Chloe Watson murder trial: 16-year-old stabbed to death in pre-planned fight, trial told

A teenage girl was stabbed to death in the street after a pre-planned fight over a boy, a court has heard.

Sixteen-year-old Chloe Watson Dransfield was found with fatal injuries at an address on Kennerleigh Avenue, in Austhorpe, Leeds, on Saturday 28 March.

Kayla Smith and Blake Dowling, both 18, and Archie Rycroft, 20, are all on trial at Leeds Crown Court accused of her murder.

Prosecutors say Chloe was killed by Smith after being taken to the scene by Blake Dowling, who both girls had been in a relationship with.

Jurors were told that Smith threatened to stab Chloe over the phone after finding out she was with him the day before.

The two girls agreed to fight, and Dowling booked a taxi to take Chloe to Smith’s home in the early hours of March 28.

Prosecutor Mark McKone said Smith came out of the summer house of her grandfather’s garden, where she lived, followed by her friend Archie Rycroft.

Smith then approached Chloe with a knife and stabbed her five times in her neck and back.

She pleaded guilty to manslaughter but denies murder.

Dowling and Rycroft, who are accused of filming the attack, deny murder and manslaughter.

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're 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... speaking about my dead baby.”

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 she was there, the witness heard Smith say: “I’m gonna stab you in your throat.”

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.

Prosecutors said Rycroft filmed the stabbing on Kayla's phone after she "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.

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.

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 trial continues.

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