Seconds from death: Chilling CCTV shows Sadie Hartley's killer outside her house moments before she was murdered 'like an animal' on her own doorstep 

  • Killer had affair with victim's partner and exchanged explicit texts
  • She spent months planning murder before repeatedly stabbing victim
  • Killer blamed her friend for the murder after diary of plot was found
  • She had long-term relationship with married man and two other affairs
  • Victim's partner says he bitterly regrets texting killer before the murder
  • Pair thought they planned the 'perfect murder' but were quickly caught

This chilling CCTV footage shows the moment a ski instructor walked to her love rival's house before stabbing her to death and then calmly leaving the scene.

Sarah Williams has been jailed for life for brutally murdering Sadie Hartley in a plot described as a 'game of death'.

She knocked out Ms Hartley with a stun gun before repeatedly stabbing her at the victim's home in the village of Helmshore, Lancashire.

The jury had heard how 'bunny boiler' Williams had become obsessed with Ms Hartley's partner, former fireman Ian Johnston.

She spent months plotting the attack with her friend Katrina Walsh, who was also convicted of murder today. 

This chilling CCTV footage shows the moment ski instructor Williams walked to her love rival's house before stabbing her to death and then calmly leaving the scene

This chilling CCTV footage shows the moment ski instructor Williams walked to her love rival's house before stabbing her to death and then calmly leaving the scene

Sarah Williams has been found guilty of the murder of her love rival Sadie Hartley
Katrina Walsh helped plot the murder and hid the two weapons after it was carried out

Sarah Williams (left) and Katrina Walsh (right) have been found guilty of the murder of Sadie Hartley, whose partner Williams had become obsessed with after they had an affair

Williams was ordered to serve a minimum 30-year life sentence. Walsh will spend at least 25 years behind bars. 

Passing sentence, judge Mr Justice Turner said 'loving mother' Ms Hartley was 'slaughtered like an animal'. 

He told the pair: 'Neither of you have shown the slightest remorse... let no-one believe this was a crime of passion. It was a crime of obsession, of arrogance and of barbarity, but above all a crime of pure evil.'

Williams swallowed hard as the forewoman delivered the guilty verdict today, while Walsh, who has alopecia, gave a slight nod of her head.

Ms Hartley's daughter, Charlotte, wiped away tears as she sat in the public gallery next to Garry Hartley, her father and Sadie's ex-husband, and her brother, Harry.

Ms Hartley (right) was killed due to Williams' obsession with her partner Ian Johnston (left)

Ms Hartley (right) was killed due to Williams' obsession with her partner Ian Johnston (left)

Mr Johnston, sitting a few rows behind them, had tears in his eyes and gave a slight nod as the verdicts came in.

In an interview recorded ahead of today's verdicts, Mr Johnston sobbed as he admitted he would always regret sending explicit messages to Sadie's killer days before she was murdered on her doorstep.

He said: 'If people feel that in some way that I've let them down and that I'm responsible by texting, I'm profoundly sorry for that and I'll regret it forever.

'And I never for one minute believed that a few chuck-away ridiculous texts could ever lead to such atrocious events and such unimaginable loss for not just me, I know that, for Sadie's family, her kids and our friends'.

He said Ms Hartley's family had not spoken to him since the murder and he only found out he was not in the will during the trial. 

After more than a year planning the killing, Williams went to the front door of Ms Hartley's £500,000 home on January 14 this year.

When her rival answered the door, Williams paralysed her with a 500,000 volt stun-gun before stabbing her 40 times.

A  party photo taken in the months before Ms Hartley's death shows her with Ian Johnston and Sarah Williams in the background

A party photo taken in the months before Ms Hartley's death shows her with Ian Johnston and Sarah Williams in the background

The judge added: 'Sadie Hartley died for your amusement. The contrast between her life affirming generosity of spirit and your vile, destructive, resentful and self-regarding hypocrisy could hardly be starker.

'The meandering and over-elaborate planning served to heighten your pleasure by deliciously postponing your ultimate and inevitable gratification.

'Doubtless, the features of secret agent-style intrigue carried with them elements of fantasy but this was no harmless world of make-believe it was a game of death.

'I am in no doubt that her murder was planned and rehearsed down to the finest detail.'

He said the 'unparalleled degree' of planning was 'more closely redolent of a clinical assassination than a personal killing'.

Ski holiday firm worker Williams recruited her friend, horse riding instructor Walsh, 56, to execute the 'perfect murder'.

Ms Hartley was stabbed 40 times with a kitchen knife. It was later found by police beneath a pile of manure at the riding stables where Katrina Walsh worked

Ms Hartley was stabbed 40 times with a kitchen knife. It was later found by police beneath a pile of manure at the riding stables where Katrina Walsh worked

The pair purchased a stun gun which was also found beneath the pile of manure

The pair purchased a stun gun which was also found beneath the pile of manure

Walsh told police Williams would 'do anything' to be with Mr Johnston, and they even planted secret tracker devices on his car to follow his movements.

In a plot described as 'the stuff of spy novels', the jury heard police recovered Walsh's detailed diary, chronicling the pair's 18-month plan to murder Ms Hartley.

The pair thought they were planning the 'perfect murder' but were quickly uncovered by police after leaving a trail of evidence behind them.

It revealed the pair travelled to Germany to buy the stun-gun last December and, exactly a week before Ms Hartley was murdered, Walsh delivered flowers to her door in a 'dry run' for their plans.

They even considered planting an ISIS flag at the scene to throw investigators off the scent and discussed whether to carry out the killing on a motorbike. 

The murder trial heard Williams, 35, carried out affairs with three other men behind the backs of their wives and partners in the years before the murder.

The case was aided by the diaries of Katrina Walsh which described the two women's plot

The case was aided by the diaries of Katrina Walsh which described the two women's plot

The trial heard Sadie Hartley's DNA was found on the bath in Williams's home after the killing

The trial heard Sadie Hartley's DNA was found on the bath in Williams's home after the killing

Colleagues, who called her 'Sarah the crank' and a 'bunny boiler', told how she lived 'in a dream world' and threatened to 'get rid of' the wife of another of her conquests.

Williams, who was a 'kept woman' supported by her 75-year-old 'sugar daddy' David Hardwick, wanted to be with Mr Johnston after they met at the dry-ski slope where she worked in 2012.

After a brief relationship broke down, Mr Johnston had begun a new life with Ms Hartley, setting up home together in the quiet village of Helmshore.

But sex texts and explicit photos continued to be exchanged between Mr Johnston and Williams right up to just days before the murder, the court heard.

Williams had denied the murder and, during the trial, suggested the evidence pointed to her friend Walsh.

Prosecutor John McDermott QC told the jury: 'Sarah Williams is a bitter, obsessive, arrogant woman who stops at nothing to get her own selfish way.'

Ms Hartley's son Harry and daughter Charlotte paid tribute to their 'perfect' mother today

Mr Johnston said outside court today that no sentence could ever bring back Ms Hartley

Mr Johnston said outside court today that no sentence could ever bring back Ms Hartley

The pair fancied themselves as 'Batman and Robin but on the wrong side of the law', Mr McDermott said.

Outside court, Detective Superintendent Paul Withers, who led the investigation for Lancashire Police, said: 'This murder was nothing short of the cold-blooded, premeditated and carefully planned assassination of an entirely innocent woman and I welcome today's verdicts. 

'While it may have been Sarah Williams who carried out the actual killing of Sadie Hartley, there can be no doubt that Katrina Walsh helped her every step of the way and was up to her neck in the planning of this brutal slaying. 

'They are both as culpable as each other.'

 

'I'll regret those explicit texts forever': Sadie Hartley's partner says he too is a victim as he breaks down over lewd messages sent to her killer 10 DAYS before the murder

The partner of Sadie Hartley today sobbed as he admitted people might blame him for the murder because of 'sexts' he sent to her killer.

Ian Johnston, 57, broke down as he admitted he would always regret sending explicit messages to Sadie's killer Sarah Williams ten days before she hacked her to death.

But the former firefighter said he too is a 'victim' and could never have known 'psychopath' Williams would kill Sadie on their doorstep.

He said: 'If people feel that in some way that I've let them down and that I'm responsible by texting, I'm profoundly sorry for that and I'll regret it forever.

'And I never for one minute believed that a few chuck-away ridiculous texts could ever lead to such atrocious events and such unimaginable loss for not just me, I know that, for Sadie's family, her kids and our friends'.  

Heartbroken: Ian Johnston, 57, broke down today as he admitted he would always regret sending explicit messages to Sadie's killer Sarah Williams ten days before she hacked her to death.

Mr Johnston said it would be wrong to blame the text contact with former lover Williams for Ms Hartley's murder.

'I think there's a lot of blokes out there going, 'But for the Grace of God go I'', he said.

'I've had to do a lot in my life that's been hard, 31 years in the fire service wasn't necessarily always easy.

'This eight months has just been the most horrendous. You just get a kicking every day and I want the kicking to stop now and I know it won't for a while.'

A tearful Mr Johnston added: 'And if anybody wants to blame that on a few ridiculous bloody texts then it's just outrageous.'

Ms Hartley's family had not spoken to him since the murder and he found out he was not in Ms Hartley's will during the trial.

He added: 'I was given a day to get all my stuff out of the house. Can you imagine?' 

The former firefighter said he too is a 'victim' and could never have known 'psychopath' Williams would kill Sadie on their doorstep.
The former firefighter said he too is a 'victim' and could never have known 'psychopath' Williams would kill Sadie on their doorstep.

The former firefighter said he too is a 'victim' and could never have known 'psychopath' Williams would kill Sadie on their doorstep.

SADIE'S PARTNER: 'I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF BLOKES THINKING: 'BUT FOR THE GRACE OF GOD GO I'

Ian Johnston has insisted that his sexts to Sarah Williams did not lead to Sadie Hartley's murder.

The former firefighter apologised for his actions and said: 'I never for one minute believed that a few chuck-away ridiculous texts could ever lead to such atrocious events'.

He had an affair with Sadie's killer, who became obsessed with him and spent a year planning her murder with friend Katrina Walsh.

After breaking off the sex he still sent her lewd texts, including some ten days before the murder.

He said: ' I think there's a lot of blokes out there going, 'But for the Grace of God go I'', he said.

 'I've had to do a lot in my life that's been hard, 31 years in the fire service wasn't necessarily always easy.

'This eight months has just been the most horrendous. You just get a kicking every day and I want the kicking to stop now and I know it won't for a while.'

A tearful Mr Johnston added: 'And if anybody wants to blame that on a few ridiculous bloody texts then it's just outrageous.'

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Mr Johnston first met Williams in 2012 at dry-ski slope the Chill Factore in Manchester, where he taught skiing.

At the time he was single, retired after more than three decades in the fire service and looking to 'chase some dreams'.

But his brief fling with 'obsessive and jealous' Williams, 35, soon ended and he began a new life with successful businesswoman Sadie Hartley, 60, who he had known for more than 10 years.

Yet while they were living and holidaying together, the sex texts continued between Mr Johnston and Williams until his former girlfriend murdered Ms Hartley at their home while he was away on a skiing trip.

Mr Johnston said Williams, from Chester, exaggerated their contact. He said he did not 'lead her on' and at the time was 'vulnerable', caring for his terminally ill mother.

He said: 'It was just, I'm in a poor place and it was a bit of light relief.

'And she started texting me saying she'd started skiing again and she was sorry about my mum and it started like that as I seem to remember...And these texts were flying around, around that period.

'I was vulnerable and I think she took advantage of that. I was foolish. I was unwittingly naive.

'I'll carry this forever, overwhelming sense of regret that I got involved with texts.'

But he said the sex texts were 'incidental' to the plans of the killer, who he described as a 'psychopath'.

He added: 'I get the opinion that by engaging in these texts that people might feel that I'm culpable. I just think that's a very, very hard judgment on me.

'I could understand a row gone wrong, but 18 months of planning for 40-odd knife wounds and I'm supposed to accept a few texts led to that. It's not about the texts.'

He told the trial he had wanted to break-off his affair with Williams but had been 'flattered' by her attention and sent lewd texts in a 'moment of weakness' on the eve of the murder.

Mr Johnston had insisted her killer was 'delusional' and he didn't want a relationship with her. 

Mr Johnston and Ms Hartley, who both had children from previous marriages, were in an on-off relationship for 10 years, and moved in together more than a year before she was killed

Mr Johnston and Ms Hartley, who both had children from previous marriages, were in an on-off relationship for 10 years, and moved in together more than a year before she was killed

Grammar school-educated Mr Johnston had previously been hailed a hero during his 31 years as a fireman, winning a special commendation for his relief and rescue work during the Armenian earthquake in 1988.

He married a fellow worker in Lancashire Fire and Rescue, Jackie Johnston, and the couple had a daughter, Hannah, now 24.

Mr Johnston and his ex-wife split before he met communications director Ms Hartley in 2005, around the time he retired from the fire service. 

Ms Hartley had also split from her ex-husband, Garry, with whom she had two children, now in their twenties.

Victim Sadie Hartley's partner Ian Johnston  (pictured yesterday) had an affair with her killer and was still exchanging explicit messages with her days before the killing

Victim Sadie Hartley's partner Ian Johnston  (pictured yesterday) had an affair with her killer and was still exchanging explicit messages with her days before the killing

The couple lived together in Ms Hartley's home in Great Budworth, Cheshire, before moving to the rented detached house in the village of Helmshore, Lancashire, where Ms Hartley was killed.

At the time of her brutal death, Ms Hartley and Mr Johnston had been in an off and on relationship for 10 years. But, after 2013, Mr Johnston was meeting up with and texting his 'bit on the side' Williams.

He told the trial the affair was full on from the very start, saying: 'It was very quick. There was no dating. She would turn up at my house, and arrived in a short skirt and red high heels.'

He added: 'I was flattered by a young lady. It was placation, an entertainment. I would say our relationship was purely sex.'   

In December 2013, he and Ms Hartley went on a French skiing holiday and stayed at the same hotel as Williams and her 'sugar daddy' partner, David Hardwick. 

While enjoying the holiday with his partner, Mr Johnston was playing footsie under the table with Williams and 'electronic flirting', as he put it.

Williams became increasingly obsessed with the former fireman and his partner and in 2014 sent a poison pen letter telling Ms Hartley about her affair with Mr Johnston.

Up until this point, Mr Johnston's relationship with Ms Hartley had been, as he said, 'ad-hoc', but after Williams's bizarre letter, they became a couple.

Mr Johnston was an outdoor pursuits fanatic who kept seeing his 'bit on the side' Williams through skiing

Mr Johnston was an outdoor pursuits fanatic who kept seeing his 'bit on the side' Williams through skiing

After a holiday in Sicily to discuss their future, they moved in together in the house where Ms Hartley was later murdered.

It was around this time that Mr Johnston said he last saw Williams alone, when he told her he couldn't be seen with her. 

He said of Williams: 'I didn't want a relationship with her. She was embedded in the ski group.'

'I didn't want rid of her I just didn't want it to continue. But I did continue to text her,' he added.

But despite his apparent desire to end it, he was again texting her explicit messages in December last year, with texts being exchanged just 10 days before Williams attacked and killed Ms Hartley.

Naked photographs were sent between the pair on December 3, 4 and 5 and Christmas Day last year, before more explicit texts on January 4.

Mr Johnston (pictured outside his and Ms Hartley's home) was in Switzerland at the time of the killing

Mr Johnston (pictured outside his and Ms Hartley's home) was in Switzerland at the time of the killing

Mr Johnston said contacting his former lover was a 'moment of weakness' during a difficult time with his mother dying and Ms Hartley suffering from a heavy workload and a riding injury.

Mr Johnston set off for a skiing trip to Switzerland on which Ms Hartley was due to join him later in the month, but the couple never saw each other again.

After exchanging texts with Mr Johnston from the Alps, Williams put into action her murderous plan and attacked Ms Hartley with a stun gun and a knife.

At the trial, Mr Johnston denied he had 'led on' his partner's killers, but admitted: 'I was probably too kind'.

 

PAIR THOUGHT THEY WERE USING 'SPY' TECHNIQUES BUT THEIR MURDER WAS QUICKLY UNCOVERED BY POLICE

The killer pair meticulously planned the murder of Ms Hartley, carrying out a 'dummy run' the week before.

Williams knew the object of her obsession Mr Johnston was away skiing in the week they put their plans to action.

Along with Walsh, she drove to Helmshore to check they had the right address, where Walsh handed over flowers to a surprised and disturbed Ms Hartley, saying 'These are for you, Ms Hartley'.

Williams and Walsh on their way to Germany to buy the stun-gun used in the murder

Williams and Walsh on their way to Germany to buy the stun-gun used in the murder

The week before the killing, Williams bought flowers to deliver to check the address

The week before the killing, Williams bought flowers to deliver to check the address

A week later, almost exactly to the minute, Williams returned alone, dressed in dark clothing, armed with the stun gun and 8in (20cm) carving knife, killing her victim in an 'orgy of violence'.

CCTV caught her arriving 40 yards from her victim's home, going to the house and returning back on camera four minutes 40 seconds later, a 'no-hesitation, determined and swiftly executed murder'.

Ms Hartley's body was discovered the next day by police, when worried friends and family failed to contact her.

In the months before the murder, the pair had travelled to Germany to buy the stun-gun used in the attack.

CCTV from the ferry showed them together, heading off on a trip Williams would later claim was for Christmas shopping.

Walsh and Williams seen on the night that the flowers were delivered in the 'dummy run'

Walsh and Williams seen on the night that the flowers were delivered in the 'dummy run'

CCTV shows them near Ms Hartley's home as they delivered the flowers to her

CCTV shows them near Ms Hartley's home as they delivered the flowers to her

Williams was then given a demonstration on how to use a 500,000-volt stun gun weeks before she deployed it

Williams suggested Walsh was responsible and the pair ran a 'cut-throat' defence, each blaming the other.

Williams had been sent home from work ill and was in bed reading Game Of Thrones on the night of the killing, she claimed.

But detectives trawled CCTV and tracked the cars used by the pair to reveal their movements in the run-up to the murder.

Forensic officers also discovered Ms Hartley's DNA in Williams' bath, probably after she had showered her victim's blood off her, and on her spectacles in her Volvo car - for which the defendant had no explanation.

Walsh did not give evidence, her barrister telling the jury that, while she may be a 'vile' individual, she never believed Williams would kill.

The same CCTY camera captured an image of Williams walking to Ms Hartley's house on the night of the murder

The same CCTY camera captured an image of Williams walking to Ms Hartley's house on the night of the murder

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'She wanted me to have a family, to plan my wedding': Sadie Hartley's daughter got engaged just days before her mother was brutally murdered 

The daughter of Sadie Hartley broke down in tears as she told how her murdered mother wouldn't be able help her plan her wedding.

Charlotte Hartley got engaged to her fiance just days before she was told her mother had been brutally killed.

In an emotional interview, she has now told of the pain she feels at knowing her mother won't be around to plan the ceremony or be a grandmother to her children.

Charlotte Hartley, Sadie Hartley's daughter, broke down in tears as she told how her mother wouldn't be there to help plan her wedding or look after any future grandchildren

Charlotte Hartley, Sadie Hartley's daughter, broke down in tears as she told how her mother wouldn't be there to help plan her wedding or look after any future grandchildren

Charlotte, 23, said: 'I had just got engaged three days before I got the police call. I went from an incredible high to an incredible low.'

She added: '[My mother] wanted to be with her family, to wait for me to have a family, obviously plan a wedding together but that has all be taken away from her.'

Asked about Williams and Walsh's sentences, she added: 'They might be in prison but what's prison when you haven't got a mum? Nothing will make that feel better.' 

Successful businesswoman Ms Hartley, 60, has two children from her first mariage; Charlotte and Harry, 25, both of whom have attended the trial.

Asked about what she thought of my mother's later partner, Ian Johnston, who had an affair with her killer, Charlotte replied: 'I have nothing to say about Ian'.

She told how her mother was looking forward to retirement and was still very active, trekking on horse back in Morocco, Chile and Argentina in the years before her death.

She said her mother was looking forward to retiring soon and enjoying horse riding

She said her mother was looking forward to retiring soon and enjoying horse riding

Miss Hartley, pictured with her uncle Graham and father Garry outside court

Miss Hartley, pictured with her uncle Graham and father Garry outside court

Ms Hartley's brother, Graham Cook also gave a statement about her, saying she was 'warm, loving, caring and unassuming' and had a good sense of humour.

He told how his sister was the third of three children born to a lorry driver and his wife and had gone on to make a great success of her life in the pharmaceutical industry.

Mr Cook, 63, added: 'Sadie's death had left a massive hole in all our lives which we will never fill and we will never get over this.'

Sadie's best friend and business partner Julie Taylor, said she and Sadie had been like sisters and everyone at their tight-knit company had been devastated by her sudden death.

She said: 'Sadie was just lovely. She was a really warm, caring woman and incredibly generous.'

Mr Cook, Ms Hartley's older brother also broke down as he recalled their childhood together

Mr Cook, Ms Hartley's older brother also broke down as he recalled their childhood together

Ms Hartley's son Harry has also attended court
Ms Hartley's best friend Julie Taylor has also attended court

Ms Hartley's son Harry and her best friend Julie Taylor have also attended court

Speaking outside court today, Ms Hartley's son Harry said: 'There was nothing wrong with [my mother] that anybody could say.

'She was highly regarded in the medical community and through no fault of her own she was taken away from us.

'We may have received some justice but it can never bring our mum back.' 

In his victim impact statement, he said: 'She was taken in the cruellest possible way. These two monsters took one life and have destroyed countless more. They are utterly dangerous creatures and they are a danger to society.

'Not giving up is so incredibly hard, I'm so distant from the world yet I'm here. I wish my mum was. It makes no sense.' 

 

The obsessive 'bunny boiler' and her evil sidekick who saw themselves as 'Batman and Robin - but on the wrong side of the law' 

To her neighbours and riding friends, Sarah Williams seemed like a 'thoroughly nice person' who 'oozed confidence' and looked 'comfortable in her own skin'.

But beneath the veneer of a middle-class ski instructor and dog lover, the 35-year-old had become violently obsessed with former fireman Ian Johnston after their affair, and seethed with anger towards Sadie Hartley, the partner he refused to leave.

From her teenage years, Williams had a penchant for older men, meeting her 'sugar daddy' David Hardwick when she was just 17 and he 57.

Williams (right) and her accomplice Katrina Walsh. The pair discussed plans to kill Ms Hartley for more than a year before Williams attacked her lover's partner at their home

Williams (right) and her accomplice Katrina Walsh. The pair discussed plans to kill Ms Hartley for more than a year before Williams attacked her lover's partner at their home

Despite the huge age gap, Williams was soon sleeping with the heating firm boss, who ended up funding her lifestyle of skiing holidays and horse riding.

He paid £320 a week into her bank account by standing order as well as covering fuel for her car and even giving her £75,000 towards buying a home.

With his help, she soon had a mortgage on the property where she lived and was renting out another as a landlady.

Despite the financial arrangement, Williams went to work when she left school at 18, holding down a number of sales jobs, including at a bank and then at Crystal Ski Holidays at Manchester's Chill Factore indoor ski centre.

It was through skiing that she met the men with whom she would have three affairs in as many years, two of them behind the backs of their partners.

In 2011, Williams met and became 'besotted' with married father-of-two Somapat Sitiwatjana, a martial arts expert and skier.

The pair met up for sex in hotels without the knowledge of his wife, Janet, or her partner Mr Hardwick.

Williams told friends she want to 'get rid of' Mr Sitiwatjana's wife and even made stabbing gestures to her head whilst making the 'Psycho' sound, made famous in the Alfred Hitchcock film.

Williams at the ski slopes with her 'sugar daddy' David Hardwick, who paid her an allowance and the deposit on her home

Williams at the ski slopes with her 'sugar daddy' David Hardwick, who paid her an allowance and the deposit on her home

CHILLING DIARY OF A KILLER: EVIL PLOT TO MURDER SADIE HARTLEY WAS PARTLY INSPIRED BY A TV SHOW

Plans for the murder of Sadie Hartley were outlined in meticulous detail in accomplice Katrina Walsh's diary. Over 17 months, Walsh described how she was 'buzzing' at the thought of 'plotting the perfect murder' with friend Sarah Williams.

The entries included:

September 2014: 'Sarah came round. Got caught up in endless murder plots for Ian's other half.'

June 2015: 'We're also seriously talking of getting rid of her opponent. I agree is probably a good play ... She does seem to be a totally evil b****.'

August 2015: 'Wow, I may get to be instrumental in helping remove the awful woman! This may happen! Wow. Am unexpectedly excited by it! Was so buzzing so much I needed a Southern Comfort to wind down a bit.' 

Referring to being able to sleep easily despite the murderous nature of their plot, she wrote: 'I have no moral qualms, just a serious don't get caught twinge. Was off just fine despite being away in all the buzz.'

September 2015: Walsh wrote that the pair had discussed 'a hit on a motorcycle', hoping to kill Mrs Hartley so that her death looked like a road accident.

She also said they considered taking the flag of Islamic State to the scene to 'mislead the investigation', fooling police into thinking it was a terrorist attack.

Referring to the ISIS flag, she said 'I'm much more into that', adding: 'Fortunately Sarah's had an idea that would spare me the anxiety as she things [sic] of just riding on a motorcycle, killing and leaving said floosy [sic] and riding off. I just have to clandestinely train Sarah to ride a bike and store said bike.'

She later added: 'Sarah turned up. Caught Hunted [Channel 4 reality show in which teams try to evade intelligence officers]. Then discussed the plans to off the c***.'

October 2015: Walsh described plans to 'off the b****' and travel to Germany to buy the stun gun they will use.

She added: 'Just buzzing too much over the end of Hunted and all the planning.

'Sarah has ordered a GPS tracker on my credit card to be delivered here and will give me cash for it. That's fine as I'm not going to be involved at the sharp end.'

December 2015: Shortly before the pair went to Germany to buy the stun gun, Walsh wrote: 'She [Williams] could do with that zapper or she risks being injured herself.

'So will get a trip to Germany out of this. Took ages to wind down after all the excitement of plotting the perfect murder.'

After Williams successfully fitted the tracker to Mrs Hartley's partner's car, Walsh wrote: 'Sarah called in bouncing.'

Mrs Hartley was stabbed to death the following month. 

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Mr Sitiwatjana feared Williams was getting 'too close' and ended the affair after Williams sent him a picture of a baby scan, implying it was hers when it was in fact given to her by a friend. 

She also sent his wife a letter in which she called him a 'liar, a cheat and a b*****d' and let down his tyres while he was at the indoor ski slopes.

Soon after that, Williams started seeing ski instructor Andy Poole, who she met while staying with Mr Hardwick in a ski chalet.

As with her other flings, Williams and Mr Poole exchanged flirty texts and met up for sex, but their relationship broke down when she refused to leave Mr Hardwick.

Williams then met Ian Johnston, who at that point had been in an on-off relationship with Sadie Hartley for several years.

The pair exchanged numbers and, with both in fairly loose relationships, they started exchanging flirty text messages and were soon meeting up for sex.

Williams would often text her new lover suggestive messages, telling him she was 'laying in bed thinking about him'.

And she told colleagues she was 'hook, line and sinker' for the 'alpha male' fireman.

She wrote to a friend: 'I want to run away with him… it's too soon to have this conversation like this with him. Being the little psycho that I am, I want to push it along very quickly.'

Williams would turn up at Mr Johnston's home in a red high heels and a short skirt and, after getting a key cut, let herself in and waited naked in his bed.

But it seems her strong feelings for Mr Johnston were not reciprocated and less than six months after they first met, he tried to break off their affair, telling her: 'I'm in a relationship with Sadie. You knew that before this started.'

It was around this point that Williams' obsession with Mr Johnston turned into hatred for successful businesswoman Ms Hartley, whose relationship with the object of her affections continued apace. 

In 2013, Ms Hartley and Mr Johnston headed off on a 22-day trip to Ecuador and the following year they moved into a £500,000 house in the Lancashire countryside together.

A furious Williams wrote to old friend Katrina Walsh: 'The fireman has feelings for the golden-haired, brilliantly creative and creatively brilliant she-devil… I'm squealing at a pitch that only dogs and bats can hear.'

Her anger prompted her to write a poison pen letter to her rival, in which she told of the affair she and Mr Johnston had been having, commenting 'the sex is unbelievable' and accusing Ms Hartley of 'buying and trapping' Mr Johnston.

In 2015, Mr Johnston and Ms Hartley went off on a skiing trip together, prompting a jealous Williams to comment to a friend: 'Ian and the b**** from hell, how jolly. I really can't stand her.'

A fellow ski instructor later said Williams was 'infatuated' with Mr Johnston and could become 'unhinged' and 'psychotic'.

Her relationship with Mr Hardwick was also rocky, with a friend recalling she threatened to kill him at a skiing event.

Recalling another clash involving Williams and Mr Hardwick, a different friend said: 'Sarah was quite angry… the word that came to mind then and now is 'feral'.

'She was not tamed by the circumstances. We were quite a middle-aged group and it was out of keeping.'

After writing of her love for Mr Johnston to long-time friend Ms Walsh, known as 'Kit', Williams began plotting the murderous attack on Ms Hartley.

Williams had met Walsh at Collinge Farm in Chester in 2000, when Williams was still a teenager and Walsh was in her late 30s. The women's shared love of horses had blossomed into a close friendship.

Williams also had relationships with Somapat Sitiwatjana (pictured with his wife Janet)
Williams also had a relationship Andy Poole, a ski instructor she left shortly before meeting Mr Johnston

Williams also had relationships with Somapat Sitiwatjana (left with his wife Janet) and Andy Poole (right), a ski instructor she left shortly before meeting Mr Johnston

But the pair made an odd couple, with a worker at the stables commenting: 'Sarah seemed very comfortable in her own skin. I used to look at her and thought she oozed confidence.

'Kit was quieter. She did talk a lot, she just waffled. She was a quieter soul… she was not as confident or as bubbly as Sarah but she spoke her mind.

'I wouldn't say there was a dominant personality. I would describe Kit as a bit in awe of Sarah but it wasn't an obsession.'

Heavily-tattooed Walsh, who wore a baseball cap every day to hide her alopecia, made a living by giving horse riding lessons after splitting up with her warehouseman ex-husband Kevin Walsh.

She and her ex had enjoyed motor biking jaunts and Kit had supported her husband in his love of re-enacting Viking battles.

Walsh continued to live in the couple's small semi-detached home in the village of Piper's Ash after they split and the trial heard they had a 'cordial' relationship as friends.

After initially telling Walsh about her love for Mr Johnston, Williams was soon also bragging about her plans to kill his partner Miss Hartley.

The court heard Williams had at least three affairs behind the back of Mr Hardwick

The court heard Williams had at least three affairs behind the back of Mr Hardwick

Friends of Walsh believe Williams manipulated her into taking part in the plot, with Walsh's ex saying he could tell Williams was 'up to no good'.

A neighbour of Walsh told MailOnline: 'I don't know why she's got anything to do with this when it's none of her business. Sounds like it was all this other nutter of a woman.'

Walsh's diary first records the pair speaking about murder in September 2014 – 17 months before the killing took place – and the friends repeatedly talked about it in the build-up to the attack.

Walsh's diary shows increased notes about discussing killing Williams's 'opponent' with discussion of a 'motorbike hit' and even plans to leave an ISIS terrorist flag at the scene to dupe the authorities.

But after the plot was carried out, the trust between Walsh and Williams seems to have disintegrated, with Walsh fearing Williams would now try to kill her too.

From a prison cell before the trial, she told her ex-husband she thought Williams planned to poison her and leave a confession.

Despite sitting just a few feet apart in the dock, the pair barely made eye contact during their trial. 

Williams attempted to blame Walsh at trial, claiming her older friend was 'excessively' interested in the Channel 4 show Hunted, which features two friends on the run from investigators.

When asked who she thought killed Ms Hartley, Williams said the evidence 'points to kit'. 

 

'Zombie' hair-loss sufferer who was so 'awe-struck' by younger woman that she helped to plot the murder of a woman she didn't even know

Sadie Hartley knew nothing of Katrina Walsh, the older of the two women who plotted to kill her.

Walsh is not believed to have ever met her victim before she delivered flowers to her on a 'dummy run' of the murder.

Walsh, 56, based her hatred of Ms Hartley on the rantings of jealous Sarah Williams, a woman Walsh was said be in awe of,

Described as artistic and eccentric, but with limited social skills, Walsh was very different to Sarah Williams, 35, but the pair had shared interests and formed an unhealthily close relationship despite an age difference of 20 years.

Walsh, pictured (right) with Williams in Thailand, said it was a 'buzz' planning the killing and she had 'no moral qualms'

Walsh, pictured (right) with Williams in Thailand, said it was a 'buzz' planning the killing and she had 'no moral qualms'

Heavily tattooed on her arms, the older woman was in a biker group and rode a Harley Davidson, calling her machine Raven. She also had a horse called Zephyr, used Tarot cards and had a penchant for making jewellery, especially dragon-themed pendants.

She suffered from alopecia, with repeated episodes of hair loss, and was never seen without a hat or bandana.

As a riding instructor, she first met Williams at stables when her co-accused was aged 12 and while Walsh was on the periphery of the local skiing set. Both were heavily involved in horse riding.

She married Kevin Walsh in 1984, sharing common interests in horses, motorcycling and Viking re-enactment events, but he left her for another woman in 2008.

Walsh, pictured being taken away from a previous hearing, now faces at least 25 years in jail

Walsh, pictured being taken away from a previous hearing, now faces at least 25 years in jail

PAIR TRIED TO RECRUIT WALSH'S ARCHER EX 

Katrina Walsh was not only happy to take part in murdering a woman she had never met - she even tried to recruit her biker ex-husband to help.

The court heard that Walsh married archery fan Kevin Walsh, from Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, in 1984 and they shared an interest in motorcycles, horse riding and Viking re-enactment battles.

He told the court he had a 'mid-life crisis' and left Walsh, who he called Kit, for another woman in 2008 though the two were soon reconciled and were in a 'cordial' relationship again as friends.

But early on in the trial the court heard the defendants had tried to recruit Mr Walsh, a member of the Aycliffe Archers, to plot to kill Sadie Hartley because they hoped to take advantage of his unique 'skill set'.

The court heard that Walsh married archery fan Kevin Walsh, from Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, in 1984 and they shared an interest in motorcycles, horse riding and Viking re-enactment battles

Walsh ex, archery fan Kevin Walsh, said he was suspicious of Williams

The jury heard how last August the defendants had asked keen archer Mr Walsh to use his skills to help them do something 'nefarious', but he backed out after realising Williams was 'up to no good'.

He said: 'She said she had a job for me that she reckoned would suit my particular key skills, whatever they were.

'She didn't want to discuss what this job was over the phone. She wanted to see me in person and she was happy to come up to see me in Yorkshire.'

Mr Walsh said he was 'very taken aback by this' and told Williams he would get back to her.

He said he was employed as a warehouseman and could 'not in the slightest' think what part of his 'skill set' Williams was referring to.

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Walsh, known as Kit, told friends Williams was supportive during the break-up.

She claimed to have passed O and A-levels with excellent grades and to have gained a Masters after completing a degree.

CCTV recovered by police consistently showed Williams striding ahead, with her slightly stooped friend following literally in her wake.

The women lived in each other's pockets, enjoying foreign holidays together and also spending time watching Harry Potter films on Walsh's bed at her cluttered home in Chester.

Just hours before police swooped after the brutal murder of Ms Hartley, it was suggested the pair had been celebrating executing their plan, both sitting on Walsh's bed as they sang along to a DVD of Abba-themed musical Mamma Mia!.

Walsh accompanied Williams on the trip to Germany to buy the stun gun - taking a detour to look at the final resting place of a Celtic prince.

She bought the car and the tracker to be used on the murder mission, along with the knife - using her Tesco Clubcard - and some of the clothing Williams would wear.

She also looked Sadie Hartley, 60, in the eye a week before her murder, delivering flowers to the unsuspecting victim.

And in the aftermath Walsh was instrumental in the clean-up and disposal of evidence.

An inveterate diary keeper, detailing the most mundane events of her life, the volumes of documents were seized by police, who discovered Walsh had also chronicled the entire murder plot.

Described even by her own lawyer, Tony Cross QC, as 'vile' and 'guilty as sin' - he suggested for all her undoubted faults she did not believe Williams would kill and would never have agreed to murder.

Walsh told police she thought she was playing out an elaborate charade with Williams, like in the TV show Hunted.

The defendants ran a 'cut throat' defence, both claiming it must have been the other one responsible for the murder of Ms Hartley.

Arrogant Williams made copious notes on a pad, resting on a file balanced on her knee, throughout the trial.

Sat at the opposite end of the dock, Walsh barely lifted her head, the two never even acknowledging each other throughout the seven weeks of the trial.

On arrest, Walsh gave a bizarre, trance-like stream of consciousness commentary telling detectives, 'I'll follow the memories' as she led them across farmland to where she had buried the stun gun and other evidence.

As with her claims of a poor memory, it was all an act, the jury was told.

Walsh carried out the 'dummy run' the week before that murder at Ms Hartley's rural home

Walsh carried out the 'dummy run' the week before that murder at Ms Hartley's rural home

John McDermott, prosecuting, said Walsh had done her best to appear a 'zombie' and 'the caricature of a fool', but she played 'almost gleeful participation in the murder' and in reality was as cold-blooded a killer as her friend.

Jailing her for a minimum 25 years today, Mr Justice Turner said: 'You were the perfect partner in crime: loyal, amoral and, perhaps most welcome of all, anonymous.

'You spent hours, days and months plotting and scheming the death of Sadie Hartley a recreation from which, as your diaries reveal, you derived considerable pleasure and satisfaction.'

JEALOUS KILLER SENT HER LOVE RIVAL SADIE HARTLEY A POISON PEN LETTER DETAILING 'UNBELIEVABLE SEX'

Jealous Sarah Williams told her ex's new partner, Sadie Hartley, they were having an affair and were still enjoying 'unbelievably fantastic' sex before murdering her with 'demonic savagery'.

Spurned Sarah Williams, 35, sent the 'spiteful' letter to Sadie Hartley, 60, after her ex Ian Johnston, 57, reignited his relationship with the older woman.

Williams had form for using such methods. 

Her murder trial she Williams had also embarked on an 'intense, passionate' affair from 2011 to 2012 with married Thai martial arts gym owner, Somapat Sitiwatjana, and had written his wife a similar letter.

Spurned Sarah Williams, 35, sent the 'spiteful' letter (pictured) to Sadie Hartley, 60, after her ex Ian Johnston, 57, reignited his relationship with the older woman

Spurned Sarah Williams, 35, sent the 'spiteful' letter (pictured) to Sadie Hartley, 60, after her ex Ian Johnston, 57, reignited his relationship with the older woman

Giving evidence at Preston Crown Court Williams admitted she the sent letters to Ms Hartley and Mr Sitiwatjana's wife, Janet, in which she detailed her relationships with both their partners after she stopped seeing them.

Williams, 35, was also said to have harassed Mrs Sitiwatjana, although she denied this.

The court heard when her letter failed to break up Mr Johnston and Ms Hartley, 'obsessed' Williams attacked businesswoman Ms Hartley with 'demonic savagery'.

Williams paralysed her victim with a cattle prod before stabbing her 40 times in an 'orgy of violence' on the doorstep of her £500,000 home in the upmarket village of Helmshore, Lancashire.

One blow with the kitchen knife used by Williams went straight through her victim's neck, the court heard.

Jealous Sarah Williams told her ex's new partner, Sadie Hartley, they were having an affair and were still enjoying 'unbelievably fantastic' sex before murdering her

Jealous Sarah Williams told her ex's new partner, Sadie Hartley, they were having an affair and were still enjoying 'unbelievably fantastic' sex before murdering her

Mother-of-two Ms Hartley, who was described as a 'decent, hard-working' communications director, was found dead in a pool of blood in the hallway of her house the day after the attack on January 14 this year.

On the second day of the trial John McDermott QC, prosecuting, told the court about the letter Williams sent in September 2014, in which she told Ms Hartley she was having an affair with her partner.

The letter claimed Mr Johnston had been cheating on Ms Hartley since August 2013, and stated: '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.'

Flowers at the scene of the murder in Helmshore, Lancashire in January this year

Flowers at the scene of the murder in Helmshore, Lancashire in January this year

The letter claimed that Mr Johnston was 'extremely depressed' and that Ms Hartley had 'played a significant part' in that.

It added: '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.'

The letter closed with the offer that should Ms Hartley want to speak about the alleged affair 'you are free to contact me'. 

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