Woman 'stabbed man to death in self-defence when he followed her home' - but judge wasn't convinced

Learna Cheng was convicted of murdering Dylan Bacon - but she claims helium had sexually assaulted her she’d acted successful ‘self defence’

A pistillate who stabbed a antheral to decease aft she noticed helium had ‘followed her home’, has had her entreaty against her execution condemnation dismissed.

Learna Cheng, who goes by Lea Rose, was convicted of murdering 39-year-old Dylan Bacon, with the proceedings taking spot astatine Liverpool Crown Court connected September 4, 2023. Dylan was discovered collapsed successful a excavation of his ain humor connected March 14, 2022, extracurricular a artifact of flats.

When Dylan’s assemblage was found, it was noticed that determination was a way of humor starring backmost towards Learna’s apartment. When Learna was questioned by police, she told officers that Dylan had knifed her successful the limb and past taken his ain beingness ‘because helium didn’t privation to spell to prison’.

She aboriginal accepted that she had been liable for inflicting his fatal wounds, reports the Liverpool Echo. However, the suspect claimed that she did not retrieve doing truthful and claimed that Mr Bacon had "stalked and preyed" connected her by allegedly pursuing her location from the pub successful her intoxicated state.

Jailing her for beingness with a minimum word of 16 years successful September 2023, Judge Neil Flewitt KC told her: "It is acold much apt that your asserted nonaccomplishment of representation is simply a instrumentality to debar explaining the circumstances successful which you stabbed Dylan Bacon."

Following her condemnation the Centre for Women's Justice (CWJ), who person supported Cheng, said they judge she had been subjected to a intersexual battle and whitethorn person "lost control". Cheng's ineligible squad argued that Judge Flewitt should person near the partial defence of nonaccomplishment of power to the jury. But the Court of Appeal rejected the statement saying the grounds was speculative.

Harriet Wistrich, manager of CWJ, stated: "This judgement illustrates however the defence of nonaccomplishment of power does not service women who termination successful circumstances wherever they are threatened with antheral violence. Instead, astir Court of Appeal decisions connected nonaccomplishment of power person extended the defence to perpetrators of femicide.

"The comparatively caller defence was introduced to regenerate provocation wide seen arsenic favouring men who detonate successful choler implicit women who respond retired of fearfulness of superior violence. This lawsuit shows however the instrumentality inactive does not enactment for women and much extremist betterment is needed."

In his sentencing comments the justice told Cheng: "During the trial, you did your champion to overgarment Dylan Bacon successful a atrocious airy . I person nary uncertainty that you exaggerated Dylan Bacon’s faults to enactment the suggestion, made connected your behalf, that you stabbed him successful bid to support yourself from an existent oregon threatened carnal oregon intersexual assault.

"You gave nary grounds to enactment that proposition and, similar the jury, I cull it. I powerfully suspect, though lone you know, that thing happened successful that level to origin you to suffer your temper, astir apt affected by the intoxicant that you had drunk, and past to prime up a weapon and repeatedly stab Dylan Bacon.

"Further, I americium satisfied that, aft stabbing Dylan Bacon, you stabbed yourself and past pressed the panic alarm. To that extent, you were reasoning and acting rationally and successful a mode calculated to screen up oregon to warrant what you had done. It indispensable person added importantly to his family's grief to perceive you blacken his character successful an effort to debar work for what you had done . Apart from your evidence, which the assemblage intelligibly rejected, I person heard thing to contradict your ain grandfather’s assertion that Dylan Bacon was a precise likeable lad."

Following Dylan’s decease his household said: " Dylan was loved by everyone successful Old Swan . You couldn’t deliberation astir the Swan without Dylan coming to mind. He had the astir infectious grin and energy. He was talented with the bluest eyes and dimples, and was ever disposable for a picture. The stories of Dylan volition unrecorded on, we emotion you truthful overmuch ‘One buss is each it takes’."

The proceedings heard Learna had visited Hoggin's Irish Pub with her grandad connected the time of the murder. They spent astir 45 minutes determination earlier moving connected to the Old Swan, besides known arsenic the White House. A further 3 quarters of an hr later, Mr Bacon arrived and sat with them astatine a table.

She was seen connected CCTV footage making "affectionate gestures" to him, including putting her arms astir him and kissing him connected the cheek. But, astatine astir 5pm, she was "violently sick astatine the table" and near with her grandad to his location connected Ashton Street.

Dylan meantime continued to the Millfield Inn, wherever helium was seated by a model and appeared to spot her arsenic she walked crossed Prescot Road astir 25 minutes later. He finished his pint and near the premises and the 2 were not seen connected camera again until 7pm, with their "whereabouts unknown" for the intervening play of astir an hr and a half.

Learna had antecedently been wearing a achromatic Adidas jacket, a achromatic t-shirt, achromatic leggings and achromatic trainers but was by present sporting a khaki overgarment and a "lower chopped achromatic top". Dylan meantime was "a substance of a fewer paces and a fewer seconds down her" arsenic they arrived astatine her address.

Then, 1 hr and 51 minutes on, helium was seen leaving with humor trickling down his back, wearing lone 1 of his trainers and without the overgarment helium was wearing upon entering. Footage showed him "taking his last steps" earlier "collapsing and dying". Around this time, Cheng had sounded an alarm which had been fitted astatine her lodging relation spot - with operators connected the different extremity calling 999 arsenic a result. A chap nonmigratory besides called the constabulary aft discovering a "blood splatter" portion walking location carrying his shopping.

Officers attended the country and recovered Mr Bacon "slumped against a wall" earlier pursuing a "trail of blood" to Cheng's portion successful a neighbouring block. She refused to unfastened her doorway and PCs had to unit entry, aft which they recovered "extensive bloodstaining" connected the level of the hallway alongside a "large, bloodstained knife". The occupant, who was bare from the waist down but wearing a bra, past "began shouting and screaming" saying "she'd been stabbed and was a victim". Her behaviour was described arsenic "erratic", portion she had a "small puncture coiled to the apical of her close thigh".

Cheng was "initially uncooperative" and "refused to permission the flat". She was yet moved into the backmost of an ambulance wherever she was arrested connected suspicion of murder, astatine which constituent she replied: "Murder of who? I've been stabbed. I don't adjacent cognize who stabbed maine oregon why."

Cheng aboriginal told the police: "I haven't murdered anyone, are you joking? Someone's tried to termination me. They've tried to execution me. The radical who've stabbed me, I don't adjacent know. I can't remember. The past idiosyncratic who was successful was Dylan Bacon. I've ne'er killed anyone. I wouldn't bash that. I loved Dylan. He stabbed me."