilst he does what he wants behind your back.

We have been sleeping together and everything else that goes with it, week in and week out for some considerable time now.

Have a look around the house, there’s plenty of my things around the place. Has he even changed the sheets since we were last in there?

There has been more lying, deceit and sneaking around that you would ever think! Did you really think he would go to the pub that many evenings?

The sex is unbelievably fantastic, the best he’s ever had by a really, really long way. We have never been able to get enough of each other.

It satisfied a need in him he will never really be able to suppress or manage without.

Ian is stressed out and extremely depressed. His mental state is somewhat of a serious concern to me hence why I’m writing this.

I feel you have played a significant part in getting him in the state he’s in now, which appears to be worsening by the day.

Ian explained some time ago that you are extremely ruthless in business and will do whatever it takes to get what you want.

He explained that you would trample over anybody and their family to realise your goals.

He also explained that he felt that you treat your personal relationships like a business. That would certainly appear to be true regarding him.

From my perspective it appears that you decided that you were going to trap Ian in whatever way necessary.

You have put him under huge financial pressure due to your wildly differing desired standards of living. I appreciate that you have more than enough money to pay for whatever you do, however, Ian is a proud man who is not happy to be bought by you.

He is aware that you are buying him and feels that this is the only way of coping financially which is certainly not the case.

You appear to be doing everything possible to perpetuate this. Why have you done this to him??

Surely you would be far better off with someone who is your financial equal and at least wants to be with you, rather than someone you had to buy who is sleeping with someone else!!!

You booked a holiday to the Galápagos Islands which was way, way out of any budget he could possibly afford.

I know that you paid for it but he was massively uncomfortable with it and felt the financial disparity was far too great.

He wanted to leave you before going to the Galápagos Islands but felt unable to due to how guilty he felt because of the money you had spent on it.

Whilst he unsurprisingly enjoyed the holiday he utilised every opportunity to get in touch with me and was back in bed with me as soon as he walked through his front door.

He literally couldn’t get back to the house fast enough!!! (Gap in letter) Despite doing everything you have done so far, to buy him and trap him, he’s still lying to you, cheating and sleeping with me behind your back.

Maybe it is about time that somebody told you.

Probably it just goes to show you can buy and trap someone with money and blackmail but can’t make them love you or be faithful to you.

Should you choose to talk to him about this bear in mind it was not a one off, an accident or mistake or any other form of excuse.

This was a choice made freely, over and over and over again for now more than 12 months because it was what he wanted to do.

Clearly these are not the actions of someone with any respect, desire, love or affection for you whatsoever.

Should you wish to discuss anything here you are free to contact me.