Killer caught pretending to be someone else amid murder arrest

This is the chilling moment a killer is caught on camera pretending to be someone else before she was arrested for her honeytrap role in a brutal machete murder.

Rebecca Moore, 25, claimed to be 'Lauren Smith' when she was first cornered by police in connection with Sacad Ali's death, who was stabbed to death with machetes.

But her cover was blown when officers identified her from a photo.

She was heard on body-worn footage crying 'no, no, no' as she was handcuffed by police.

The sex worker was later found guilty of murdering Mr Ali on November 11 after a 16-day trial at Sheffield Crown Court.

Her two accomplices, Barney Griffin, 18, and Jack Douglas, 17, who had been running a drugs line in Sheffield, used knives to stab the 'loving son' and pleaded guilty to murder and possession of a bladed article.

The 24-year-old was playing video games and relaxing at a friend's flat in the Netherthorpe area of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, on March 9 this year. 

But he then got a call from Moore via an unknown number just after 4am who convinced him to leave the flat and meet her in Ponderosa Park.

Simon Kealey KC, for prosecution, said Moore, also a drug user herself, had acted as 'bait' to lure him to the park, promising him to buy crack cocaine from Mr Ali and offering him 'sexual favours', the BBC reports.

Griffin and Douglas, who were 17 and 16 respectively at the time, then appeared from the darkness to ambush Mr Ali before stabbing him 16 times with a machete as he begged them to stop their brutal assault. 

They then fled the scene, leaving him to succumb to his injuries. 

Despite the best efforts of paramedics, Mr Ali died in Ponderosa Park shortly after 5am, prompting a murder investigation to be launched.

Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) Ben Wood, of South Yorkshire Police, said police then quickly surrounded the park.  

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DCI Wood said: 'After our officers arrived in Ponderosa Park, they immediately secured a large scene in order to preserve any possible pieces of evidence before they began gathering witness statements from as many people as possible who were in the area at the time.

'They provided physical descriptions of the attackers, including details of the clothes they were wearing, with these matching clothing we seized from Griffin's home following his arrest.

'Forensics work was also pivotal as blood recovered from near Oxford Street matched that of Griffin, with CCTV also proving crucial as this allowed us to track the movements of those involved and implicated Moore, Griffin, Douglas as the people involved in Sacad's murder.'

Yesterday More and Douglas were jailed for minimum terms of 15 years while Griffin was ordered to serve at least 16 years. 

In footage on March 12 released by the force, before she was arrested by officers Moore lied about her name and age in order to try and evade justice.

It shows the officer involved waiting for a picture of Moore to be sent through to his phone in order to confirm her identity. 

With the net closing in on Griffin and Douglas, they handed themselves into police custody that morning.

During the sentencing yesterday, a judge lifted restrictions banning Douglas' identification.

Griffin and Douglas handed themselves into police on March 12 while Moore was arrested later that day. 

Passing sentence on them, Judge Richardson said: 'If ever there was a case that demonstrates the twin evils of drug peddling and carrying knives, particularly young people carrying knives, this is it.

'This case demonstrates what can happen when young people get embroiled in drug peddling and a drug-related turf war erupts.'

Following the hearing, Mr Ali's heartbroken family said it felt like his death had taken 'the light out of our lives.'

They said: 'Sacad was a loving son and brother who was loved by all his family. He was the heart of our family and was always happy and smiling.

'All those who knew Sacad, knew how positive and happy he was. It feels like all the light out of our lives has been taken.

'Our lives have been completely broken by what has happened, and we will never be able to forget.

'We would like to thank everyone who helped Sacad and who came forward to assist the police.

'We would also like to thank DCI Ben Wood, DC Lisa Glover, DC Karen Edge and all the officers who have been involved in the investigation.'

DCI Wood said: 'I know that today's sentencing won't bring Sacad back but I hope this gives his family, friends, loved ones and everybody who knew him some sort of closure as they try to rebuild their lives and recover from the grief inflicted upon them.

'The two teenagers murdered Sacad in a barbaric way, with Moore also murdering him by duping him into meeting and luring him to the spot where he would be brutally attacked.

'Rather than admit her guilt, Moore then made Sacad's loved ones relive the events of the day he died by making them endure a trial in court, after which she was found guilty of murder.

'A lot of exemplary detective and policing work went into this murder investigation and today's result is testament to everyone's hard work on this tragic case.