A 16-year-old girl was stabbed five times and left dying in the street after arranging to fight a romantic rival, a murder trial has heard.
Chloe Dransfield suffered three stab wounds to her back and two to her neck after travelling to confront Kayla Smith, 18, following an argument over Blake Dowling, also 18. Both girls had previously been in relationships with him.
Leeds Crown Court heard that Smith sent a message to a friend just 18 minutes before the fatal confrontation, writing: “I’m stabbing her.”
Smith is also alleged to have claimed she was better in bed before telling Chloe: “I am going to batter you. Watch what I will do to you.”
During another exchange, overheard by Chloe’s friend on a FaceTime call, Smith allegedly threatened: “I’m gonna stab you in your throat.”
Chloe replied: “Try stabbing me in my throat, I’ll take it straight out your hand.”
Chloe travelled by taxi with Dowling to the home Smith shared with her grandfather in Leeds, West Yorkshire, during the early hours after the two girls agreed to fight.
Opening the case at Leeds Crown Court, prosecutor Mark McKone KC said: “The prosecution say that this was a pre-planned fight.
Chloe Dransfield, 16, died on the morning of March 28 after being stabbed five times
Kayla Smith, 18, has admitted inflicting the fatal blows on Chloe but denies murder
“The prosecution say Kayla Smith inflicted all the blows, including the fatal stab wound.
“Blake Dowling had been in a relationship with Chloe, the deceased, and had also been in a relationship with the defendant, Kayla Smith.
“Blake was aware of the hostility between the two women.”
A third defendant, Archie Rycroft, 20, is accused of encouraging the violence by filming the fatal attack on Smith’s mobile phone before the footage was deleted.
All three deny murdering Chloe in the early hours of March 28.
Smith has pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
The court heard that Smith, who lived in a garden annexe at her grandfather’s bungalow in the Austhorpe area, became involved in a series of heated exchanges with Chloe in the hours before the stabbing.
During one exchange, while Chloe was at Dowling’s mother’s house, she told Smith: “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.”
About two hours before Chloe died, Smith messaged Dowling: “Listen, I love you Blake. I will never find someone that I love like you. Please stop.”
Around 30 minutes before the attack, Smith sent a message to a cousin saying: “I’m stabbing her, on my nana’s ashes.”
Seventeen minutes later, she sent another message: “She’s on her way,” followed by: “I’m stabbing her.”
The jury heard that Chloe messaged a friend to say she was “off to go fight Kayla”, alongside a photograph of herself inside the taxi.
The court was shown footage from a neighbour’s Ring doorbell camera recording Chloe’s arrival at the property.
Mr McKone said the footage showed Smith “striding quickly” across the pavement with “something shiny” in her hand while shouting: “Come on, big girl.”
Chloe was attacked at 5.11am with a 20cm kitchen knife.
A post-mortem examination concluded that a fatal 13cm wound to her back had penetrated her lung.
Neighbours attempted to resuscitate Chloe after finding her gravely injured on the pavement in a large pool of blood.
One minute after the attack, Smith’s grandfather, Geoff Smith, was recorded saying: “I’m ringing the police.”
Smith allegedly responded: “You can’t ring the police, she’s dead.”
No ambulance was called until Smith’s grandfather made the call at 5.48am, 37 minutes after the stabbing, the jury heard.
When police arrived, they found Chloe with Rycroft and two other people inside the annexe. The group were said to be “laughing and joking” while inhaling nitrous oxide from balloons in front of officers.
Smith then claimed she had neither seen nor heard anything.
Chloe was taken to hospital by ambulance but was pronounced dead at 6.40am, the court heard.
Smith now accepts that she stabbed Chloe and inflicted the fatal wound, but denies murder.
The court heard that Smith had become “jealous” and “obsessed” after Dowling began a relationship with Chloe.
In a statement read to the court, Dowling’s mother, Zoe, said: “Even after they split up, she would always try to cause issues, and she became jealous and obsessed with his relationship with Chloe.”
Dowling accepts taking Chloe by taxi to Smith’s home while knowing the two women might fight, but denies being aware that Chloe would suffer serious harm.
Rycroft accepts that he followed Smith into the street but said he was merely “being nosy” and did not film the confrontation.
Mr McKone concluded: “Kayla accepts stabbing Chloe and causing the fatal wound.
“However, Kayla’s case is that she did not intend to kill Chloe or cause her really serious harm.”
The trial continues.
