A seven-year-old girl had her throat cut in a random attack at a Bolton park on Mother's Day, a jury at Manchester Crown Court has heard. Emily Jones was at Queen's Park with her parents when she was attacked by Eltiona Skana, 30, on 22 March.
Prosecutor Michael Brady QC said Emily was on a scooter and had been brought to the park by her father Mark Jones. Moments before the attack, she spotted her mother, Sarah Barnes, who was jogging and wearing headphones. Emily called out to her mum and scooted towards her, but was grabbed by Skana, who 'in one movement' cut the girl's throat and threw her to the ground. There had been no interaction between Emily and the defendant.
Skana, who bought the knife earlier that day, fled but was chased and detained by a member of the public until police arrived. She has admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility but denies murder. After her arrest, she told a psychiatrist, 'I know I'm a paranoid schizophrenic', and was detained under the Mental Health Act.
The court heard that Skana, originally from Albania, showed 'indifference' to the killing and spoke with a 'smirk', but also showed appropriate emotional response when talking about her own family. She told a nurse, 'Like I said, it's been three months, what do you want me to do cry all the time?' and later said, 'It was premeditated, I waited in a park and picked my victim.'
The trial continues.
