The wrong place at the wrong time: How murder came to a Doncaster park

They probably did not even exchange any words when they encountered each other in Doncaster’s Elmfield Park with such tragic consequences.

Casey was heading for a sleepover with her friend Lucia Franco when she was stabbed by Bonser on Valentine’s Day.

Her mother, Kerry Day, has described how it had only been a couple of months since she had started letting her daughter use the bus to go into town to meet friends.

Casey caught the no 55 bus towards Doncaster town centre but missed the stop where she was planning to get off.

She still used the same park entrance after walking back from the next bus stop but who knows whether, if she had got off at the right stop, she would have missed Bonser altogether.

As one lawyer said in court: “She really, really was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

The jury in the trial heard Lucia describe how her friend’s constant stream of BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) chatter stopped suddenly on her way to her house.

Casey was born in Doncaster on July 7 1998 and first lived in the Cantley area of the town.

Her mother had an on-off relationship with Casey’s father, Anthony Kearney.

Her sister, Sophie, was born in 2001 and about a year after that, her mother and father finally split up.

Casey saw her father about once a month after that, her mother said.

In 2008, her mother met Mark Day and they went on to have two more daughters.

The family moved to the village of Rossington, just outside Doncaster, and Mr and Mrs Day married last year.

Casey was a healthy youngster, but in 2003 it was found she had an abnormal heartbeat.

The family was told this was nothing to worry about.

And when she was in Year 7 at school, she suffered an asthma attack.

By all accounts, Casey was happy at school, first at St Peter’s Primary and then at The Macauley Catholic High School, both in Doncaster.

Her mother said in a witness statement her daughter wanted to be a film producer.

Mrs Day said Casey liked to listen to music on her mobile phone and was constantly messaging her many friends using BBM, Facebook and emails to keep in touch with everyone.

She said her daughter had recently developed an interest in Manga comics.

Her mother also recalled a family holiday to Bulgaria - the only time Casey ever went abroad - saying she “loved it”.

Casey was “very sensible and mature for her age”, her mother said.

In a statement to police, Mrs Day recalled her daughter leaving the family home for the last time to go to the sleepover.

She said: “We both said ‘I love you’ and I told her to watch the road next to Lucia’s. I told her to use the crossing.”

After Casey’s death, Mrs Day and Mr Kearney paid tribute to their daughter and said: “She was the most beautiful, intelligent and bright young girl with her whole life ahead of her.”

In the weeks which followed, the community of Rossington pulled together in memory of Casey.

More than 200 people took part in two charity walks and a concert to raise money for her family.

Britain’s Got Talent finalists 2 Grand performed at a packed benefit gig.

Hundreds of people attended Casey’s funeral in March, many wearing orange - one of her favourite colours.

A tribute was read from her father which said: “From the moment you were gone I knew life could never be the same again and the pain of losing you would be intense for a long time to come, probably forever.

“I am sure everyone will agree what a wonderful young girl you had become.”