Former X Factor UK contestant Gabrielle Carrington has pleaded not guilty to murdering influencer Klaudia Zakrzewska in a fatal road rage incident that took place outside of a London nightclub earlier this year.
“As I’m not represented, I am happy to give a plea today even though I am not represented,” Carrington — who was part of the girl group Miss Dynamix in the 2013 season of the U.K. singing competition — said during the hearing on Monday, August 3, per The Independent.
Carrington, 29, appeared from Bronzefield prison via video, denying any wrongdoing after being charged with murder and grievous bodily harm with intent, the BBC reported. (The initial attempted murder charge was upgraded to murder after Zakrzewska succumbed to her injuries on April 25. She was 32.)
Prosecutors believe the singer got into a car in the Soho neighborhood before she struck Zakrzewska and then hit security guard Anoush Chyche, who suffered “life-threatening injuries.”
The defendant was not asked to enter a plea to a third charge of driving with excess alcohol during the hearing, according to reports.
Carrington, who was clad in a low-cut black outfit with her hair pulled back, reportedly wiped tears from her face during the court proceeding. When asked who would represent her at trial, she replied, “This is my life. This is the toughest decision I have to make.”
Judge Sarah Whitehouse informed her the case would be tried at the Central Criminal Court, also known as “The Old Bailey” in January 2027. Looking ahead, tpre-trial hearings are set for August 11 and October 9.
The Crown Prosecution Service decided to prosecute Carrington soon after the incident.
“Our prosecutors have worked to establish that there is sufficient evidence to charge the defendant and that it is in the public interest to pursue criminal proceedings,” they said in an April statement. “We have worked closely with the Metropolitan Police as they have carried out their investigation.”
Carrington and Zakrzewska — the latter of whom built up a following as a lifestyle influencer while going by Klaudiaglam — allegedly got into a verbal spat outside the Inca London nightclub before bystanders went to pull them apart, E! News reported at the time. Carrington appeared to get into the driver’s seat of a car as someone yelled, “She’s running her over!” The car then apparently struck a man on the sidewalk before reversing over Zakrzewska.
Prosecutor Rizwan Amin described the chain of events to the court amidst a prior hearing, claiming Carrington’s vehicle “sharply mounted the pavement” after she got in the car.
The prosecutor explained, “During this maneuver, the vehicle has struck Ms. Zakrzewska who was positioned to the front side of the vehicle and she was dragged forward and dropped between the vehicle and a metal bike rack.” Amin continued, “As the vehicle kept moving forward, it fully took her underneath the vehicle.”
