Murder of Margate mum Natasha Sadler-Ellis and friend Simon Gorecki examined on Channel 5 series ‘A Killer Makes A Call’

The murder of a Margate mum-of-three and her friend almost a decade ago will be documented in a new Channel 5 series.

Series 2 of A Killer Makes A Call will examine the killing of Natasha Sadler-Ellis, 40, and Simon Gorecki, 48,  who were fatally stabbed during an attack by mechanic Foster Christian at a property in Canterbury in March 2016.

Natasha and Simon were killed after a row about hot water spiralled out of control. Simon and Foster both lived at the temporary accommodation property.

Natasha’s then-20-year-old son Connaugh and younger son Brandon, just 16 at the time, were also seriously injured by Foster. The youngest boy’s injuries were life threatening.

In October 2016, Foster was sentenced to a full-term 30 years behind bars. Two women who helped him by going to the double murder scene and getting rid of the weapon were also jailed.

Naomi Toro, then 36, was jailed for one year after admitting to assisting an offender, while Samantha Groombridge, then 19, was jailed for 10 weeks for perverting the course of justice. Groombridge was released after just five weeks behind bars. Toro served six months.

Natasha’s family, mum June and siblings Sheryl, Jodie and Steven, launched a campaign and petition against the ‘inadequate’ sentences given to the two women. They also made four complaints regarding how the prosecution was handled.

Two complaints were upheld, one partially upheld and one dismissed. An apology was made to the family by the Attorney General Jeremy Wright who had concerns with the CPS about the sentencing of Groombridge and Toro.

A Killer Makes A Call focuses on murder cases where the person who makes the call is the murderer. The programme unravels the sequence of events that led up to the call and the investigation determining the identity of the murderer and how they were caught.

Foster Christian had called emergency services to say he was injured and had acted in self defence. He said the knife was his although later claimed he had grabbed ‘their knife.’

Natasha’s family have been involved with the programme in a bid to have some control over how the story has been told and to keep her memory alive.

Dad-of-two Steven, who lives in Westgate, said: “Someone from the production contacted Jodie and said they were making a second series. They had been researching and asked if it was something we would want to be part of.

“We decided that if they were making it anyway and we were part of it we could control to some degree what they said in it and we would be keeping my sister’s memory alive.”

Filming took place in September with Jodie and Sheryl in Sheffield and then with Steven and June in Margate, on the seafront and by Natasha’s memorial plaque close to the clock tower.

Steven, 37, said: “The guys filming made it a nice environment and approached it really well but we did go into some detail that we hadn’t been down in the best part of a decade.

“It felt strange going back there and talking about it, it was not a nice time. But it was comforting knowing there was a purpose for it and maybe it will resonate with someone or help someone who is in that place.”

Former Hartsdown student Natasha grew up in Margate but had also lived in Belfast, Sheffield and Spain.

She completed a philosophy degree at Canterbury Christ Church University and had a love of English.

The former Drapers Mill pupil had volunteered for the British Heart Foundation and ran a marathon in Canterbury to raise cash for the National Autistic Society – a cause close to the family’s hearts.

She lived for her three boys, aged 20, 16 and five at the time of her death, had a passion for drum and bass music and politics and an “all or nothing” approach to life.

Simon  Gorecki was a dad of three and a fishmonger at the Goods Shed in Canterbury. Family described him as a ‘funny’ and ‘outgoing’ man with ‘a good heart.’

It is understood some of Simon’s friends have also had input to the series.

A Killer Makes A Call

A Killer Makes a Call is on screen on 4th February at 10pm on Channel 5. The whole series will be available to stream on My5.

The true crime series uses the actual recording of a 999 call as the starting point to investigate a murder. Each episode focuses on a different crime but in each case the person who made the 999 call turns out to be the killer.

Some callers concoct an elaborate alibi or, like Foster Christian, claim self defence. Some try to disguise their guilt by acting as an innocent party and others just call 999 to deliberately mislead the police.

In every case the call is a key piece of evidence in the search for justice, as the police piece together the events that led to the murder.