Argument between girls led to murder, jury told

Julie Sheriff, 16, lay in a coma for four months before she lost her fight for life without ever regaining consciousness, the Old Bailey in London was told.

The teenage victim was stabbed in the left temple after she and a 15-year-old girl became embroiled in the argument about malicious gossip involving boys, according to Jonathan Turner QC, prosecuting.

He told the court that there was a history between the two teenagers, who knew each other prior to the attack.

Mr Turner said the two girls had become embroiled in the argument after Julie had allegedly made comments about the other girl.

The girl, who is now 16 but cannot be identified for legal reasons, has denied murdering Julie, who died on September 21 last year.

The teenager suffered a brain injury after being attacked in Falcon Road in Battersea in south London on May 7 last year.

Julie had been visiting friends in the neighbourhood after she had travelled there from her home in Hackney in the East End of the capital, where she lived with her family.

The family had moved to Britain six years ago from Sierra Leone in West Africa, where Julie’s father Raouf had been a police officer, in the hope of finding a better life in the United Kingdom.

The court was told that there were also issues over why Julie had travelled to south London when she was confronted by the girl who is accused of attacking her, who implied that she was not welcome in the area.

Members of the jury at the Old Bailey were yesterday shown a replica of the black comb, which had a spiked metal handle, that was allegedly used in the attack.

Mr Turner told the Old Bailey that a bystander had told officers from the Metropolitan Police that he saw the girl take the comb from a large brown handbag.

The court heard that the witness then allegedly saw the girl strike Julie’s collarbone without much effect, before she plunged the comb into her skull.

Mr Turner said the bystander then heard a sound which he described as like “when you kill a goat back home”.

Mr Turner told the jury that the tip of the comb penetrated deep into the brain and Julie was transferred to various hospitals while doctors tried to save her life.

When the girl was arrested, she claimed she had acted in self-defence after taking the comb from Julie.

Mr Turner told the court that the girls knew each other and “actively disliked one another”.

He added: “There seems to have been a row brewing between them as a result of malicious gossip, allegations Julie was making about (the girl) and a boy or boyfriends on various telephonic sites.”

The court was also told that there also appeared to be some “territorial issue” with the girl asking Julie: “Why are you here?”.

A 16-year-old friend of Julie’s described how the other girl had got off a bus and an initial conversation had escalated before it turned into “a high-volume dispute”, with each of the teenagers giving as good as she got.

“She remembers a boy being mentioned and (the girl) seemed much more angry and aggressive about things than Julie,” Mr Turner told the court.

The trial continues today.