A former X Factor finalist has denied murdering a social media influencer by running her over with a car in central London.
Gabrielle Carrington allegedly struck Klaudia Zakrzewska outside Argyll Street’s Inca nightclub at around 4.00am on April 19.
Per BBC News, 29-year-old Carrington appeared at the Old Bailey via video link from Bronzefield prison to deny the charge. She had been initially charged with attempted murder, but that charge was ultimately changed to murder after Zakrzewska died from her injuries six days after the incident.
Carrington, who was not represented in court by a barrister, also denied a second charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent to security guard Anoush Chyche, who it’s alleged suffered “life-changing injuries”.
The defendant was not asked to enter a plea to a third charge of driving with excess alcohol.
Judge Sarah Whitehouse KC confirmed the trial would be held at the same court from January 5 2027, with pre-trial hearings fixed for August 11 and October 9 this year.
Carrington allegedly arrived in Argyll Street in her car and appeared to have an argument with a male as she got out of the vehicle. The altercation escalated as more people became involved, prompting security to intervene.
She allegedly got back into the car and moved off, sharply mounting the pavement, and striking Zakrzewska. A court previously heard there was reportedly an “ongoing dispute with the parties, and the parties were known to each other”.
The vehicle went on to strike Chyche, who was on the pavement, it is alleged.
As the vechile reversed, Zakrzewska could be seen under the vehicle lying prone on the ground. The Sun additionally reports that Latisha Armstrong was also struck and suffered a fractured bone in the wrist area.
The defendant, who has over 300,000 followers on Instagram, made it to the X Factor live finals in 2013 as one of the three members of Miss Dynamix.
The group act made it to the final of the competition with Carrington going on to become a TikTok and Instagram influencer.
