Esack Jailed For Life

Former Kent police detective Ivan Esack, who stabbed his estranged wife Natalie to death at her hair salon in Ashford has been jailed for life.

A judge at Maidstone Crown Court has told the 38-year-old he must serve a minimum term of 28 years.

Esack, 38, knifed Natalie Esack, 33, up to 11 times in front of her horrified colleague because he could not cope with her being with someone else.

The 8in (20cm) blade bent and the tip broke off under the ferocity of the attack at Esack Hair and Beauty in Ashford High Street on April 30 last year.

In the period before the killing, he had told Mrs Esack she was a "dead woman walking'' and added: "Tick tock, tick tock.''

At Maidstone Crown Court, the ex-Kent Police detective constable turned aspiring football agent, of Rosewood Drive, Ashford, was found guilty of murder after seven hours of deliberation following a three-week trial.

Esack, dressed in a black tie and grey suit, showed no emotion as the jury foreman delivered the verdict.

Friends and relatives of Mrs Esack yelled "yes'' while some broke down in tears in the packed public gallery.

Outside the courtroom they hugged each other and patted each other on the back.

Judge Charles Byers described the case as "difficult'' for the jurors to sit through, and told Esack he had been convicted of a "serious offence" before sending him down.

Contact

Police knew Natalie Esack suffered domestic abuse from her estranged husband before he knifed her to death at her hair salon but she did not want him prosecuted, it has been revealed.

Hairdresser Mrs Esack, 33, spoke to officers on four separate occasions about ex-police detective Ivan Esack, from 2009 up until a month before her death.

But, according to police, Mrs Esack was unwilling for 38-year-old Esack to face prosecution and she refused to co-operate with their inquiries.

Bisexual cocaine-user Esack stabbed her up to 11 times in front of her teenage colleague, Chelsea Ford, now 18, at Esack Hair and Beauty in High Street, Ashford, Kent, on April 30 last year.

Esack, an ex-Kent Police detective constable turned aspiring football agent, could not deal with her seeing another man following the end of their six-year marriage, Maidstone Crown Court heard.

Weeks before he fatally stabbed her, Mrs Esack told police he tried to strangle her but she apparently refused to divulge further details.

Detective Chief Inspector Paul Fotheringham, of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said he could not say whether police could have prevented her from being killed as Esack was a ``determined'' man.

But he said: ``Certainly, with the information that we found now, and if Natalie had given us evidence or a statement in relation to the abuse, we could have done something about it.''

The previous contact between Mrs Esack and police happened on:

:: December 14 2009: Police attended an abandoned 999 call at the Esacks' home after Mrs Esack called asking for help following a bust-up. No offences were identified by police.

:: October 25 2011: Following the breakdown of their marriage, Mrs Esack visited Ashford police station to report a series of abusive text messages and calls from her husband.

It was noted that Esack had access to a firearm and had made previous threats to shoot her and her father.

Mrs Esack received harassment advice from police. She sent Esack a text message telling him any further contact between them should be via a solicitor.

The following day police visited Esack and told him of Mrs Esack's wish to have nothing more to do with him.

A month later Esack voluntarily surrendered his firearms licence and gun to police.

:: February 11 2012: Mrs Esack contacted Kent Police after Esack told her he intended to kill himself. Officers visited and Esack was admitted to hospital for assessment but later sent home.

:: March 13 2012: A month before the killing, her new boyfriend, Justin Khadaroo, dialled 999.

In the background Mrs Esack could be heard telling Esack: "You aren't allowed to come in, you tried to kill me.''

Police attended but Mrs Esack said she did not want to give a statement or support a prosecution. However, she did confirm that Esack had tried to strangle her the previous day.

Police said that 5ft 1in hairdresser Mrs Esack failed to return their phone calls or attend meetings to follow up the reports of abuse.

They described her as a "private'' person keen to shield Esack from prosecution despite his behaviour towards her.

Mr Fotheringham said: "We did have reports in relation to Natalie suffering domestic abuse which we did follow up with Natalie but she didn't want to support any prosecution against Ivan.

"Natalie was a very private person and it's clear that she knew that if she reported Ivan to us it would impact on him. Being the type of person she was, she didn't want that to happen.''

The detective said it was common for abused people not to want to support prosecutions of their abusers, and that he did not want Mrs Esack's unwillingness to engage with police to be seen as a criticism of her.

He added: "People suffering from domestic abuse, I think, certainly want it to stop but they don't necessarily want anything to happen to the person perpetrating the abuse.

"In this case, certainly from what Natalie told her family and her friends, she was almost more interested in not harming Ivan than what was happening to her.''

Asked whether police could have prevented her death, Mr Fotheringham said: "I don't know. A determined individual as he was and with the marriage breakdown, I don't know whether we could have done, to be honest.''

No referral was made to the police watchdog, the Independent Police Complaints Commission, about the force's previous contact and no disciplinary issues were found, he added.

An IPCC spokeswoman said: "The IPCC did not receive a referral from Kent Police in connection with previous police contact with Natalie Esack before her death.

"We understand Kent considered it but felt it didn't meet the referral criteria.

"Kent Police has provided us with further information regarding this decision, which we are considering.''

Kent Police briefing on Ivan Esack

The picture below shows Ivan Esack looking at a selection of knives before the attack