A ski instructor accused of stabbing a love rival to death lived in a 'fantasy world' according to her friend and former colleague.
Sarah Williams, who worked as a travel agent at Chill Factore and was also a level one ski instructor, is accused of carrying out a murder of 'demonic savagery' with co-defendant Katrina Walsh.
Horse riding instructor Katrina Walsh, 56, is alleged to have aided Sarah Williams, 35, in her 'murderous mission' to get rid of love rival Sadie Hartley.
The 60-year-old company director was incapacitated with a stun gun when she opened the door of her home in Helmshore, Lancashire, and was then stabbed 40 times on January 14.
The Crown alleges Miss Williams began plotting the murder 17 months before when Ms Hartley’s long-time partner Ian Johnston broke off their affair as she became 'possessive and difficult'.
A former work colleague of Miss Williams said the murder accused would talk about men 'a lot', and she felt uncomfortable when she spoke of her partner David Hardwick because he was married.
Kerry Williams said she was later told of the affair with ex-fireman Mr Johnston.
She said: “The information I was aware of was that Ian was with somebody, a rich lady, but it didn’t matter because he was going to leave her for Sarah.
“She was of the mindset that their relationship was progressing.”
She said she did not ask for further details and said to the defendant: “It’s just like deja vu. Here we go again, I don’t want to know.”
She formed the view that Miss Williams was in 'a fantasy world'.
Walsh’s friend Ann Riley told Preston Crown Court she had never met Miss Williams but Mrs Walsh would talk a lot about her during horse riding lessons.
Ms Riley said: “She gave me the impression that they were a couple. They went on holiday together and spent a lot of time with each other.”
The court heard Miss Williams would regularly visit her co-defendant’s home with her dog and watch films on the bed.
The witness said she was later 'surprised' to learn that Miss Williams had a partner, Mr Hardwick, a man aged in his mid-70s, who has been labelled in court as her 'sugar daddy'.
Michaela Burns, who knew Miss Williams through their shared interest in horses, said the defendant worked part-time at a bank when she they first met eight years ago.
She too knew of the relationship with Mr Hardwick, who she said was 'clearly very well-off'.
Ms Burns said: “Sarah was not shy about saying she was financially dependent on him and they seemed to live quite a good lifestyle.”
She said Miss Williams had two houses and would go on skiing holidays a couple of times a year.
The witness told prosecutor John McDermott QC that Miss Williams eventually became 'unhappy' in the relationship with Mr Hardwick.
She said: “I think they wanted different things. She said she wanted a baby but David didn’t want one.”
Ms Burns said Miss Williams told her she had a new man in her life around Christmas 2014 and who worked abroad a lot as a ski instructor and was seeing an older lady.
“She told me that she believed this chap was only in a relationship with Sadie for her money and that Sadie was buying him, taking him on expensive holidays and that was the only reason he was seeing her,” she said.
Miss Williams, of Treborth Road, Blacon, Chester, and Mrs Walsh, of Hare Lane, Chester, deny murder.
Proceeding
