A 16-year-old boy has been acquitted of the murder of nine-year-old Aria Thorpe, who died from a single stab wound to the chest in Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset, on 15 December last year. The jury at Bristol Crown Court cleared him of both murder and manslaughter after a trial.
Prosecution Case and Defence
The prosecution argued that the boy stabbed Aria deliberately, intending to kill or cause serious harm, or alternatively that his action was reckless. However, the boy testified that he picked up a kitchen knife from Aria's home and went into the lounge where she sat on the sofa. He said: 'Aria stood up and I was waving around the knife. Then at some point I decided that I was going to try to make her flinch and scare her, to get a reaction. I leaned forward, acted like I was fencing. The knife went into her. Then I pulled it out. I didn’t know what to do. She put her hand to her chest.'
Court Summation and Verdict
In her summing up, Mrs Justice O’Farrell described the case as 'a tragic and shocking case' that evoked strong emotions. She stated: 'He accepts he stabbed with the kitchen knife but he says it was an accident. His intention was to scare her. He held the knife in his hand and lurched or jabbed towards her. He didn’t intend to kill her and did not intend to cause her really serious injury.' The boy, who cannot be named due to his age, denied both charges and was cleared.
Events After the Incident
After stabbing Aria, the boy walked to a nearby train station and told a group of children he had killed her accidentally. He borrowed a phone to search for 'what happens if you kill …'. Another child called 999, and police arrested the boy shortly after he boarded a train. Earlier that day, Aria had been picked up from a dance class by her mother, Tori Hull. They bought mini-pizzas before Hull left for a work shift, leaving Aria watching YouTube. Hull recalled: 'She asked me if she could have the last Oreo after her food and I said yes. She said something like “see you after work mummy”. I replied “see you after work, love you”.'
Discovery and Medical Details
A family friend, Ollie Sheppard, who was staying at the house, returned at about 6pm and found Aria on the living room floor. He called 999, and police and paramedics arrived shortly after. The court heard that Aria was 4ft 4in tall, and the knife was 22cm long, penetrating up to 8cm into her chest. When asked how he felt about what happened, the boy replied: 'I felt horrible.'
