Sheffield woman found guilty of murder
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A 25-year-old woman has been found guilty of murdering a man in a Sheffield park earlier this year.
Rebecca Moore, of no fixed abode, appeared before Sheffield Crown Court on Monday 21 October for a trial after denying a charge of murder following the death of 24-year-old Sacad Ali.
Following a 16-day trial, Moore was today (11 November) found guilty of murder and will now be sentenced alongside an 18-year-old man and a 17-year-old boy who had both already pleaded guilty to Sacad's murder and possession of a bladed article.
Barney Griffin, 18, of Dixon Drive, Sheffield, was 17 when he murdered Sacad. Griffin couldn’t previously be named due to legal reasons but can now be identified.
The 17-year-old boy who also admitted murder cannot be named for legal reasons.
Sacad died after being stabbed multiple times in Ponderosa Park in the Netherthorpe area of the city in the early hours of the morning on Saturday 9 March 2024.
Despite the best efforts of our own officers and paramedics at the scene, he was pronounced dead in the park just after 5am, with a murder investigation launched to find his killers.
On Tuesday 12 March, we arrested Moore as well as two teenagers who were later charged with murder and possession of a bladed article. They pleaded guilty to both offences in May earlier this year and will be sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court alongside Moore later this month.
A 46-year-old man, who was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender in connection with this murder investigation, has been released on police bail pending further enquiries. A 19-year-old man arrested on suspicion of the same offence has been released with no further action.
Detective Chief Inspector Ben Wood, who is the Senior Investigating Officer for this case, said:
"Sacad was lured to his death by Moore who arranged to meet him in Ponderosa Park before he was brutally attacked by two teenage boys.
"Armed with machetes, they violently assaulted Sacad before all three fled the scene, leaving a young man to die on his own in a park.
"The staggering amount of incriminating evidence gathered by the team left those teenagers with no choice but to plead guilty to their actions, and although she did not land a fatal blow on Sacad, I am pleased Moore has now been convicted for the part she played in his murder.
"Knife crime has already taken too many young lives and my thoughts go out to Sacad's family, friends and loved ones as they continue to navigate this tragic loss.
"Sacad and his family have been at the forefront of the whole team's minds throughout our inquiry, and while life will never be the same for them again, I hope the guilty verdict for Moore and earlier guilty pleas go some way towards offering a small sense of justice in light of their unimaginable grief."
Moore and the two teenagers will be sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court on Monday 25 November.