Trial of woman charged with attempted murder over Barnsley stabbing adjourned

Ayaan Ali, aged 28, of Isleworth, Middlesex, is charged with attempted murder and possession of an offensive weapon in connection with an incident in Barnsley town centre on September 8, 2018.

A three-day trial into the case at Sheffield Crown Court was due to start today, but was adjourned until April 8 after one of the expert witnesses was unavailable.

Ms Ali - who appeared before court via video link from Isleworth Crown Court in London - is alleged to have traveled from London to Barnsley on the morning of the attack before attacking a man with a blade.

Police were called to the scene at around 8.20am to reports of a stabbing, with the town centre put on lockdown for several hours.

After setting up multiple cordons and scouring hours of CCTV footage, police said they were satisfied that the incident was ‘isolated’ and carried out by one person.

They also confirmed that the incident was not an act of terrorism, and asked members of the public to stop sharing ‘inaccurate’ rumours and speculation on social media.