Dad calls for new trial after teen who stabbed his little lady walks free
Tom Thorpe, the dad of nine-year-old Aria Thorpe, is launching a campaign after his daughter was killed in her own home in December in Weston-super-Mare.
A teen boy walked free from court after killing Aria.
A heartbroken dad is appealing to the courts to carry out a retrial, claiming it is “not on” that his little daughter killer was allowed to walk free from court.
Tom Thorpe, the dad of nine-year-old Aria Thorpe, is launching a campaign after his daughter was killed in her own home in December in Weston-super-Mare by a knife to the heart.
She was stabbed by an unnamed 15-year-old who admitted waving a knife ‘ninja-style’ at her, before he plunged it three inches into her chest and wounding her heart.
He then fled the scene, and was seen on CCTV recreating the stabbing to a group of teenagers at a train station who watched on. But after trial he was able to walk free from court, something the parents believe is ultimately wrong.
Tom said: “Walking into a living room with the biggest knife in the house, fencing towards a 4ft nine-year-old, leaving her for dead, locking the dogs away, putting your coat on, casually strolling out of the house.
Aria was killed by a knife wound
“How on earth, with all of that happening, do you get to walk out of court before we had even walked out of court?”
Tom, an off-shore wind turbine inspector, was told by prosecutors the case would be an easy conviction because of the level of evidence against the teen, but doubts then began to arise when the defence team argued it was an accident.
The family claims the verdict was a miscarriage of justice because the judge wrongly directed the jury to only convict the teenager of manslaughter if they were sure he deliberately stabbed Aria in a way a reasonable person would believe would cause harm.
They have now launched a campaign, backed by Suella Braverman, previously Home Secretary, to seek a Court of Appeal review.
Her family are calling for help
The case cannot be retried under double jeopardy laws unless new evidence emerges. Tom and his fiancee admit there is a ‘slim chance’ of this, but are exploring their options with the Crown Prosecution.
Tom told The Telegraph : “If we can’t change the verdict in the case, then whatever has happened in this trial with the judge’s directions misleading the jury, this must never, ever happen again, because you can’t murder or accidentally kill someone, flee the scene, and get away with it. It’s just disgusting.”
Mrs Braverman, who has set up a petition on her website to support calls for a review, said: “The injustice of Aria’s case undermines public confidence in our courts. In no world should the boy who admitted his actions which led to Aria’s death be walking free. It is inexcusable.
“The Attorney General must step in and ensure that something is done to right this horrendous miscarriage of justice. The Thorpe family and Aria deserve nothing less than the whole country’s support in their campaign.”
