Sacad Ali: Murder accused denies being 'bait' in deadly plot to attack rival drug dealer at Sheffield park

24-year-old Sacad Ali lost his life in a fatal knife attack carried out at Ponderosa Park, Netherthorpe, 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. 

A third defendant, Rebecca Moore, 25, denies murdering Mr Ali and has today (Wednesday, November 5, 2024) continued her evidence-in-chief to the jury. 

‘Were you bait to lure Mr Ali into the open?’

Ms Moore’s barrister, Mathew Sherratt KC, asked her: “It’s the Crown’s case that you agreed to be - I think the word was - bait, to effectively lure Mr Ali out into the open?”

“No,” replied Ms Moore. 

Mr Sherratt continued: “Did you agree that before you went to see him [Mr Ali] in the park?”

Ms Moore replied: “No I did not,” and also provided the same answer when asked if she discussed attacking Mr Ali with ‘the boys’ or if she knew they were going to ‘attack him’. 

Ms Moore has previously told the jury that, at the time of the killing, she earned money to fund her addiction to crack cocaine and benzodiazepines through sex work; and that prior to the fatal attack, she met Mr Ali to buy drugs from him and to discuss providing him with ‘some business’.  

Ms Moore also said she is an alcoholic and at the time, regularly consumed around a litre of white spirits a day; and after doing so, needed crack cocaine to ‘bring her up’ and ensure she is not left ‘vulnerable’ while working ‘on the beat’.  

Opening the prosecution case against Ms Moore to the jury of seven women and five men a fortnight ago, Simon Kealey KC said the Crown allege Ms Moore ‘lured Mr Ali out of a flat under the promise of sexual favours, he was then attacked and stabbed’. 

Outlining the possible motive for the fatal knifing, 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 Mr Ali was dealing crack cocaine ‘on their patch’. 

Mr Kealey has told the jury that all three defendants are alleged to have had involvement with the ‘Frank’ drugs phone line. 

Murder accused asked about whether she gave her co-accused ‘a signal so they knew when to come’

Discussing a message Ms Moore sent to Males A and B - using the Frank drug line number - after she had met Mr Ali, Mr Sherratt asked her: “Was that a signal so they knew when to come?”

She replied: “No, it was not.”

Ms Moore did admit sending a text message to Males A and B after meeting Mr Ali at Ponderosa Park, but claimed she had done so in order to let them know that she would soon need them to let her into an associate’s flat. 

Ms Moore claimed she met her two co-accused at the flat to buy crack cocaine from them in the hours prior to the killing, and after they informed her they were unable to supply her with the drug, the boys had passed on a number for Mr Ali. 

Males A and B referred to Mr Ali as ‘Ghost,’ Ms Moore said, adding they suggested she would be able to buy some crack cocaine from him.  

Mr Sherratt continued: “Did you personally intend that Sacad Ali would be caused grievous bodily harm?”

“No I didn’t,” Ms Moore replied. 

“Did you intend that he would be given a fright or a scare,” asked Mr Sherratt, to which Ms Moore replied: “No, I did not.”

On the first day of her evidence yesterday, Ms Moore described calling Mr Ali almost immediately after she was passed his number. 

During the conversations that followed, he called her a ‘sexy lady,’ asked her if she would give him ‘some business’ and the pair agreed to meet at Ponderosa Park, Ms Moore told the jury.

She has also detailed how Males A and B left at the flat at the same time as her - with the intention of visiting Osman’s, a nearby convenience store - and that she had parted ways with them by the time she reached Ponderosa Park. 

“When the boys left [your associate’s] flat, did you see if they were carrying weapons,” asked Mr Sherratt.

“No, I didn’t,” she replied. 

Rebecca Moore: I felt ‘pure shock, fear and panic’ after seeing attack begin

Responding to questions concerning the circumstances surrounding the attack, Ms Moore said she realised ‘other people’ had arrived ‘when they came behind me and started shouting’. 

“What happened at this point,” asked Mr Sherratt.

Ms Moore replied: “They all started fighting…I was just stood along the pathway.”

When asked what she could see as she stood nearby, Ms Moore continued: “I saw them all bring out swords…all three of them.”

“What was going through your mind,” asked Mr Sherratt. 

She replied: “Pure shock, fear and panic.”

Detailing what she thought was happening,’ Ms Moore continued: “I thought they were all fighting.”

Asked Mr Sherratt: “Did you know why they were fighting?”

Ms Moore replied: “No.”

‘I would never do anything like that’

“It’s going to be suggested that you helped organise this attack,” Mr Sherratt said. 

Ms Moore replied: “No. I would never do anything like that.”

Responding to questions concerning how much of the ‘fight’ she witnessed, Ms Moore said: “I saw them fighting when they were close to me, and then they moved into the darkness.”

Ms Moore told jurors that she subsequently went to hide in some bushes because ‘she was in fear’. 

“What were you scared of,” asked Mr Sherratt, to which Ms Moore replied: “Anyone wandering about from that incident with a big knife.”

Mr Sherratt referred to conversations Ms Moore is alleged to have had following the death of Mr Ali, including one with an inmate at HMP New Hall, the prison where she has been placed while on remand awaiting trial.

“It’s suggested you were boasting about setting up an attack of two white males on an Asian male,” Mr Sherratt said. 

“I told her I didn’t kill him,” replied Ms Moore.

When asked if she, at any point, suggested the attack was ‘her fault,’ or that Mr Ali was killed in a ‘racist’ attack, Ms Moore continued: “No, I didn’t…I told her it was nothing to do with me, and they were all fighting.”

Cross-examination

During his cross-examination of Ms Moore this afternoon, Mr Kealey asked her: “If you were wanting to buy drugs or do sex work with him, that would have been a way of luring him out of the building, wouldn’t it?”

Ms Moore replied: “I wasn’t doing that.”

Mr Kealey continued: “[That was] something Males A and B couldn’t do directly with Sacad, could they?”

“I don’t know, it’s none of my business,” Ms Moore said.

Mr Kealey asked Ms Moore: “Males A and B knew exactly where you were going to meet him, didn’t they, to which she replied: “I don’t know.”

He continued: “You told them where you were going to meet, didn’t you?”

“No,” she replied.

Referring to evidence provided by females who were with Ms Moore at her associate’s flat, prior to her leaving to meet Mr Ali, Mr Kealey said: “The three of you were seen laughing and joking together.”

She replied: “They think I’m a filthy prostitute, they think they’re above me...so why would they want to talk to me?”

Asked Mr Kealey: “The three of you left the property together.”

Ms Moore replied: “They left at the same time as me...that’s nothing to do with me, it’s their choice what they do.”

*Ms Moore has pleaded not guilty to the charge of murder.

The trial continues.