A 16-year-old girl was stabbed five times during a planned street fight over a boy, a murder trial has heard. Chloe Watson Dransfield died after suffering stab wounds to her neck and back during the confrontation in Leeds in the early hours of March 28.
Leeds Crown Court heard that Chloe was killed by Kayla Smith, 18, after Blake Dowling, 18, who had been in relationships with both girls, took her to the scene. Jurors were told that Smith threatened to stab Chloe during a phone call on March 27 after discovering she was with Dowling.
Planned Fight and Taxi Journey
The two girls agreed to fight, and Dowling booked a taxi to take Chloe to Smith's home in the Austhorpe area of Leeds in the early hours. Prosecutor Mark McKone said that Smith came out of the summer house of her grandfather's garden, where she lived, followed by her friend Archie Rycroft, 20.
The court heard Smith approached Chloe with a knife and stabbed her five times in her neck and back. Smith has pleaded guilty to manslaughter but denies murder. Dowling and Rycroft, who are accused of filming the attack, deny murder and manslaughter.
Threats and Messages
Opening the case to jurors, Mr McKone said Dowling had been in a relationship with Smith and Chloe, and "knew of the bad feeling" between them. The court heard that, during the night and early morning leading up to the fight, Dowling was with Chloe at his mother's house but had been in contact with Smith. Mr McKone said Smith made repeated threats over the phone to stab Chloe.
Charlotte Parker, who was in the house with them, said she heard Chloe telling Smith over the phone: "I'm not scared of you, I'm sick of you threatening me, you still dying over Blake, sending him messages that you still love him." Ms Parker said she heard Smith "screaming" over the phone: "I'm gonna stab you, you little slag speaking about my dead baby."
The court heard that about two hours before Chloe's death, Smith messaged Dowling saying: "Listen, I love you Blake. I will never find someone that I love like you. Please stop." A friend of Chloe's who was on Facetime with her that night said she heard Dowling answering his phone and heard Smith screaming: "Blake I'm gonna smash your head in… you better not be with no girls… Chloe better not be there." When Chloe said that she was there, the witness heard Smith say: "I'm gonna stab you in your throat."
The Attack and Aftermath
The court heard that Chloe messaged her friend saying she was "off to go fight Kayla" and a picture of herself in the taxi. Mr McKone said CCTV showed Smith leaving her summer house at 5.10am wearing pyjamas and "striding quickly" with her right hand raised, and holding something shiny. Ring doorbell footage played in court showed Smith shouting: "Come on, big girl." Prosecutors allege Smith can then be heard saying: "Come on then, I will stab you."
The stabbing was not captured on the doorbell footage, but jurors were told that a male could be heard laughing. Rycroft was seen on the footage walking behind Smith and holding a phone. Mr McKone said: "It is the prosecution case that Rycroft recorded the stabbing on Kayla's phone and that Kayla must have handed him her phone for this purpose."
The court heard that a video has been deleted from the phone and never been recovered. After the stabbing, Smith and Rycroft ran back to Smith's home. CCTV footage taken at 5.12am, about one minute after the stabbing, shows Smith and Rycroft with Smith's grandfather Geoff Smith outside the summer house. Geoff Smith is heard saying "I'm ringing the police" and Smith replies: "You can't ring the police, she's dead."
Geoff Smith called for an ambulance 37 minutes after the stabbing, and was seen by a neighbour performing CPR on Chloe on the footpath. The court heard Chloe was taken by ambulance to hospital but was pronounced dead at 6.40am. When police arrested Smith and Rycroft, they were "laughing and joking" with two of their friends and using nitrous oxide in front of officers, Mr McKone said.
Prosecution Case and Defences
Mr McKone said Dowling denied knowing that Chloe would be caused really serious harm, while Rycroft said he followed Smith out of curiosity and did not see that she had a knife. The court heard Smith accepts stabbing Chloe and causing the fatal wound, but denies intending to kill her or cause her really serious harm.
Mr McKone said: "The prosecution say that Blake Dowling played a part in organising the violence. Blake Dowling assisted and encouraged Kayla Smith to be violent to (Chloe) by taking (her) to the scene for the specific purpose of a fight." He told jurors that Rycroft "deliberately encouraged Kayla Smith to be violent by walking with (her) to the fight, and by trying to film (her) using violence and by providing support if needed". The trial continues.
