A witness in the murder trial of 16-year-old Chloe Watson Dransfield has told a jury she heard Kayla Smith threaten to stab the teenager during a heated telephone argument hours before her death.
Charlotte Parker told Leeds Crown Court she recognised Smith’s voice during the confrontation on the night of 27 March 2026, shortly before Chloe was fatally stabbed in Austhorpe, Leeds.
When challenged by the defence over whether she had accurately remembered the threat, Ms Parker stood by her account.
“I heard the word ‘stab.’”
Smith, 18, has admitted stabbing Chloe and causing her death but denies murder. She has pleaded guilty to manslaughter, maintaining that she did not intend to kill or cause really serious harm.
Blake Dowling, 18, and Archie Rycroft, 20, also deny murder and manslaughter.
Witness Heard Girls Screaming During Telephone Argument
Ms Parker was staying at Dowling’s mother’s home when the argument took place.
She told the jury she had been in a bedroom next to the living room and could hear conversations taking place, although she could not see those involved.
Earlier that evening, she heard music, conversation and what she described as the sound of gas canisters.
Under questioning from Rycroft’s barrister, she agreed that those in the living room appeared to be laughing and enjoying themselves before the argument began.
Ms Parker said she later heard Chloe speaking on the telephone and recognised Smith’s voice.
She recalled Chloe saying she was tired of being threatened and was not frightened.
According to her evidence, Smith threatened to stab Chloe and accused her of talking about her deceased baby.
Both girls were screaming during the exchange, the jury heard.
Defence Challenges Witness Over Alleged Stabbing Threat
Defence barrister Jason Pitter questioned whether Ms Parker’s knowledge of Chloe’s subsequent death had influenced her recollection.
He suggested that Smith had actually threatened to drag Chloe out rather than stab her.
Ms Parker rejected that suggestion and maintained that she had heard the word “stab”.
She also accepted that she had not taken the threat seriously at the time.
The witness said she had been told that arguments between the two girls were common.
She described being shocked when she later learned what had happened and said that, had she known what was going to occur, she would not have allowed Chloe to leave.
Court Hears Evidence About Taxi Journey
Ms Parker also described hearing a conversation about a taxi shortly before Chloe left the property.
She said Smith had asked Dowling why he had not got into a taxi.
According to the witness, he replied that the vehicle had driven away.
Smith then allegedly told him to arrange another taxi and make sure he got into it.
Approximately 10 to 15 minutes later, as Ms Parker was falling asleep, she heard a door slam and a vehicle drive away.
She told the jury she could not confirm whether the vehicle was a taxi.
She did not hear anyone return to the house during the early hours.
Mother Describes Snapchat Voice Note
The court also heard a statement from Dowling’s mother concerning the relationship between Chloe, Smith and her son.
She said Chloe had been in a relationship with Dowling for approximately a year and that Smith had previously been romantically involved with him.
The mother recalled overhearing Smith threaten to beat Chloe up, with Chloe responding that she was not frightened.
She also said she had previously heard arguments between the girls.
Her statement described Smith as jealous of Dowling’s relationship with Chloe.
The jury heard that the mother later discovered four missed Snapchat calls from Smith and a voice message.
In that recording, Smith allegedly threatened to drag Chloe out if she was at the house and accused Chloe of speaking about her deceased child.
Dowling’s mother said she replied with a voice message explaining that Chloe was not there.
A police officer subsequently recorded the original voice note playing on the mother’s phone because it could not be downloaded directly.
That recording was played to the jury.
The mother said she awoke at approximately 11am to discover that Chloe, her son and his friend had gone. She did not know when they had left.
Chloe’s Friend Reveals Missed Call at 4.30am
Jurors also watched a video-recorded police interview with one of Chloe’s friends.
The friend said she had seen Chloe on Friday 27 March and expected to meet her again the following day.
She went to bed at approximately 11.30pm and later discovered that Chloe had called her at 4.30am.
Initially, she was not concerned because Chloe was sometimes awake during the early hours.
However, by approximately 1pm, she had become increasingly worried after repeatedly trying to contact her.
Every call went directly to voicemail.
The friend said Chloe would normally answer, even if she had been asleep, prompting her to contact Chloe’s mother and attempt to reach Dowling.
She eventually received a TikTok message from him asking her to call urgently.
According to the friend’s account of their conversation, Dowling told her that Smith had repeatedly called Chloe while she was at his home.
He allegedly said he had taken Chloe to Smith’s address, where they had expected a fight.
The friend told police that Dowling claimed he had not known Smith was carrying anything before Chloe was stabbed in the back.
She said he told her an ambulance had been called and that he had left Chloe at the scene.
The witness made clear that she had not personally witnessed the stabbing and was recounting what Dowling had told her.
Three Defendants Deny Murder
Chloe, from Gomersal, died after being stabbed in the neck and back during a confrontation in Austhorpe in the early hours of Saturday 28 March.
The prosecution alleges that the encounter had been arranged following a dispute connected to Dowling, who had been involved in relationships with both girls.
Smith accepts responsibility for inflicting the fatal injuries but disputes the prosecution’s allegation that she intended to kill or cause really serious harm.
Dowling and Rycroft dispute criminal responsibility for Chloe’s death.
The allegations concerning the planning of the confrontation, the threats and the involvement of the two male defendants remain matters for the jury to determine.
The hearing on Wednesday 11 November concluded at approximately 3.30pm.
The trial was scheduled to resume at 10am on Thursday 12 November at Leeds Crown Court.
All three defendants deny murder, and no verdicts have been reached.
