Trio Deny Murder of Teenage Girl in Row Over Boy

A court in Leeds has heard that Chloe Watson Dransfield, 16, was fatally stabbed on Kennerleigh Avenue in Austhorpe on the morning of Saturday 28 March. She died in hospital shortly after. Kayla Smith, 18, Archie Rycroft, 20, and Blake Dowling, 18, all from Leeds, have pleaded not guilty to her murder.

Smith has admitted to manslaughter, stating that she inflicted the stab wounds but did not intend to kill or cause serious injury. The other two defendants have denied the manslaughter charge.

The prosecution alleges that Dowling had been in relationships with both Chloe and Smith and was aware of the animosity between the two girls. On the evening before the stabbing, Chloe and Smith had argued, with Smith allegedly threatening to stab Chloe. The two girls agreed to fight, and Dowling arranged a taxi to take Chloe to Smith's home.

Rycroft is accused of accompanying Smith to the fight and filming the violence. The prosecution claims that Dowling played a part in organizing the violence by taking Chloe to the scene. After the stabbing, Dowling allegedly told a friend that he thought the girls were going to fight normally and did not know Smith had a knife. Rycroft told police he was following Smith because he was "nosey" and did not see a knife.

Police who arrived at the scene reported that Smith and Rycroft were laughing and using nitrous oxide. The prosecution also said that Smith lied to police in her interviews. Smith had sent Dowling a message earlier that morning expressing her love for him and jealousy over his relationship with Chloe.

Dowling's mother testified that her son had been in a relationship with Chloe for about a year, having previously been with Smith for two years, which she described as "not good". She said that Smith was jealous and obsessed with Dowling's relationship with Chloe. Another witness said she had overheard Dowling, Chloe, and another boy arguing with Smith over the phone before they left for Smith's address.

Chloe was struck five times with what is believed to be a kitchen knife shortly after 05:00 GMT. An unidentified male was reportedly heard laughing at the time of the stabbing. After the stabbing, Smith was seen on CCTV telling her grandfather that Chloe was dead. Her grandfather eventually called an ambulance 37 minutes after Chloe was stabbed and performed CPR on her in the street. Chloe died in hospital at 06:40 GMT.

Members of Chloe's family attended the hearing wearing T-shirts paying tribute to her. Chloe's family previously said they were "utterly devastated" about her death and that she would "never be forgotten". Her mother said she "cannot put into words" the loss of her "beautiful princess". The trial at Leeds Crown Court continues.