Clubber, 26, is jailed for eight years for stabbing female love rival, 22, through the heart after victim accused her of flirting with her girlfriend

• Siobhan Collins-Grant, 26, stabbed Sakhira Loseke, 22, in north London last year 
• Ms Loseke bled to death despite medics performing open heart surgery in street 
• The women had previously had a fight at a nightclub in Shoreditch weeks earlier
• Ms Loseke had accused Collins-Grant of flirting with her girlfriend at the club 

A woman has been jailed for eight years for stabbing a female love rival through the heart after being accused of flirting with her girlfriend.

Siobhan Collins-Grant, 26, knifed Sakhira Loseke, 22, through her breast after a confrontation in Chalk Farm, north London on September 8 last year.  

Ms Loseke bled to death while a doctor performed open heart surgery in the middle of the street after the attack.

Collins-Grant, who pleaded guilty to manslaughter, had charged at Ms Loseke screaming her name and stabbing her, leaving her no chance to defend herself.

Afterwards, Ms Loseke looked down in horror to see the kitchen knife sticking out of her chest and wrenched it free before collapsing to the ground.

Collins-Grant fled the scene, returning briefly to remark: ‘What have I done?’ before throwing the weapon into nearby Regents Canal.

Siobhan Collins-Grant, 26, had charged at Sakhira Loseke, 22, screaming her name and stabbing her, leaving her no chance to defend herself

Emergency services including a helicopter rushed to the scene and open heart surgery was performed on Ms Loseke in the street but she was pronounced dead just before midnight.

A post-mortem revealed the cause of death to be cardio-respiratory failure brought about by blood loss.

Collins-Grant denied murder but admitted manslaughter. A charge of having an offensive weapon, which she also denied, was ordered to lie on file. 

The pair had come to blows at a nightclub a few weeks before the killing, when the victim accused Collins-Grant of chatting up her lover, Savannah Simpson, the Old Bailey heard.

They were thrown out by bouncers at the Lighthouse Bar in Shoreditch but friends were told they had later settled their differences.

Collins-Grant had been staying with her friend Charlie Crawford-Nathan but she was kicked out the day before the killing when her host discovered she had been bad-mouthing her behind her back.

She was accused of sleeping with another woman’s boyfriend and was told her clothes would be burned unless she collected them from a mutual friend’s house.

On the night of the killing, residents were disturbed by a group of women shouting in the street outside when Collins-Grant arrived with four friends for back-up.

Oliver Glasgow QC, prosecuting, said: ‘At about 11pm on Sunday 8 September 2019 the residents of Belmont Street in Chalk Farm were disturbed by shouting from the street outside.

Ms Loseke bled to death while a doctor performed open heart surgery in the middle of the street after the attack

‘The voices were those of a group of females and, since it was not uncommon for the relative quiet area to be broken by such noise, most thought little of what they heard.

‘However that was soon to change. The voices became raised in panic and then screams could be heard.

‘On looking out of their windows, people were able to see a group of girls standing beside someone who had collapsed to the ground.

‘The person on the floor was Sahkira Loseke and she had been stabbed in the chest by this defendant, Siobhan Collins-Grant.

‘The knife had gone through her breast bone and penetrated her heart, causing catastrophic damage, there was nothing that could be done to save her.

‘Despite the prompt arrival of emergency services, who performed open heart surgery on the roadside, she bled to death in the street where she lay.

‘The reason for this sudden outbreak of fatal violence within the group appears to be ill feeling between the defendant and other members of this group including the deceased.

‘The defendant and the deceased had had a row at a nightclub a few weeks before.

‘Sahkira Loseke had accused the defendant of making advances towards her girlfriend.

‘Sahkira Loseke had struck the defendant and the two of them were thrown out of the club.

‘Their friends believed they had resolved their differences but given what was to happen on 8 September that was clearly not the case.

‘On Saturday 7 September 2019, the defendant was told by one of the friends she had stayed with, a young woman called Charlie Crawford-Nathan, that she had to collect the belongings that she had left at Ms Crawford-Nathan’s home.

‘Threats were made by Ms Crawford-Nathan and others to burn the defendant’s possessions and the defendant received abusive text messages.

‘The source of the discontent appeared to be an accusation that the defendant had slept with the boyfriend of one of her friends and therefore that she was not to be trusted.

‘Thus it was that the following evening, the defendant travelled to Chalk Farm.

‘The mood was not altogether happy and the allegation of the defendant’s promiscuity was spoken about but no one seemed interested in taking the threats that had been made to the defendant any further.

‘Whilst everyone stood outside talking, Sahkira Loseke and two of her friends arrived.

‘The descriptions of Sahkira Loseke’s mood vary, however it is clear that she was armed with a knife since one was seen in the waistband of her tracksuit trousers and several of her friends were concerned with the way she was behaving.

‘Whatever the reason for her bad mood nothing was said or done by Sahkira Loseke towards the defendant.

‘Indeed the two of them were not even stood near each other. However, without warning, the defendant ran across to where Sahkira Loseke was stood, shouted at her, threw a punch in her face and then stabbed her in the chest.

‘The attack took Sahkira Loseke completely by surprise and she could do nothing to defend herself.

‘Upon realising that there was a knife embedded in her chest Sahkira Loseke pulled the blade free then collapsed on the ground.

‘Her friends began to scream and rushed to her aid.

‘The defendant meanwhile tried to escape. She was pursued by two of Sahkira Loseke’s friends, Fatemah Mahmud and Savannah Simpson, who caught and attacked her.

‘During the course of this short episode of violence both friends received cuts to their hands and the defendant sustained cuts to her back.

‘After being injured Fatemah Mahmud ran to a friend’s house to get help and Savannah Simpson ran back to check on her friend Sahkira Loseke.

‘While Sahkira Loseke’s panicked friends were trying to help her the defendant returned to the scene she was overheard to say ”what I have I done” but despite her shock she had the presence of mind to pick up the knife she had used to kill Sahkira Loseke and then to leave the scene taking the weapon with her.

‘The defendant was captured on local CCTV as she ran away.

‘She made her way to Camden Market. She cut through the side streets to Regents Canal and once there the reason for her visit became clear: she threw the knife she had used to kill Sahkira Loseke into the water and then walked away as if nothing had happened.’

In a statement read in court by Sahkira’s family, her mother said: ‘I would like the person that killed my daughter to know that she has ruined the life of every single member of my family.

‘She will be able to get on with her life, when this is all behind her. I will never be able to get on with my life, the loss of Kira has left a huge hole in my heart. I am devastated by what has happened, completely destroyed.’

Detective Inspector Perry Benton, Specialist Crime North, said: ‘This was a completely senseless act of violence which has led to another life lost to knife crime.

‘Sahkira was very much loved by all her family and friends and had her whole life in front of her which has been cut short by the actions of Collins-Grant. A seemingly minor dispute between the defendant and victim has seen Collins-Grant take extreme action; in an attack which took place so suddenly and without warning that the victim had no time to defend herself.

‘The guilty plea made by the defendant is thanks to the hard work of the investigation team for building a strong case.

‘I would like to pass on my thanks to the family of Sahkira for all their assistance and understanding during this horrific period in their lives which no parent should have to go through.’ 

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