Three teenagers charged with stabbing a 16-year-old girl to death in a suspected row over a boy have denied her murder at a chaotic court hearing.
Chloe Watson Dransfield was found unconscious outside a bungalow in a suburb of Leeds, West Yorkshire, shortly before 6am on March 28. She died in hospital after being stabbed in the chest.
Kayla Smith, 18, Archie Rycroft, 19, and a 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were charged with her murder. There were disorderly scenes at Leeds Crown Court as outbursts and derogatory comments caused proceedings to be halted.
The packed courtroom was fully cleared after Smith, a self-employed beautician, denied murder over a video link from HMP New Hall. Judge Guy Kearl KC warned the public gallery: 'This is a court of law. It is extremely important that people behave properly. If you're not able to do that, leave now. If I think you're not able to do that, I will have to clear the court of those who are not able to behave themselves appropriately.'
He then cleared the courtroom and resumed the hearing after five minutes with only one family member for each defendant and one for the victim allowed back inside.
Chloe, from Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire, was found lying on the pavement in the Austhorpe area of the city after going to a house party. She had messaged a friend asking to be picked up shortly before the attack.
An online fundraiser set up by a relative claimed her life had been taken away 'in a flash over a boy'. Chloe's cousin Shantelle said: 'I'm setting up a Gofundme for my 16 year old cousin whose life was sadly taken in tragedy. 16 years young didn't even make it to her 18th. Her whole life was taken in a flash over a boy.'
In a tribute, Chloe's mother Addel Watson described her daughter as 'my life, my world, my best friend'. Chloe's father Mark Dransfield added: 'Our family is utterly devastated by the loss of Chloe. We miss every single thing about her. She was beautiful, full of joy, and had a wonderfully cheeky personality. She embraced life with such happiness, and she had her whole future ahead of her.'
A three-week trial was set for November 10, by which time toxicology tests and mobile phone analysis will be carried out. Two other teenagers, an 18-year-old woman and a 17-year-old boy, previously arrested on suspicion of murder have been released on bail, along with a 14-year-old boy who was later detained.
An inquest last month heard that Chloe had suffered a 'violent death'. Her funeral is due to take place on May 5, when she is set to be carried in a horse-drawn carriage from her home to Dewsbury Crematorium, a journey of around three-and-a-half miles.
