A woman accused of murdering her love rival after the breakdown of an affair had been sleeping with another married man for almost 18 years.
Sarah Williams, 35, is alleged to have incapacitated businesswoman Sadie Hartley, 60, with a shot to the head from a stun gun and then stabbed her to death because she wanted to rekindle an affair with Hartley’s partner, Ian Johnston.
It is claimed that “jealous and obsessive” Williams planned the murder for 17 months with the help of her close friend Katrina Walsh, 56. Both women deny murder.
The court heard that the keen horsewoman had been in a relationship with married entrepreneur David Hardwick since the age of 17, after meeting him at the Wirral Riding Centre in Neston, Cheshire. A shared interest in horses developed soon after into a “close and sexual relationship”.
Previously labelled her “sugar daddy”, Hardwick, 75, told the court that he personally funded Williams’ affluent lifestyle with up to 12 holidays a year skiing and horse riding.
He also gave the former bank worker £75,000 towards buying a house and provided a weekly kitty of £320 paid directly into her bank account.
Father-of-two Hardwick also took care of her fuel, life insurance and credit card payments but he denied she was “a kept woman” and said he took that suggestion “very offensively”.
Throughout their whole relationship, Hardwick continued to live with his wife, Rowena, but visited Williams every day at 5am at her home in Cheshire.
The court heard these early morning visits began when Williams started working as a travel agent at the Chill Factore, an indoor skiing centre, around five years ago.
Hardwick said a daily routine developed where he would call round to her home in Blacon, at 5am, get into her bed where they would have a “cuddle” then later walk her dog before she started work.
On 14 January, the day Williams allegedly committed the murder, she had left work early saying she felt unwell. Hardwick said she appeared normal when he visited her the next morning but noted she “snuggled up” to him as soon as he got into bed – which he said stood out in his mind at a time when the relationship had become non-sexual.
Two days later on 17 January he arrived at the house as normal at 5am but was greeted by police officers, the court was told.
Wiping away a tear, Hardwick said he was shocked about Williams’ arrest on suspicion of murder. He said: “I couldn’t believe it. I asked them if they had got the right Sarah Williams.”
It is alleged Williams was obsessed by former fireman Johnston and brutally murdered his partner, Hartley, 60, when he refused to leave her. Hartley was found at her home in Helmshore, Lancashire, after she was paralysed with a stun gun and then stabbed to death.
Pathologist Dr Philip Lumb said Hartley was discovered lying face down in a pool of blood near her dining room door.
He says there were clear stab wounds through her clothing and a piece of metal from the stun gun had lodged itself in the collar of her jumper.
There were two burn marks on her check consistent with a single thrust of a stun gun and multiple stab wounds.
The trial continues.
