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Floral tributes outside
Esack Hair and Beauty where owner Natalie Esack was stabbed

by Thom Morris

An ex-detective has appeared in court today charged with
murdering his estranged hairdresser wife.

Ivan Esack, 38, of Rosewood Drive, Ashford, is accused of
stabbing 33-year-old Natalie Esack to death.

He spoke only to confirm his name, age and address at
Canterbury Magistrates' Court this morning.

Esack's unshaven face showed little emotion as the charge
against him was read out.

The case has now been sent to Maidstone Crown Court, where Esack
is likely to appear on Thursday.

His defence solicitor, Leanne James, did not indicate whether or
not her client would be applying for bail.

Handcuffed Esack nodded to one man in the public gallery as he
was led away to the cells.

Ivan Esack (right) has
been charged with murdering his estranged wife Natalie
Esack

Kent Police said a post-mortem revealed Natalie died
of multiple stab wounds in her salon - Esack Hair and Beauty - on
Monday.

Officers were called
to the salon, in Ashford High Street,
by paramedics at 9.40am.

It is understood Natalie, who had been married to Ivan
Esack for about eight years, and one employee were in the salon and
there were no customers.

One man working near the hairdressers' said he heard “shouting
and screaming” before police arrived.

Ivan Esack - a former Kent Police detective turned football
agent - was arrested at 10.40am at the couple's home in the
town on suspicion of murder.

A police cordon was later thrown around
the detached property and it was searched for
forensic evidence.

Later in the day, a black Vauxhall estate with a personalised
number plate was taken away by police.

Police forensics officers
at Esack Hair and Beauty. Picture: Andy Clark

Emergency workers, including a crew from the Kent Air Ambulance,
had fought to save Natalie’s life. A spokesman for the air
ambulance said she did not respond to treatment.

Paramedics were seen leaving the hairdressers' with an empty
stretcher and resuscitation equipment about two hours after they
arrived.

Staff from the hairdressers' were seen crying, visibly in
shock.

Natalie’s body was taken from her business through the main
entrance onto the High Street at about 3pm on Monday.

Charles Goodwin, who runs First Class Mortgage Solutions three
doors down from the hairdressers', said he heard a scream before
emergency services rushed to the scene.

He said: “The police put a cordon up around the shop and then
all the girls who work there came out.

“The only person who didn’t come out was Natalie.”

A police cordon was
thrown around Natalie and Ivan Esack's house in Rosewood Drive,
Ashford

On Tuesday, a policeman stood guard outside Natalie's shop as
people came to lay floral tributes.

Among the dozens of bunches of flowers, one card reads: “You
were the best friend I could ever ask for.

“Just seeing your beautiful face everyday made me happy. Thank
you for everything. Love you always angel.”

It is believed the couple had been married for eight years, but
had recently been living apart after Natalie moved out of their
home about a month ago.

The couple are not believed to have any children together.

Shop workers comfort each
other after stabbing at hairdressers' in Ashford

Ivan Esack's website, IAE Football, says he spent “several
years working as a criminal investigator for one of the country's
largest police forces”.

In January 2010, he left Kent Police to become a football
agent.

He says on his site: “Honesty and integrity, is a vital
ingredient in any working relationship and I can personally
guarantee that I am a person that people can trust and confide in
with confidentiality assured at all times.”

Esack Hair and Beauty opened in Ashford High Street
in 2008.

Two celebrity wives turned out for the opening - Nancy
Sorrell, wife of comic Vic Reeves, and Lesley Hogben, who is
married to TV antiques expert Michael Hogben.

Mrs Hogben said: "I have been a customer of Natalie's in her
previous salons so, no doubt, I will use this one too."

The salon had undergone a £90,000 refurbishment and replaced a
tanning and nail business on the premises.

Natalie is pictured left washing the hair of Ms Sorrell, who
lives in Charing with her comic husband.

Ms Sorrell is a model, actress and TV presenter who appeared in
I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! in 2004.