Diane Ryan

Diane Ryan was stabbed in the heart during a fight in a pub in Paddington.

She had been stabbed four times with a penknife.

A 17-year-old girl was tried for her murder but acquitted after she claimed she had acted in self-defence. She had lived in West Kilburn and had been unemployed.

The court heard that the two girls had had the same boyfriend. The boyfriend had been dating Diane Ryan but later starting dating the 17-year -old girl as well. The two girls had previously been friends, but after the girl found that the man was still seeing Diane Ryan, they became dealy rivals. They had both used the same discos and pubs around the Little Ireland area of north London and had a number of clashes. 

The first incident took place on 9 March 1983. The girl and the boyfriend had been watching TV with other friends at a flat in Batten House on the Mozart Estate in North Paddington. However, Diane Ryan lived in the same block of flats and when the girl left she bumped into her and they began fighting, and during the struggle the 17-year-old girl allegedly had some of her hair pulled out. It was heard that the fight was stopped by Diane Ryan's parents who pulled her back into their flat, but that the other girl continued shouting and kicking at the door. 

It was also heard that the 17-year-old girl was heard to make various threats and one witness said she heard her say that she would cut Diane Ryan's face. 

The stabbing took place two days after Diane Ryan's 19th birthday. Diane Ryan had been a telephonist.

The two girls met again at the William Fourth public house in Harrow Road on 12 March 1983. THe 17-year-old girl had been drinking with the boyfriend there and Diane Ryan later came in and the two faced faced each other off in the ladies lavatory. One person said she heard the 17-year-old girl shout:

It was then outside in the road that the two girls again squared up with each other. The 17-year-old girl was seen pulling Diane Ryan's hair and punching her in the chest. 

Two men tried to separate them, but Diane Ryan then fell to the ground bleeding from four stab wounds. 

The 17-year-old girl said that Diane Ryan drew the knife on her outside the pub and that there was then a struggle and Diane Ryan dropped the knife and she picked it up and stabbed her with it, claiming that she was terrified. 

When she was arrested, she told the police:

The court heard that there had been unpleasent incidents between the two girls in the few days befire the stabbing, including a fight on Diane Ryan's 19th birthday. 

The girl said that she met Diane Ryan outside the pub at closing time and that Diane Ryan bent down:

and then got up with a knife in her hand. 

She said:

She said that the knife then fell to the ground and that both of them tried to grab it, adding:

She said that she then grabbed the knife with one hand and was punching Diane Ryan with the other. She also claimed that Diane Ryan took out a second knife during the struggle.

She said:

One witness said that they saw Diane Ryan pull a knife from her boot at the beginning of the fight, but another witness said that Diane Ryan had not produced the knife until after she had been stabbed. 

The 17-year-old girl later said:

She was tried at the Old Bailey in August 1983 but acquitted of bother murder and manslaughter.