Then, with what was described as “almost demonic savagery”, Ms Williams stabbed the semi-paralysed mother-of-two in the face and neck with a kitchen knife, inflicting more than 50 injuries.
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The diary entries revealed how Walsh wanted to bring an ISIS flag to the murder scene to “mislead the investigation” and to teach Sarah Williams how to ride a motorbike for a “hit” on Ms Hartley.
The court heard how Sarah Williams murdered her because she was “infatuated” and “obsessed” with Sadie’s partner Ian Johnstone, who she’d been having an affair with.
Sarah Williams and Katrina Walsh guilty of killing Lancashire businesswoman.
Her co-defendant, Katrina Walsh – herself 21 years the senior of Williams – told police her friend had been bullied over her lazy eye. “They are both as culpable as each other”.
“It was about 4am in the morning and it was one of the family liaison officers that called”. I can only hope that today’s verdicts offer them a chance to start to move on with the rest of their lives and our thoughts remain with them.
“She really, really enjoyed horse riding; she had a massive passion for horses”.
Mr Johnston accepts he had been exchanging explicit text messages with Williams, something he now bitterly regrets.
Williams, who worked as a ski holiday sales rep, had secretly attached an electronic tracker to Mr Johnston’s vehicle to follow his movements, determined to win him back.
The pair even delivered flowers as part of a reconaissance mission to scout out Sadie’s home a week before the murder.
Williams and Walsh travelled to Germany last December to buy the stun gun as the plot unfolded.
By then she was in a relationship with a man who was 40 years older than her.
Largely bankrolled by Mr Hardwick – who was still living with wife Rowena – she lived beyond her means thanks to his weekly transfers of £320 to her bank account.
Williams behaved like a “besotted teenager” with Mr Johnston and told friends Ms Hartley was a “bitch troll” who had “trapped” her partner through her money.
He denied leading her on but admitted swapping sex texts until just days before Williams murdered his partner. In total, she was stabbed 41 times.
Walsh wrote in her diary, seized by police after her arrest: “I have no moral qualms, just a serious don’t let us get caught twinge”.
Johnston has denied he “led her on”, telling the jury the relationship was “just sex”, but Walsh told police Williams would do anything to be with him, even planting secret tracker devices on his auto to follow his movements.
Williams suggested Walsh was responsible and the pair ran a “cut-throat” defence, each blaming the other.
The court heard how the pair went to great lengths to carry out Sadie’s murder – from travelling to Germany to buy a taser (pictured below), using Global Positioning System trackers to find out where Sadie lived, using burner phones to buying a getaway vehicle.
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Two months later, Williams attempted to recruit Walsh’s ex-husband Kevin to her cause and use his “skill set”.
