BREAKING NEWS: TEENAGER CLEARED OF SIAN SIMPSON'S MURDER
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A teenager who stabbed another girl to death as two rival gangs squabbled about a boy broke down in tears today as she was cleared of murder.
Chelsea Bennett, 19, admitted landing the fatal blow that killed 17-year-old Sian Simpson, but insisted she acted in self-defence after she was knifed first.
Members of Ms Simpson's family screamed 'f*ck' and b*tch' as she was dramatically cleared of murder and manslaughter by an Old Bailey jury today.
One shouted: 'I don't want to be in here, the b*tch can walk out of here.'
Sian, an A-level student who dreamt of becoming an accountant, was left lying in a pool of blood surrounded by a crowd of young girls screaming and shouting at each other.
Bennett stabbed her in the chest with a steak knife, which she grabbed from the floor after coming under attack from the teenager.
The knife blow pierced her lung and heart causing 'shock and massive internal bleeding' and the teenager was pronounced dead in hospital less than 45 minutes later.
The killing followed a squabble over the 'attentions' of teenage lothario Nathan Davidson, who had got two of their friends pregnant.
Bennett, who has her initials tattooed on her ankle sat shaking in the dock as the verdicts were delivered then sobbed uncontrollably as the jury cleared of her murder and manslaughter.
The Recorder of London, Judge Peter Beaumont QC discharged the young woman, who was held in the dock as Sian's family stormed from the court.
He said to jurors: 'Jurors don't chose the cases they try. You are given a case to try and you are asked to make important decisions about people you have never seen before.
'You are asked to do so responsibly and carefully and in my judgement you have done so.'
The row began when Mr Davidson's pregnant lover Danielle Cooke, a friend of Bennett, spotted his ex Chantelle Campbell - the mother of his son and Sian's cousin - in Mann Close, Croydon.
Bennett arrived with three others in Cooke's Citroen Saxo just before 8pm on June 19 last year after loitering outside Mr Davidson's home earlier.
The girls had traded threats and gestures from a balcony and tempers were 'riding high', said prosecutor Brian Altman.
The mothers of both Mr Davidson and Ms Campbell, who were at the flat, went downstairs to try and calm the situation.
But when Sian and Miss Campbell, who had armed herself with a kitchen knife, went downstairs to confront the girls, several scuffles broke out.
Miss Campbell was disarmed by Mr Davidson's mother, but Sian was seen clutching a lager bottle.
Mr Davidson told jurors he thought the teenager was also armed with a knife.
Giving evidence Bennett said Sian - who jurors heard was nicknamed "Pitbull" - had come at her with a knife first so she grabbed a blade to defend herself.
She told the jury: 'She had the knife and she kept coming.
'She jumped on my back and started punching my head.
'I wasn't sure whether I was kicked into the puddle or fell into the puddle.
'I saw the knife on the pavement. I picked it up. I thought she would be scared. I thought she would stop running towards me.
'I wanted to get back into the car and her to stop running at me. I got up very quickly.
'I was trying to block her and push her away. Then everyone held Sian back.'
Bennett burst into tears as she said: 'Someone shouted she had been stabbed and I didn't even know.'
She said she only realised afterwards that Sian had been stabbing her.
She was injured in the neck and the arm and was also cut on the hand when she tried to grab the knife.
Bennett ran to the Saxo and locked herself in before the car was mobbed with girls kicking out and hurling bricks at the killer.
Police arrested her at the scene, when she pulled the brown-handled steak knife, used to stab Sian, from under her car seat.
She told officers: 'I'm in big trouble now aren't I?
'Sh*t. I don't want you to think bad of me. This isn't me.'
Sian was taken to hospital but died less than 45 minutes after being stabbed.
'I wanted to write a letter to Sian's family,' Bennett sobbed.
'I wanted to say maybe they can understand how scared I was and why I picked up that knife and I didn't even know that I had done it.'
Despite Sian's death, the two rival groups of friends have continued their feud and a tribute website has been taken over by girls on both sides attacking each other.
Bennett's friends have written messages insulting Miss Campbell and blaming her and Mr Davidson for the death.
Under a message entitled 'halt the fussing and respect the dead' on
Gone Too Soon, a friend of Sian's known only as Sonia pleaded during the trial: 'This site is for condolences...not tit 4 tat about who did what with who.
'Please allow the poor girl to rest in peace...have you no shame? It is apparent this 'dispute' will cease in another loss of life, 'Because u so-called pals seem blood thirsty!
'This site is for loved ones to relay blessings and serenity. Please have respect for Sian's family as reading the foul soul stemmed anger is not helping.'
Bennett, who was 18 at the time and formerly of Gilroy Court Hotel, London Road, Croydon, was cleared of murder and manslaughter following four hours of jury deliberations.
She has been on bail living at a secret address outside of London.
You know, this woman has, literally, got away with murder! What kind of message is this sending to the youth? It's bad enough now, it'll get even worse.
RIP Sian - justice has NOT been done. 
Did anyone here about this incident?
Did anyone here about this incident? -
21-06-07, 12:11 AM
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