Sharon Carr was just 12-years-old when she stabbed Katie Rackliff more than 30 times in 1992 and detectives believed there were unidentified suspects who escaped justice
Britain’s youngest female murderer was probably not alone when she stabbed a teenage girl to death, a judge said.
Sharon Carr – branded the “Devil’s Daughter” – was just 12-years-old when she knifed Katie Rackliff more than 30 times as the 18-year-old made her way home from a nightclub in June 1992. Carr has now been recommended for a move to an open prison, paving the way for her to be freed.
Detectives suspected other individuals were involved because Katie’s body was found three miles from where she was last seen alive and she was moved when dead.
Sentencing judge, Mr Justice Scott Baker told Carr: “The evidence suggests that you were not alone when you stabbed Katie Rackliff to death in June 1992. Who the others were, and any part they played, remains unclear. What is clear is that you had a sexual motive for this killing.
“That is apparent both from the brutal manner in which you mutilated her body and the chilling entries in your diary recording what you had done. Killing, as you put it, turns you on. You are, in my view, an extremely dangerous young woman.”
At the time of the murder, police said that their prime suspect was the last person she was seen with, a man with what they described as “fashionable” dark permed hair. Detectives also wanted to trace two other men, the bloodstained driver of a grey Ford Escort XR3 and someone called Nick.
Katie had recently split up with her boyfriend and on June 7 went to the Ragamuffin nightclub in Camberley, Surrey. Despite being so young, Carr was a regular at the venue and following an evening there, she came into contact with Katie. At some point after leaving Katie got into a car – perhaps looking for a lift home – and it is believed Carr was also in the vehicle.
The teenager’s half naked body was found five hours later, three miles away in Farnborough. She had been stabbed repeatedly and violently in a frenzied attack, which left 27 separate wounds.
Police initially believed the killer was a man because of the nature of the murder and the fact that Katie’s body had been moved. When Carr was questioned, she gave three different accounts of how Katie had been killed.
In two of the versions, Carr said she was with two boys in a car at the time of the attack and that they had engaged in sexual activity with Katie before dumping the body. She named the two boys, but they provided alibis and were eliminated from the inquiry.
However, the prosecution could not explain how Katie, who weighed 8st 8lbs, was dragged across a pavement and around a corner by a 12-year-old girl. One detective said after Carr was jailed: “There is no way that Sharon had a car — she must have had help.”
A spokesperson for the Parole Board said: “We can confirm that the Parole Board refused the release of Sharon Carr but recommended a move to an open conditions prison following an oral hearing. This was a recommendation only and the Secretary of State for Justice considers the advice before making the final decision on whether a prisoner is suitable for open conditions.”
