Teens in drug murder plot named for the first time

Sacad Ali was killed at Ponderosa Park in Sheffield on 9 March

Two teenagers who teamed up with a sex worker to lure a rival drug dealer to his death can be named for the first time.

Rebecca Moore, 25, acted as "bait" to entice Sacad Ali to the Ponderosa Park in Sheffield on 9 March where Barney Griffin and Jack Douglas, now 18 and 17, ambushed him.

The boys, who could not previously be named due to their age, repeatedly stabbed Mr Ali, 24, and "left him to die alone" with "barely a drop of blood left in his body".

At Sheffield Crown Court on Monday, Griffin, Douglas and Moore were told they would be sentenced on Thursday.

Griffin, of Dixon Drive, Sheffield and Douglas, of Brightholmlee Lane, Sheffield, previously pleaded guilty to murder and possession of a bladed article.

A reporting restriction protecting their identities was lifted by the Recorder of Sheffield, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC, on Monday following an application by the BBC and other media.

Moore, of Springvale Walk, Sheffield, denied murder but was convicted by a jury following a trial earlier this month.

The crime scene at Ponderosa Park in Sheffield following the stabbing on 9 March

The court previously heard Griffin and Douglas, who were best friends and grew up together, had been dealing drugs in Sheffield.

They decided to attack Mr Ali, a rival dealer, to stop him from selling in their area.

As part of their plan, Moore was used as "bait" and tasked with telling Mr Ali she was interested in buying crack cocaine and offering her services as a sex worker.

The two agreed to meet at Ponderosa Park where Mr Ali was attacked by the teenagers with "machetes or knives".

Footage played in court showed Mr Ali, who himself was armed with a knife, backing away from the teenagers while begging for his life.

He was stabbed repeatedly with a postmortem examination concluding he bled to death due to a wound to his left thigh.

Griffin and Douglas handed themselves in to police on 12 March, with Griffin texting his mother that he was sorry and that he loved her.

Griffin had no previous convictions while Douglas had one youth caution in relation to drug dealing.

Moore had 11 previous convictions for 20 offences including drug and assault matters.

The jury in her trial heard she "boasted" about "my boys" attacking Mr Ali for selling drugs "on their turf" while she was in custody at HMP New Hall in Wakefield.

'Broken-hearted'

The court was told Mr Ali's family had not been aware of his involvement in drug dealing.

A statement from his mother read out in court described him as devoted and loving and a kind and caring sibling to his younger brothers and sister.

She said her son's death had changed their lives forever, adding: "Our family has been left completely broken-hearted by his death and nothing can replace him.

"I lost a part of myself when my son was taken away from me in such a violent and brutal manner."

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