A 16-year-old boy has been found not guilty of the murder of nine-year-old Aria Thorpe, who died from a single stab wound at her home in Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset, on 15 December last year. The jury at Bristol Crown Court cleared him of both murder and manslaughter.
The prosecution argued that the boy deliberately stabbed Aria, intending to kill or cause serious harm. However, the boy testified that he picked up a kitchen knife and went into the lounge where Aria was sitting. He said he was 'waving around the knife' and leaned forward to scare her, acting like he was fencing. 'The knife went into her. Then I pulled it out. I didn't know what to do,' he told the jury.
In her summing up, Mrs Justice O'Farrell described it as a 'tragic and shocking case'. She noted the boy accepted he stabbed Aria but claimed it was an accident, intending only to scare her. The judge said: 'He didn't intend to kill her and did not intend to cause her really serious injury.'
After the incident, 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 'what happens if you kill …' before another child called 999. Police arrested him shortly after he boarded a train. Aria's mother, Tori Hull, had left for work after Aria returned from a dance class, leaving her watching YouTube videos.
Detective Inspector Neil Meade of Avon and Somerset Police said: 'Aria Thorpe was a fun-loving girl, adored by her parents and wider family. She clearly brought a huge amount of joy to many people's lives.' He added that legal restrictions prevent the boy from being named because he is under 18.
