Boy, 16, acquitted of homicide after nine-year-old Aria Thorpe died at dwelling earlier than Christmas
A 16-year-old boy has been acquitted of the murder and manslaughter of nine-year-old Aria Thorpe, who died from a fatal stab wound at her home in Weston-super-Mare
Aria was stabbed once in the chest at a house in Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset(Image: Family Handout/PA Wire)
A teenage boy has been cleared of the murder and manslaughter of a nine-year-old girl who died from a fatal stab wound.
The 16-year-old, who cannot be named due to his age, was acquitted of both charges by a jury at Bristol Crown Court on Thursday. Aria Thorpe died after suffering a knife wound to her chest at her home in Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset, on December 15 last year.
Following the incident, the boy departed Aria’s home and travelled to a nearby railway station – where he informed a group of children that her death was an “accident”. He subsequently told the jury at Bristol Crown Court that he had taken a knife from the kitchen of Aria’s home and entered the lounge, where she was seated on the sofa, to “scare” her.
The boy demonstrated wielding the knife in a ninja-style manner before thrusting it towards Aria as if he was fencing. He said the knife accidentally penetrated Aria, causing the fatal injury. Jurors delivered verdicts of not guilty to both charges. After they were announced, several members of the public gallery departed the courtroom quietly.
During the trial, the boy said he had wanted to “scare” Aria and grabbed the knife, which had a 21cm blade, from near the kitchen sink before entering the lounge. He told the jury: “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 defendant claimed that Aria had been in front of him at the time.
“She had almost taken a step forward but without taking a step forward because before she could, it happened,” he said. “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.”
The boy stated that Aria then collapsed onto her front. “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.”
He did not check on Aria after she was injured, did not alert neighbours or call for an ambulance. The boy walked to Worle railway station, where he confessed to a group of children that he had accidentally killed Aria.
His mobile phone had previously been confiscated by his mother and he borrowed the phone of a boy at the station. He then searched for “what happens if you kill..”
A girl at the train station dialled 999 to report what the boy had said and police quickly arrived. The boy dashed onto a train, which police prevented from leaving the station. He was then arrested.
When asked how he felt about what had transpired at that time, the boy replied: “I felt horrible”. Home Office pathologist Dr Amanda Jeffery determined that Aria died from a single stab wound, which penetrated her heart.
Dr Jeffery informed the jury that Aria would have died “very swiftly” from the injury, which was between 7.5 and 8cm deep. Aria had been at school on the day she died and was picked up from an after-school dance class by her mum, Tori Hull, at around 4.30pm.
The pair then popped to the shops for mini-pizzas and toppings, which they prepared together at home. Ms Hull departed for her evening work shift shortly afterwards, leaving Aria watching YouTube videos on the telly.
Family friend Ollie Sheppard, who was temporarily living at the property, arrived back from work at approximately 6pm. He discovered Aria collapsed on the living room floor and dialled 999, with officers and paramedics reaching the scene moments later.
Heartbreakingly, Aria couldn’t be rescued and was declared dead at 6.58pm.
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.
