0:00
Sarah, are you under arrest on suspicion of murder of St. Hartland? This is Sarah Williams and this is
0:07
Katrina Walsh. And if there was ever a pair of criminal masterminds who managed to be both terrifying yet utterly
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pathetic, it's these two. Sarah and Katrina fancied themselves like characters out of a crime thriller. But
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the problem is they didn't have the intelligence, subtlety, or competence to pull it off. Armed with burner phones,
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GPS trackers, and a diary so detailed it could have doubled as their own confession, they plotted what they
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proudly called the perfect murder. But spoiler alert, it wasn't. Their victim,
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that being 60-year-old Sadie Hartley, was a kind, successful woman whose only mistake was falling in love with a man
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that had at one point in time dated one of them. And for that she was hunted and then brutally murdered by two jealous
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fantasists who couldn't even tell the difference between real life and bad fiction. And what followed was a crime
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so senseless, so needless, and so astonishingly incompetent that even detectives described it as part tragedy
1:07
and part absurdity. Welcome, or welcome back to Coffee House Crime, folks. My name is Adrian and
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today we're in Lancasher where the hills are gentle, the tea is strong, and these two masterminds redefined the word
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stupid. Now, my goal here is to bring you the darkest and strangest true crime stories from all over the world and
1:26
explore what we can learn from them along the way. And so, if that sounds like your kind of thing, then please do
1:31
consider subscribing and dropping this video a like. It really does help the channel. Thank you. And now, with that
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said, please grab yourself a coffee, get comfortable, and get ready for the deep dive. This is the case of Sadie Hartley.
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Welcome to Helmshore, folks. Nestled in the Rossundale Valley of Lancasher, this village is known as a quiet, affluent
2:01
pocket of England, where crime feels more like an outsider's worry than an insider's issue. It's the kind of place
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where old textile mills sit as relics of the past. Rolling hills surround you in the horizon, and the evenings fall into
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quietness long before the pubs close their doors. With tranquility like this, it is a village that probably feels just
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right over the long summer days. However, take this as a formally weathered Englishman, but I can't say
2:28
the same about winters. The month was January 2016, and winter was fully
2:33
underway. Much like the rest of England, Helmshore streets are quite deserted at this time of year where most of its
2:40
residents are probably trying to keep warm or comfortable indoors. And with so much coziness around the town, it was
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quite hard to imagine that in just a moment something terrible was about to unfold. Found on the southern edge of
2:54
the village, Sunnybank Road was everything you'd expect from a charming English village home. It was well-kept,
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welcoming, and valued at a staggering half a million pounds. Quite frankly, it
3:06
was beautiful and looked perfect for anyone aiming for this kind of cozy lifestyle. Inside of this property lived
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60-year-old Sadi Hartley. She was a successful businesswoman, a devoted mother of two, and a partner to retired
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firefighter Ian Johnston. Together, they were well-liked within the village and quietly part of the close-knit community
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that had forged over the years. However, on the evening of January the 14th,
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2016, and behind those very four walls, everything changed in an instant, and
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Helmshaw was about to witness an evil it had never seen before. It wouldn't be until the following day that worries
3:45
slowly spread from the household. You see, Sadi hadn't been seen for a while.
3:50
Neither had she been answering her phone or even showing up to work. Friends and colleagues started to grow worried as
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the hours dragged on. And so eventually, one colleague made the decision to drive
4:02
over and check on her. And as important as that decision may have been, it would scar her friend forever.
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The very moment that front door opened gave way to absolute horror. The metallic tang of blood was heavy in the
4:17
air and Sadi was laying face down in the hallway in her own blood. You know, I
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can't even imagine finding a loved one like that. And I don't think you'll ever return to your former self after
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witnessing such a thing. It was immediately clear to Sadi's friend that this was no accident. She was in fact
4:35
murdered and to a horrifically vicious degree and so no surprise she wasted no
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time in calling the police. The violence she'd endured was absolutely staggering, too. And in total, she had suffered more
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than 50 separate wounds across her face, neck, torso, and limbs. It turns out
4:52
that some of these blows were so ferocious that they'd even punctured her bones, and the defensive wounds across
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her arms and hands told their own story, that Sadi had desperately fought for her life. When officers arrived, even the
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most experienced of them were stunned. In fact, the scene was later described as an orgy of demonic savagery, which to
5:11
be honest with you is quite the strange choice of words. However, it did also make good headlines across the country.
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There was no doubt that Sades killer or killers desperately needed to be found. And so, officers got to work quickly,
5:24
and while combing the scene, they found one crucial piece of evidence. Upon taking a closer look at her clothing,
5:31
they found a single small barb which seemed to originate from a stun gun, which in the UK is a very unusual
5:37
weapon. So, could this maybe help them find her killers?
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For the moment, all investigators could do was secure the scene and then process what they had found. Of course, the next
5:52
question was, who was responsible for such a brutal attack? And why would anyone want Sadi dead? Well, the search
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for that answer would actually unravel a story far stranger and far darker than
6:05
anyone could have imagined. But who exactly was Sadi Hartley? Born in the year 1955, Sadi grew up in England.
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Friends and family remember her as caring, gentle, and full of life. And by the time that she had reached 60 years
6:19
old, she had built a loving family and a thriving career. You see, Sadi had
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co-founded her own company named Hartley Taylor Medical Communications, and this
6:30
was built alongside her best friend, Julie Taylor. She was passionate about medical science and had an interest to
6:36
try to advance it with new technologies. Sadi dedicated her professional life to
6:41
organizing conferences and projects which were all aimed at improving treatments in intensive care medicine
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and she was keen on fighting some of the toughest diseases in hematology and infection. Julie would later recall that
6:54
Sadi could hardly ever stay away from work and this even included the times just after her children were born. And
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that's because this was just who she was. Passionate, tireless, and always trying to balance her ambition. And to
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be honest with you, yeah, I can relate. Us workaholics are just built differently. By the year 2016, her
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children named Charlotte and Harry had grown up and moved out of the property. And although they moved out of the
7:21
village, they still stayed incredibly close with their mom. In fact, it was only one day before Sadi's murder that
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Charlotte had phoned her mom with some extremely exciting news. It turns out that she had just gotten engaged. No
7:35
surprise, Sadi was ecstatic for her daughter and immediately started sharing ideas for the wedding. She was thrilled
7:42
at the thought of all of the celebrations ahead. And it's so tragic that she would never get to experience
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them. Back at home in Helmshore, Sadi lived with her long-term partner, Ian Johnston, who was a 57-year-old retired
7:56
firefighter and a few years younger than her. And together, they led a comfortable life in her beautiful home.
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They were known as a warm and steady couple who were now just settling into their golden years. Ian would later
8:09
describe their relationship as Coco and Kindles, filled with quiet evenings, gentle laughter, and a simple happy
8:16
love. However, what Sadi could have never known was that the long and dark shadows from Ian's past were slowly
8:23
creeping into her life. Shadows that would soon tear apart everything that
8:28
she had worked so hard to build. Okay, so this is the part of the story
8:35
where I have to tell you about Ian and his love life. And as it turns out, it's not that good. You see, Ian has this
8:42
certain history about him that Sadi only partially knew about, and it would come back to haunt him in the most
8:48
catastrophic of ways. It was a few years before moving in with Sadi that Ian unexpectedly crossed paths with a much
8:55
younger woman named Sarah Williams, who essentially is a professional home wrecker. Their first encounter was quite
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comical actually when they accidentally bumped into each other at an indoor ski slope. At the time, Ian was teaching
9:07
part-time lessons at the ski slope while Sarah was a travel agent, and apparently their chemistry was immediate. Ian would
9:14
later admit that in a profound lack of judgment, he would then invite Sarah back to his home shortly after meeting
9:20
her. And although we don't quite know what he was expecting, Sarah arrived in a minikrt and high heels. Now, while all
9:27
of this was going on, Ian was already seeing Sadi. And although the relationship was pretty much long
9:33
distance, it was still very real. And deep down, Ian knew that this was not
9:38
innocent. And as you can probably tell where this is going already, the consequences would be cataclysmic. For
9:45
Sarah Williams, seducing Ian was hardly unusual. Those who knew her would later
9:50
call her a serial mistress. But personally, I think she just saw monogamy as an allergy. By her mid-30s,
9:57
she had already spent more than half of her life as the secret sidepiece of wealthy businessmen, usually upward of
10:04
40 years her age. This included an affair with a 60-year-old millionaire
10:09
when Sarah was only 17 years old. And it turns out that that affair would last
10:15
for nearly two entire decades. Mr. Hardwick was her indulgent sugar daddy
10:20
and gave her a credit card, a £320 weekly allowance and would even take her
10:25
away on luxury holidays across the world more than a dozen times a year. To Mr.
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Hardwick, Sarah was a glamorous escape. But to Sarah, he was nothing more than
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her financial security. Now, remarkably, and despite this going on for almost 20
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years, his wife had no idea. But even with this arrangement, Sarah would still
10:47
seek other thrills outside of Mr. Hardwick. And of course, that is when she found Ian Johnston. The affair with
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Ian seemed to burn hot but briefly. And by late 2013, Ian was becoming deeply
11:00
uncomfortable with Sarah. Not only had he realized that he was in love with Sadi, but he also admitted to himself
11:06
that cheating was a grave mistake. But this is the problem because although Ian
11:12
wanted to end it, Sarah had other plans. With Sarah being Sarah, she had become
11:17
increasingly possessive. And you may as well add dramatic and difficult to the mix, too. By October of 2014, and about
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2 years after it all began, Ian finally cut the affair. But with her self-absorbed nature, Sarah had no
11:32
intention of being cast aside. In fact, she became obsessed with him instead.
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And this obsession would extend past him, too. In her mind, Sadi was the obstacle that stood between her and the
11:44
man she considered perfect. And if Sarah couldn't have Ian, well, then nobody
11:50
could. Sarah's response was basically immediate
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because within a few days of that phone call, Sadi received an anonymous letter in the post and inside that letter were
12:02
the grim details of Ian's affair. This letter was laced with all sorts of threats and insults, and Sarah even
12:08
claimed that Ian hadn't even bothered to change the bed sheets after sleeping with her. Now, I was about to say that
12:14
Ian was forced to confess, but I think that would probably be an understatement. He had essentially been
12:20
caught with his pants down, and his relationship with Sadi nearly collapsed. But ultimately, with Sadi being Sadi,
12:26
she chose to forgive him and Ian promised it would never happen again. Despite the betrayal, Sadi's love
12:32
persevered and the two even decided to double down in their relationship. In fact, Ian even moved into her home in
12:39
Helmshore, determined to leave Sarah in the past. But as you will soon find out,
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that isn't quite what happened. However, rejection only seemed to fuel her obsession. She began to pursue him more
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relentlessly, swinging between desperate pleading and sthing anger. She sent him
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gifts, wrote him long messages, and even begged him to have sex with her. She would also stalk the many places that
13:04
Ian frequented, too, trying to accidentally bump into him. In fact, on one occasion, Sarah went as far as to
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breaking into his home while he was away, therefore triggering the alarm system and having police called to his
13:17
property. Ian later admitted to friends and family that he felt stalked and that Sarah would not let him go. And yet,
13:24
despite all of this, he made one fatal mistake that would always come back to haunt him. You see, Ian never severed
13:32
contact entirely. And instead, in moments of weakness, he admitted that he sporadically exchanged flirty messages
13:39
with her. And this was even after moving in with Sadi. This one in and one foot
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out behavior never gave him or Sarah the space they needed to fully separate. And
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no doubt it would have been counterintuitive to both of them. For multiple months, this back and forth
13:56
behavior continued. And it turns out that only 10 days before the murder on
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January the 4th, 2016, Ian and Sarah had even exchanged more than 30 flirty
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messages in a single day. But what Ian saw as desperation was actually escalating into something far, far
14:14
darker. And Sarah's fixation over him was about to tip into something that prosecutors would later describe as
14:20
delusional, unhinged, and deeply psychotic.
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Now, there is no doubt that Sarah was both jealous and extremely enraged about the situation, and so she slowly began
14:32
to plot. In fact, by summer of 2014, which was only a few weeks after Ian had
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called it off, she told her close friend Katrina Walsh. And by the way, I'm not sure Sarah ever figured out how to make
14:44
friends her age because Katrina was nearly double it. In fact, she was 56 and just as unhinged. The two met
14:51
through a local riding club and, as it turns out, would bond through riding, gossip, and eventually violence. And we
14:58
know this because the sort of comfort that Katrina gave Sarah wasn't a glass of wine and a shoulder to cry on, but
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instead the affirmation of following through her sick fantasies.
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And it turns out that neither of these two were subtle about it either, especially Katrina. To be clear here, I
15:18
would never recommend murder, but if you are thinking about doing it, then it's probably best that you don't record
15:24
every detail in a diary. Alas, Katrina thought it was a smart idea. And so,
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we're going to reference a few of her entries. For example, in one of her entries, Katrina said, "Sarah came
15:37
around and we got caught up in endless murder plots for Ian's other half. However, what began as spiteful
15:43
winefueled fantasy would soon harden into something far more real. Because
15:48
the truth is that Sarah desperately wanted Sadi gone. And Katrina, whether
15:54
out of loyalty, thrillseeking, or sheer moral decay, was ready to help her
15:59
friend. And together, they began to craft what they chillingly called the perfect murder. Over the next year and a
16:06
half, the pair schemed over and over again. The two were kind of like your stereotypical villains straight out of a
16:13
bad movie. I mean, Katrina, she certainly looked the part. If there was one thing that Katrina loved more
16:20
than her horses, it was documenting every detail of her own downfall. Because moving forward, her diary became
16:27
a step-by-step record of planning the murder, including all of their meetings, the supplies that they required, and
16:34
their darkest fantasies. They brainstormed multiple ways to kill Sadi, including poisoning, staged incidents,
16:41
and even hiring a hitman. In fact, in mid 2015, Sarah floated the idea to
16:47
Katrina's ex-husband, Kevin, asking him if he'd be interested in taking Sadi out for a price. Now, thankfully, he had a
16:54
little more sense than both of them, and immediately realized that Sarah and Katrina had lost their minds. So, not
17:01
only did Kevin refuse to help her, but he also refused to ever meet them again,
17:06
warning Katrina that Sarah's ideas were dangerously criminal, and he also suggested that she should probably make
17:13
distance from her. However, Katrina did not take his advice. Instead, she poured
17:18
herself a drink and wrote another entry that evening which said, "Kev not going for the idea of being a hitman after
17:24
all, scuppering that idea. Plan B will be needed." Wow. I may get to be instrumental in helping remove that
17:30
awful woman. Was so buzzing I needed a southern comfort to wind down. It kind of looks like that Katrina appeared to
17:37
take some kind of depraved satisfaction in the thought of murdering an innocent woman. And after reading some of her
17:43
diary, it is hard to disagree. So without Kevin's help, both Sarah and Katrina decided to do the dirty work
17:51
themselves. And they would not be subtle about it either. With that in mind, they began their official planning phase,
17:57
including the collection of tools and clothes, rehearsing routines, and of course, surveillance. Sarah already knew
18:05
Ian's habits, but she wanted to map Sades instead. For example, was she home
18:10
alone, which doors were left unlocked, and how predictable was her dayto-day?
18:15
Around October of 2015, the pair purchased a covert GPS tracker and then
18:20
slipped it beneath Ian's car. From that point onward, Sarah could watch the couple coming and going from the
18:26
property. In fact, the device would later hold two months worth of travel history. And it turns out that this was
18:33
not the only creepy thing she would do. Sadi and Ian would always attend the Chill Factory ski club Christmas dinner.
18:40
And on December the 2nd, 2015, Sarah followed them to this party. While
18:45
there, she then discreetly positioned herself in the background of one of the group photos. In the foreground, both
18:52
Sadi and Ian smiled, completely oblivious that Sarah was right there behind them. Katrina and Sarah also
18:59
bought binoculars to spy from afar, purchased burner phones for secret messages, and even wore strange uniforms
19:05
to blur their identities. When it came to vehicles, they didn't want Sarah's car on surveillance cameras, so they
19:12
made the decision to buy a cheap silver Renault Cleo under a different name. And when it came to shoes, they ordered
19:18
men's working shoes, but two sizes larger. This being in an effort to throw police off their trail if they ever left
19:24
any footprints behind. And since stun guns are illegal for civilians in the UK, they caught a ferry to Rotterdam and
19:32
then drove to Dharmstat in Germany and purchased a 500,000 volt device before
19:37
then smuggling it back to the UK. And it kind of looks like that Katrina was way too excited about their adventure. I'm
19:44
actually surprised that between Sarah's ego and Katrina's diary that they didn't send the police a calendar invite for
19:50
the murder. By early January 2016, their murder kit was now unfortunately
19:56
complete. But only one thing remained. And of course, that was timing. They decided to strike whenever Sadi would be
20:03
alone. And it turns out that fate offered a perfect window, too, because in mid January of 2016, Ian had a
20:10
planned trip to Switzerland. However, even that caution wasn't enough because
20:16
in classic amateur villain fashion, they would try a dry run. And believe it or not, but that even meant walking
20:22
straight up to Sadi's front door.
20:28
I'm not kidding, by the way, because they quite literally planned a rehearsal. It was on January the 7th of
20:34
2016, that being a week before the murder, that Katrina walked up to Sades front door and then pushed the doorbell.
20:41
And the two would even meet because when Sadi answered that front door, Katrina even handed her a bunch of flowers. And
20:48
not only was this highly perplexing for Sadi, but the flowers were quite cheap and rubbish, too. Definitely not so much
20:54
a romantic gesture, but more of an impulse buy at the checkouts. It's safe to say that Sadi was completely confused
21:01
and she knew nothing about Katrina. In fact, she had never seen her face before. Meanwhile, Katrina knew
21:07
everything about her. But before she could even get a word out to Katrina, she was gone, which was an odd encounter
21:13
to say the least. We know through text messages which were sent in the following days that Sadi was concerned,
21:18
but not too much. I mean, personally speaking, I would probably think it's just some crackhead who got the wrong
21:24
door. But unfortunately for Sarah and Katrina, it seemed to do the trick because now they knew that not only was
21:30
Sadi alone, but she was also willing to open the door to strangers. And so with
21:35
that in mind, they put their fantasy into motion.
21:41
January the 14th, 2016. As Helmshore lay quiet beneath the winter chill, the
21:46
streets were still, the air was sharp, and Sadi had settled in for a peaceful night at home. While Ian had already
21:53
left several days prior for his ski trip, Sadi had spent most of her day working, making calls, and planning for
21:59
her daughter's engagement. But as daylight slowly faded from the valley, Sarah and Katrina had silently began
22:06
their journey towards her. They arrived shortly after 7:00 p.m. driving their throwaway vehicle into Sunnybank Road
22:13
under the cover of darkness. Armed with an 8-in kitchen knife and a 500,000 volt
22:18
stun gun, Sarah was the designated attacker. Meanwhile, Katrina stayed behind the wheel, acting as the lookout,
22:25
the getaway driver, and arguably the world's most broken moral compass. Sades
22:31
doorbell rang shortly after 8:00 p.m. and the moment that that latch was unlocked, Sarah lunged forward and
22:37
inside. Armed with the stun gun, Sarah then pressed it against the side of Sadi's head and fired. 500,000 volts
22:45
surged into her skull, sending Sadi to the floor. And although it didn't render her unconscious, it did leave her
22:51
paralyzed and unable to move. And from that moment, Sadi was entirely defenseless. What happened next can only
22:59
be described as barbaric and frenzied. Sarah drew the kitchen knife and then stabbed her dozens of times in what
23:05
officers described as demonic savagery. Even in a semi paralyzed state, it is
23:11
clear that Sadi desperately tried to fight back. Her defensive wounds, which were found all over her hands and arms,
23:17
confirmed this. But Sarah was absolutely relentless, and in total, Sadi had
23:22
sustained more than 50 injuries across her body. In only a few minutes, Sadi lay there motionless with Sarah stood
23:30
over her body, staring at the scene she had created. For a moment, she simply looked around and then she straightened
23:36
up, closed the front door behind her, and calmly walked away. Seconds later, Katrina arrived to pick her up. And just
23:44
like that, the two then drove off into the darkness.
23:50
And as we know, Sadi wasn't found until the following day. There is no doubt that while driving away that night,
23:56
Katrina and Sarah would have been running on pure adrenaline. But the strange thing here is how calm they were
24:02
afterwards because there was no panic, fear, or rush to hide. And we know this because afterwards they drove an hour to
24:09
Sarah's home found in Chester, changed their clothes, and then watched a movie. And it was Mamma Mia of all films. I
24:16
mean, as if them committing murder isn't hard enough to understand already. The sheer disconnection between murder and
24:21
movie is honestly hard to comprehend. They really must have felt comfortable. However, what they didn't know was that
24:28
back in Helmshore, the first steps towards their downfall was already unfolding.
24:36
At around noon of the following day, a friend of Sades made the grim discovery.
24:42
And as we know, that is when officers arrived, secured the scene, and then found a small barb in her clothing. And
24:49
of course, this is where the mystery of who killed Sadi would slowly begin to unravel. Detectives immediately faced
24:56
one crucial question. Who would want Sadi Hartley to be dead? The thing is,
25:01
nothing about the crime scene suggested a burglary or a random attack, which made them believe that this must have
25:07
been personal. And so they began with the basics, speaking to friends, colleagues, family, and of course, Ian.
25:14
Now, as is standard procedure in most homicide investigations, Ian was initially treated as a possible suspect.
25:21
But eventually, his alibi checked out completely. I mean, he was quite literally in a whole other country. Of
25:28
course, that is when Ian brought up his affair with Sarah Williams and her insane obsession with him. He told
25:34
officers about the anonymous letter and the strange sighting a week prior. And suddenly, just like that, investigators
25:41
had a motive, a suspect, and a reason to dig deeper. So, after taking a closer
25:47
look into Sarah's profile, they quickly discovered her close friendship with Katrina, which, to be honest, probably
25:53
raised even more questions. Sorry, Katrina. You just have one of those faces. And the moment that officers
25:59
looked at the surveillance footage around the village, everything else seemed to move rather quickly. The thing
26:05
is that unfamiliar cars will always stand out in a small village like this. And so when they spotted a light colored
26:11
Renault Cleo passing near Sunnybank Road around the same time of the attack, well, it's kind of obvious that officers
26:18
would grow curious. As detectives widened their search, even more surveillance footage was found. Cameras
26:24
showed Sarah's black Volvo driving along Ian and Sades Street at odd hours throughout December. And on one
26:31
recording, Sarah could even be seen crouching near Ian's car, retrieving what was later confirmed to be the
26:37
tracking device that she had planted there weeks earlier. Surveillance footage, which was found at a nearby
26:42
Tesco store in Hzington, also showed Sarah and Katrina buying a cheap bouquet of flowers on the night that Sadi
26:49
received that suspicious gift at the front door. And so piece by piece, police built an extraordinarily clear
26:56
picture with these two. In fact, the evidence was so obvious and abundant that within a week, Lanasher police
27:03
moved in to arrest them. Search warrants were obtained and in the early hours of January the 20th, 2016, coordinated
27:10
raids were carried out at the homes of Tweedle D and Tweedle Dum. And ironically, due to a TV documentary crew
27:17
following the police that week, Sarah's arrest was even captured on film. How's that for coverage? Despite both Sarah
27:24
and Katrina now being in custody, they both claimed to know nothing at all. But that story would not last for very long.
27:30
And that's because while searching Katrina's property, police found everything they needed. That included
27:36
the 8-in kitchen knife, the stun gun, the oversized boots, which by the way were still smeared with Sades blood, and
27:44
the obvious one, Katrina's diaries. Again, what did I say about murders and
27:49
journals? By now, the case against these two was quite literally overwhelming.
27:54
And here comes my favorite part, because you all know how much I love seeing accompllices turn on each other. And
27:59
that is precisely what happened here, too. And I love their excuses. Beginning with Sarah, she claimed that on the
28:06
night of the murder, she was actually at home and sick, meaning that Katrina must have gone rogue without her consent or
28:12
knowledge. Supposedly, it was to impress her. And as for Katrina, well, her
28:18
defense was even stranger. She told the police that she thought the entire thing was some kind of game show, kind of like
28:25
Hunted, where participants try to evade capture. Katrina even told the officers that she was scared that Sarah would
28:31
murder her next with prawns. In fairness to her, she is allergic to them, but
28:36
still, it's kind of weird. Safe to say that neither of their stories convinced anyone. Detectives had surveillance
28:42
footage, forensic evidence, phone data, and even diary entries that tied both of
28:47
them to the murder. And so, as you can imagine, it was game over for these two.
28:53
Eventually, and while still in custody, Katrina even agreed to show officers the area where she threw away the knife,
28:59
stun gun, and all other evidence. All of the items were still exactly where she
29:04
had left them. And bizarrely, it was all recorded by a TV crew, which I have to
29:10
admit is kind of beneficial for true crime documentaries. By the summer of 2016, Sarah Williams and Katrina Walsh
29:17
were formally charged with murder, and their so-called perfect crime had fallen apart so spectacularly that it was
29:24
basically infamous throughout the country. Their trial ran for seven long weeks, and the jury was shocked as they
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experienced all of the evidence available. This included surveillance footage of Sarah and Katrina, the
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flowers, the murder weapon, the diary entries, and even the photograph from the ski club Christmas party. When it
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was time for Ian to take the stand, it was obvious that he was quite shaken and fragile. Not only was he forced to
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recall his affair with Sarah, but he even had to read aloud multiple dirty text messages they'd exchanged, which
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was probably quite humiliating for him, but also kind of his fault. At one stage, he even broke down in tears,
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apologizing and saying that he never imagined his foolish decisions could ever lead to something this terrible. He
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told the court that he'd felt stalked and even tried to cut contact long before the murder. However, Sarah's
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defense implied that Ian had been leading her on. In addition to this, Sarah also testified that she in fact
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did not kill Sadi and that Katrina must have done it all on her own. But the prosecution would rip her theory apart.
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Because if that were true, then why had she spent months tracking Sadi, buying flowers for her test run, and even
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traveling to Germany to purchase a stun gun? Katrina's defense was not much stronger. Her lawyers portrayed her as
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an eccentric older woman and a dreamer who had been manipulated by Sarah. And while Katrina certainly was uh
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eccentric, let's say, her own diaries would tell a very different story. And so in the end and after 7 weeks of
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evidence and testimony, the jury would only take 7 hours to decide. And in August of 2016, both Sarah Williams and
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Katrina Walsh were found guilty of murder. As a result, Sarah Williams was
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sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 30 years. Meanwhile, Katrina Walsh received life
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without parole for 25. And to this day, they are still thankfully both behind bars. In the aftermath, the media dubbed
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Sarah as a real life bunny boiler, which was actually a nickname that Katrina gave her in her own diary, which is
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quite fitting to be honest. Sadi's son, Harry, told the court how his mother had been taken away far too soon and through
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no fault of her own and described the massive void left behind in her absence. And Ian himself has said he's been
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destroyed with guilt ever since and has publicly apologized to Sadi's family, acknowledging that he'd opened the door
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to someone's chaos, which is true, I suppose, and Ian should definitely feel shameful. But the other truth here is
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that he had no way of knowing that this would eventually end in murder. In interviews, he said, "Every day, I
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question why I texted back and that he also wishes he had recognized the danger sooner." After the murder, Sadi's family
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asked Ian to move out of the property, and he later discovered that he was never named in her will. A painful but
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fair consequence. The murder of Sadi Hartley remains as one of Britain's most disturbing modern cases. And at its
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core, it explains a deadly love triangle which was driven by obsession and cruelty. I don't think that the quiet
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village of Helmshaw has ever been the same, and neither has Sadi's family or children. Sadi lost her life simply
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because she loved someone. She was a devoted mother, a successful professional, and a kind-hearted woman.
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And tragically, her life and all of the work she was working on was lost at the hands of two evil creatures.
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I think this story is a really good example of chaos theory and how in reality we have no way of controlling
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who actually comes into our lives and all we can really do is respect and treat everyone with kindness and hope
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that we get the same thing back. Anyway, those are my thoughts on this story, but what precisely are yours to begin with?
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Do you think Sarah and Katrina received the sentences they deserved? As always, please share your own thoughts in the
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comments section down below. On that note, folks, thank you so much for watching today. I really do appreciate you being here. Please check out my
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social media here if you haven't yet. And by the way, did you know that I'm now on Spotify? Please check that out,
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too. I'd really appreciate it. Otherwise, I'll see you next week for a brand new video. But until that moment
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arrives, make sure to look after yourselves and each other. And of course, stay safe and stay curious.
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Thank you and goodbye.