Murder accused arranged to meet victim for 'sex work' on night of fatal Sheffield park stabbing, jury told

Sacad Ali lost his life in a fatal knife attack carried out at Ponderosa Park in the Netherthorpe area of Sheffield in the early hours of March 9, 2024, despite the best efforts of medics, police and residents who attempted to come to his aid. 

Two teenage boys, Male A and Male B - neither of whom can be identified due to their age - have pleaded guilty to Mr Ali’s murder. They are set to be sentenced at a later date. 

A third defendant, Rebecca Moore, aged 25, denies murdering Mr Ali, and has been on trial at Sheffield Crown Court for the last fortnight. 

“It was Rebecca Moore that lured Mr Ali out of a flat under the promise of sexual favours, he was then attacked and stabbed,” said Simon Kealey KC, when the prosecution’s case against Ms Moore was opened to a jury of seven women and five men.

Moving to the motive, Mr Kealey said the ‘short answer’ for why Mr Ali was attacked was ‘drugs’ and the fact that Ms Moore, Male A and Male B believed was dealing crack cocaine ‘on their patch’. 

Beginning her evidence-in-chief yesterday afternoon (Monday, November 5, 2024), Ms Moore said she was given Mr Ali’s phone number by Male A and Male B, who she knew as drug dealers. 

Ms Moore told the jury that Male A and Male B passed on the number of Mr Ali, who the boys referred to as ‘Ghost,’ after telling her they were unable to provide her with the crack cocaine she wanted.

Ms Moore said she wanted to be supplied with, and take, crack cocaine, ahead of starting a shift as a sex worker on ‘the beat’.

“They said he was their boy,” Ms Moore said, adding that she phoned Mr Ali almost immediately after being given his number. 

Defence barrister Mathew Sherratt KC asked Ms Moore: “What did you talk about?”

“I asked him if I could purchase 0.2 of crack cocaine…and sex work,” replied Ms Moore. 

“What was your intention when you made this call,” asked Mr Sherratt.

Ms Moore replied: “My intention was to purchase crack cocaine, and he said I was a sexy lady and asked if I was up for doing any business…I told him I was a sex worker and would talk to him in more detail when I got there.”

Describing the ‘plan’ she had in mind when she arranged to meet Mr Ali, Ms Moore continued: “I was going to meet Ghost there, I was going to buy some crack cocaine off him and then I was going to do sex work with him for more drugs.”

Ms Moore said she became involved with sex work around two years ago after becoming ‘depressed,’ and falling into the habit of taking ‘lots of drugs’. She told the jury that she first began taking drugs at the age of 14 after her drug dealer boyfriend was murdered; and no longer wanted to ‘rely on men’ for them because ‘it always ends in tears’. 

Ms Moore was homeless at the time of Mr Ali’s death, and would stay with an associate, and fellow drug user, around two to three nights a week. 

In addition to being reliant upon drugs, Ms Moore said she would consume around a litre of white rum a day, and said she would take crack cocaine alongside the alcohol, in order to prevent her from ‘passing out’ while she was working on ‘the beat’.  

Ms Moore detailed how her alcohol habit began when she was involved in a domestically abusive relationship, which lasted for around six years. 

On the night of the fatal attack, Ms Moore said she visited her associate’s flat, which, she said, was one of the locations used by Male A and Male B to sell drugs, and it was after arriving at the flat that she was given Mr Ali’s number.

She said both of the boys had a history of treating her badly, and made fun of her on the night of the killing. 

Ms Moore denied discussing her plans to meet Ghost with Male A and Male B. 

Describing the circumstances around leaving her associate’s flat to go and meet Mr Ali, Ms Moore said: “They [Male A and B] left as well and said: ‘Come on, we’ll go to Osman’s…which is a 24-hour alcohol shop on the main road.”

Mr Sherratt asked Ms Moore about being captured on CCTV ‘walking together’ with Male A and Male B on Addy Street.

“Do you have any memory of walking with the boys,” asked Mr Sherratt. 

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She replied: “Not really, I was drunk.” 

Ms Moore said the boys left her as they walked ‘towards’ Osman’s, a nearby convenience store. 

After arriving at the agreed upon meeting point at Ponderosa Park, Ms Moore said she called Mr Ali, and he joined her a short time later.

Mr Sherratt asked: “What happened when you saw Mr Ali?”

She replied: “He came up to me and we began talking about sex work, I bought £20 of white [crack cocaine] and we continued talking about sex work as we went somewhere to do it.” 

Ms Moore, formerly of  Springvale Walk, Netherthorpe, Sheffield, is set to continue her evidence today.

She has pleaded not guilty to a single charge of murder.

The trial continues.