Sex worker claims she met murder victim for drugs

Sacad Ali was found with fatal stab wounds at The Ponderosa in Sheffield on 9 March

A sex worker accused of murdering a man said she had arranged to meet him to buy drugs, but denied killing him.

Rebecca Moore, 25, is accused of luring Sacad Ali, 24, to The Ponderosa in Sheffield on 9 March where he was fatally stabbed.

Two boys, aged 16 and 17, pleaded guilty to murder and possessing an offensive weapon earlier this year.

During Monday's hearing at Sheffield Crown Court, Ms Moore, of Springvale Walk, denied murdering Mr Ali.

The court heard Ms Moore had become a sex worker to fund a drug addiction, which she said started at the age of 14 following the murder of her drug dealer boyfriend.

She told the jury that on 8 March she had been working in a red-light district of Sheffield and had been "drinking and consuming lots of drugs".

She said when she went to the flat of an associate to buy more crack-cocaine she had run into the two teenagers.

The boys, who cannot be named due to their age, had been involved in running a drug supply line, the court previously heard.

Ms Moore said she asked them for drugs but "they only had heroin" and then gave her the phone number of someone called "Ghost", who the court heard was Mr Ali.

"The call was answered on the second time that I rang it," Ms Moore, who has previous convictions for drug and assault offences, said.

"I asked him if I could purchase crack-cocaine, we talked about sex work.

"He said he was interested in doing business with me."

Police at the scene near Ponderosa Park in Sheffield on 9 March

Ms Moore was captured on CCTV walking along Addy Street with the two teenagers in the early hours of 9 March.

When asked about this, Ms Moore said the trio had not discussed walking to The Ponderosa together and that the boys had told her they would visit a supermarket.

Ms Moore said when she eventually met Mr Ali, she bought £20 worth of drugs off him and they "talked about sex work".

The trial continues.

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