Sian Simpson, 17, stabbed to death

Sian Simpson was fatally stabbed in the heart on 19 June in Mann Close, Croydon during a disturbance involving 11 european girls and 3 African girls. Sian was said to have gone to the defence of her cousin who was involved in an argument. One witness stated: “I saw a guy running towards the girls carrying a large knife. He handed the knife to a small white girl. I saw her pull her arm back and plunge the knife into the black girl’s side. The girl flung the knife away and started to run. Suddenly the screams stopped and there was a terrible hush.” A local boy also witnessed the incident and said “It was like a pack of animals fighting. It was white girls fighting black girls, 15 on three, the worst fight I’ve seen.”

18-year-old Chelsea Bennett, from Croydon has been charged with her murder. She pleaded not guilty at the Old Bailey on 1 October 2007 and has been remanded in custody until her trial begins on 6 May 2008.