Three teenagers deny murdering a 16-year-old girl in Leeds

Three teenagers have denied murdering a 16-year-old girl in Leeds.

Kayla Smith, 18, Archie Rycroft, 19, and a 17-year-old boy who cannot be named because of his age, appeared at Leeds Crown Court on Friday, where they all entered not guilty pleas to the charge of murdering Chloe Watson Dransfield.

Chloe was found with stab wounds in a street in the Austhorpe area of Leeds on the morning of Saturday March 28.

Smith, of Kennerleigh Avenue, Leeds, appeared by video link from prison while Rycroft, of Middleton Park Road, Leeds, and the 17-year-old appeared in the dock.

All three spoke only to confirm their names, dates of birth and to enter their pleas.

Judge Guy Kearl KC ordered the packed public galleries to be cleared during the hearing after shouting disrupted the proceedings.

The judge eventually allowed one family member for each of the defendants and the deceased to re-enter the courtroom.

A provisional date for the three-week trial has been set for November 10.

All three defendants were remanded in custody and they were told a further case management hearing will be held on a date to be fixed – probably in early August.

Chloe, from Gomersal, died in hospital following an incident in Kennerleigh Avenue at about 6am.

The girl’s father and other family members issued a tribute, saying they were “utterly devastated” and that she would “never be forgotten”.

They added: “We miss every single thing about her. She was beautiful, full of joy, and had a wonderfully cheeky personality.

“She embraced life with such happiness and she had her whole future ahead of her.

“Chloe was loved by everyone who knew her, and the absence she leaves behind is immeasurable.”

In a separate tribute, Chloe’s mother said she “cannot put into words” the loss of her “beautiful princess”.

She added: “You are my life, my world, my best friend, and I know that I am yours. I cannot live without you – I need you.”