A 16-year-old boy has been acquitted of murder and manslaughter following the death of nine-year-old Aria Thorpe, who died from a single stab wound to the chest at her home in Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset, on December 15 last year.
Verdict at Bristol Crown Court
The teenager, who cannot be identified due to his age, was found not guilty of both charges by jurors at Bristol Crown Court on June 25. Following the verdict, several members of the public gallery left the courtroom quietly, according to reports from Yorkshire Live.
The boy had admitted collecting a knife with a 21cm blade from the kitchen at Aria's home and entering the lounge, where she was seated on the sofa, intending to “scare” her. He demonstrated wielding the knife in a ninja-like manner before thrusting it towards Aria as though he was fencing. He told jurors the knife unintentionally penetrated Aria, inflicting the fatal wound.
Court testimony
During the trial, the defendant stated: “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.” He said Aria was in front of him and “had almost taken a step forward but without taking a step forward because before she could, it happened.”
He added: “I don't know what she was doing. The knife went into her. Then I pulled it out. I didn't know what to do. She put her hand to her chest.” Aria then collapsed face-down onto the floor. “I thought she had died,” he told the court. “I got scared, I panicked. So I ran to the kitchen with the knife and I put it back into the sink.”
Aftermath and arrest
The boy did not check on Aria after her injury, nor did he alert neighbours or contact emergency services. Instead, he went to Worle railway station, where he told a group of youngsters he had accidentally killed Aria. His mobile phone had been taken by his mother, so he borrowed another boy's phone and searched for “what happens if you kill..”
A girl at the station called 999 to report the boy's admission. Police arrived quickly, and the boy ran onto a train, which officers prevented from leaving. He was taken into custody. When asked about his feelings at that point, he replied: “I felt horrible.”
Medical evidence
Home Office pathologist Dr Amanda Jeffery concluded that Aria died from a single stab wound penetrating her heart. She told the jury the injury measured between 7.5 and 8cm in depth and that Aria would have died “very swiftly.”
Events leading to the tragedy
Aria had been at school on the day she died and was picked up from an after-school dance class by her mother, Tori Hull, at around 4.30pm. They went shopping for mini-pizzas and toppings, which they prepared together at home. Ms Hull then left for her evening work shift, leaving Aria watching YouTube videos on the television.
Family friend Ollie Sheppard, who was temporarily living at the property, returned from work at about 6pm and found Aria on the living room floor. He called 999, and officers and paramedics arrived shortly afterward. Aria could not be saved and was pronounced dead at 6.58pm.
