GUILTY UK - Sadie Hartley, 60, murdered, Helmshore, Lancs, 14 Jan 2016 #1

[Legally Bland]

It looks like they were going through KW's police interviews yesterday. Not sure if there's anything new, maybe a bit more detail.http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/695524/TV-game-Hunted-woman-helped-love-triangle-killer

 

[Alyce]

Cant see them listed in the court register for today ?

but have found this article, dated yesterday. The * live* reporting section is from a few weeks back, but there is a note re the Defence case in the main part of the article.

The prosecution were expected to conclude their evidence on Monday, August 2, with legal teams for Sarah Williams and Katrina Walsh set to begin their defence cases later in the week.


http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/local-news/sadie-hartley-murder-trial-live-11612481

 

[Alyce]

Oh this has literally just come up on Google

Here we go

Live feed


http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/local-news/sadie-hartley-murder-trial-live-11697850

 

[Alyce]

Sarah Williams to give evidence

I’m in Court 5 at Preston Crown Court where the Sadie Hartley murder trial has just resumed.

Today the defence case is beginning and we will hear evidence from one of the accused, Sarah Williams.

Miss WIlliams, 35, is charged with plotting and then killing Mrs Hartley, with the help of friend and co-accused Katrina Walsh, to “remove” her as she was “obsessed” with her partner Ian Johnston, 57.

Miss WIlliams has just been brought from the dock to the witness box, and is now taking the oath.



http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/local-news/sadie-hartley-murder-trial-live-11697850

 

[Alyce]

Williams denies killing Sadie Hartley

Miss Williams’ is being questioned first by her own defence barrister, Gordon Cole QC.

He asks her if she has ever been in trouble before, been convicted of any offences or given evidence in court before, she says no.

He then asks her: “This is important, and the jury will want to hear this, did you kill Sadie Hartley?”

“No” Miss Williams replies.


http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/local-news/sadie-hartley-murder-trial-live-11697850

 

[Alyce]

Court hearing about Williams' work history

Miss Williams is wearing a grey trouser suit with a white top underneath.

She is stood up in the dock and is facing the jury as she answers the questions.

The court is currently being told about her education, employment history and hobbies.

She says she worked for the bank HBOS for eight years before moving on to the travel agent Crystal SKi Holidays.


http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/local-news/sadie-hartley-murder-trial-live-11697850

 

[Alyce]

Williams says she was abducted as child

Miss Williams is now recounting an incident when she was 13 years-old when she was knocked off her bike, bundled into a car and abducted.

She says she was kept hostage for around six hours and was “physically abused” by a man.

She says she was eventually able to raise the alarm after she was dumped on a country lane and taken to Knutsford services around 30 miles away by another man.

Mr Cole says the investigation into this was unfruitful and no one was ever arrested.


http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/local-news/sadie-hartley-murder-trial-live-11697850

 

[Alyce]

Williams discusses relationship with David Hardwick

Miss Williams is now being asked about her relationship with David Hardwick, who is ‘twice her age’ and who she met when she was 17.
He has been referred to earlier in the case as her ‘sugar daddy.’

She says they met through a shared love of horses and at first they were just friends but then it developed into a relationship.

However Miss Williams says she was “able to deal with” the fact that he was married.

“She (his wife) knew we were going out riding together and spending time together.


http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/local-news/sadie-hartley-murder-trial-live-11697850

“It was never a massive issue, but obviously it was always there.”

 

[Alyce]

Walsh paid Williams £43k

The court is hearing about £43,000 Katrina Walsh paid to Sarah Williams.

Miss Williams says it was loan used to help purchase a second property.

She says she was paying interest on it and would pay it back ‘whenever she wanted me to.’

She says she had two skiing holidays booked and paid for, the weeks after her arrest for Sadie’s murder in January.

She says she was due to skiing in Canada with Mr Hardwick in early February and again in early March.


http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/local-news/sadie-hartley-murder-trial-live-11697850

 

[Alyce]

Williams met co-accused as child

Miss Williams is now talking about her relationship with her co-accused Katrina, or Kit, Walsh.
She says they met when they were 12 but they didn’t become friends until she left school at 18 despite them being ‘pretty different.’

She says of her: “She’s very well educated, extremely intelligent, eccentric and very different from ‘the norm.’

She says she has “incredible” general knowledge and an excellent memory.

She says she didn’t go out ‘a vast amount’ but she did socialise.


http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/local-news/sadie-hartley-murder-trial-live-11697850


ETA

Must be a typo there - when Williams was 12, Walsh would have been 30 ish ?

 

[Alyce]

Williams denies speaking to Walsh's ex-husband

Sarah Williams says she last spoke to Katrina Walsh’s ex-husband Kevin Walsh in around 2006 or 2007.
The prosecution have earlier claimed in their opening that Miss Williams tried to recruit him to the alleged murder plot in August 2015.
However asked if she spoke to or communicated with him in any way at that time she replies “no.”

She also says before this court case she had no idea what a ‘burner’ SIM card was.

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/local-news/sadie-hartley-murder-trial-live-11697850



ETA I wonder if Kevin Walsh has a record of the call

 

[Alyce]

Williams says she is 'not aggressive at all'

Sarah Williams says she began working at Crystal Ski Holidays, based in the Chill Factore opposite the Trafford Centre, in 2014.

Asked if she was ‘quite successful’ as a travel agent she says ‘I’d say very successful, not quite.”

Asked to describe herself she says: “I’m quite easy going.

“I can get on with people relatively easily.”

She says she can’t be bullied and “tend to stand my ground.”

However she says “I wouldn’t say I am aggressive at all.”

The court is now taking a short break.


http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/local-news/sadie-hartley-murder-trial-live-11697850

 

[Alyce]

Court hears about relationship with ski instructor

Sarah WIlliams is now talking about her relationship with a third ski instructor Somapat Sitiwatjana, also referred to as ‘Master A.’
She says she had a sexual relationship with the 47 year-old married man however it ended when she found out he was seeing someone else.
She denies following him around or trying to bump into him afterwards.
However she admits letting his tyres down as he she says he had been following her around and ‘giving me a bit of grief.’

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/local-news/sadie-hartley-murder-trial-live-11697850

 

[Alyce]

Waves to all the guests - would be great if you would sign up and join us - always good to have more people on board

 

[Alyce]

Williams sent letter to former lover's wife

The court hears that during their relationship, Miss Williams believed she may be pregnant and sent Mr Sitiwatjana a baby scan picture that one of her pals had sent her.

Miss Williams also admitted sending Mr Sitiwatjana’s wife a letter in which she called him a ‘liar, a cheat and a b*****d’ in May 2012.

She says it was hand delivered by Kit Walsh.

She admits the letter ‘was vengeful in a way’ but ‘I thought she (his wife) should know the way he behaved and the way he treated people.’

However she denies sending his wife a text saying her husband was ‘s******g his way around the world.’

The court breaks for lunch with evidence due to resume at 2pm.


http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/local-news/sadie-hartley-murder-trial-live-11697850

 

[Legally Bland]

Yay! Live reporting. Thank you Alyce.

 

[mbmc]

Thanks for the updates Alyce.

I am finding this case fascinating, I wish there had been more coverage, hopefully there will be more now.

So it seems that regardless of all the evidence the police gathered SW is going to deny all and perhaps implicate KW, the evidence seems pretty damming for her, all the apparent planning, equipment bought, and KW leading police to hiding places. If SW is guilty then she has clearly tried to cover all her tracks to lead it solely to KW.

She has also planted seeds for the Jury by saying KW has an excellent memory! ...KW claiming the opposite, cant wait for the cross examination and KW hopefully taking the stand.

 

[Alyce]

I agree mbmc, the cross is going to be fascinating.
Williams has such an interesting opinion of herself, totally at odds with the way others see her...and yes indeed, she managed to get in the little bit about Walsh's excellent memory !
I think for sure Walsh will take the stand, she has to fight her side of it, though I suspect she will not be as self assured as Williams seems to be.

 

[Alyce]

Trial resumes after lunch

The trial is back underway after lunch with Sarah Williams again stood in the witness box, facing the jury, giving her evidence.

She is being taken through a series of text messages both to, and about, Mr Siriwatjana.

In one she accused him of “wrecking her life.”

She says of it: “He treated me appallingly and I was telling him so.”

We are now moving on to her relationship with Sadie Hartley’s partner Ian Johnston.


http://www.chesterchronicle.co.uk/n...news/sadie-hartley-murder-trial-live-11698140

 

[Alyce]

Williams discusses friendship with Ian Johnston

Miss Williams says she met Ian Johnston at the Chill Factore sometime in 2011.

She says she initially had “little or nothing to do with him” but would occasionally chat to him “at the top and the bottom of the slope.”

She says in early 2012 they then became friends on Facebook as they “had a lot of mutual friends.”

She says in early 2013 they started ‘liking’ each other’s photos on the social media site and “exchanged a small number of messages.”

However she says she had no contact between then and when she bumped into him at the Chill Factore.

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/local-news/sadie-hartley-murder-trial-live-11697850