• Ivan Esack questioned by Kent Police over brutal stabbing this morning
  • He is said to have resigned from the force two or three years ago after a drugs-related incident
  • The 38-year-old is now a football agent and co-owns the salon where his wife was killed
  • Paramedics battled to save Natalie throughout the morning

By Emma Reynolds

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A former detective has been arrested over the murder of his estranged wife after she was stabbed to death at her hairdressing salon this morning.

Ivan Esack, 38, was questioned by Kent Police today following the vicious stabbing of wife Natalie at Esack Hair and Beauty in Ashford, at around 9am.

Now a football agent and co-owner of the 'high end' hairdressers with his wife, Mr Esack used to be a detective for the force.

Dramatic tale: Natalie Esack, left, was found covered in stab wounds at her salon this morning, an hour before police arrested her estranged husband Ivan, right

It is believed that the couple had been married for eight years but had recently been living apart.

They are not believed to have any children together.

Police discovered the seriously injured woman, who is in her 30s, at 9.40am and paramedics fought in vain to save her throughout the morning.

Officers searching for the killer arrested Mr Esack at his home in Ashford an hour later.

The house was being searched by forensic teams today and a post mortem on Natalie's body was expected to take place tomorrow.

A spokesman for the investigating force confirmed it was Mr Esack who had been arrested.

They said earlier: 'Kent Police has confirmed that a woman has died following an incident at a business in Ashford High Street this morning.

Shocking violence: Police launched an investigation after finding the seriously injured woman at the salon at 9.40am

Shocking violence: Police launched an investigation after finding the seriously injured woman at the salon at 9.40am

'Police were called to the High Street by the South East Coast Ambulance Service at 9.40am.

'A 38-year-old Ashford man was arrested at 10.40am at an address in the town on suspicion of murder and is currently in custody.'

The family of the victim has been told of the news, police said.

One man working near the hairdressers said he heard 'shouting and screaming' before police arrived at the scene, according to a local paper.

It is understood the victim and one of her employees were in the salon at the time of the attack and there were no customers.

Police confirmed Mrs Esack was stabbed with a knife - dispelling rumours she had been attacked with hairdressers' scissors.

Officers remain on the scene while forensic investigations are carried out and a nearby road is cordoned off.

An ambulance and a stretcher were left outside the salon all morning, and staff were seen sobbing. 

Tragic: The hairdresser, who was in her 30s, died from her stab wounds after ambulances waited outside the salon throughout the morning

Tragic: The hairdresser, who was in her 30s, died from her stab wounds after ambulances waited outside the salon throughout the morning

At about 11.30am, the stretcher was taken back to the ambulance with resuscitation equipment and oxygen tanks on it before driving away.

The air ambulance also landed near the old market site.

Mr Esack is the owner and director of IAE Football Ltd which, the website says, 'is an agency representing professional footballers and coaches throughout the United Kingdom.'

Crystal Palace striker Wilfred Zaha, who has been linked to a move to Premiership clubs including Manchester United, is pictured on IAE's website.

Before becoming a football agent, he worked for Kent Police. It is understood he resigned from the force two or three years ago following a drugs-related incident.

Popular shop: A man working near the hairdressers said he heard 'shouting and screaming' before police arrived on the busy street

Popular shop: A man working near the hairdressers said he heard 'shouting and screaming' before police arrived on the busy street

However, Mr Esack does not appear on the list of official football agents licensed by FIFA.
He claims on his company website to have passed an agent's exam and to have been issued with an FA licence, but the FA does not issue licences to agents - it is FIFA who do that.

Police investigating the murder today took away a a black Vauxhall estate from outside Mr Esack's modern red-brick detached home.

Neighbours in the quiet cul-de-sac in Ashford, Kent, said Natalie Esack had recently moved out and had not been living there following the break-up.

The neighbour, who would not give her name, said: 'I met them both at a Neighbourhood Watch street party last summer. She was quiet but he was more outgoing and talkative.

'They seemed a pleasant couple. He told me he wanted to be more involved in politics and become a councillor. He said he was working for the Tory MP Damian Green.

'He told me he was an ex-policeman.

'They always had nice cars. He drove a black Mercedes. I often saw him walking their dog in the mornings, a Doberman.

'Natalie was very pretty, she had long dark hair. I'm very shocked to hear what has happened to her.'

In a profile on himself, Mr Esack says he is 'a former police officer, who spent several years working as a criminal investigator for one of the country's largest police forces.'

The profile adds: 'During my time as a police officer I encountered many different people from a whole range of interesting and diverse backgrounds.

'However, my first love has always been football and it has been my ultimate dream to be involved in the football industry. In January 2010 I left the police force and embarked on the tough process of obtaining my player's agent license.

'I'm pleased to say that I was successful in passing the agents exam at the first attempt and obtained the necessary insurance and signed the code of conduct, which resulted in the Football Association issuing my license.

'Why I'm an agent? My main motivation in being a football agent is that I care passionately about the game and I feel I have the life experience to advise and look after the everyday needs of professional footballers and coaches.

'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.'

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