The father who was jailed for murdering his 14-year-old daughter during a ‘play fight’ which went wrong in the kitchen of their home will have his sentenced reviewed.
Simon Vickers, 50, was handed a life sentence with a minimum term of 15 years last month after a jury found him guilty of murdering teenager Scarlett.
Vickers plunged a knife 11cm inches into Scarlett’s chest, piercing her heart and causing catastrophic blood loss.
The warehouse worker claimed his only child died in a ‘freak accident’ at their home in Darlington, County Durham, when he swiped a knife across a kitchen worktop last July.
The trial at Teesside Crown Court heard Vickers had been ‘mucking about’ when he allegedly picked up a pair of tongs without realising he had a knife in his hand before he lunged towards her.
Jurors heard that the pair had spent the afternoon together watching football on TV and were ‘messing on’ together while supper was being cooked at their home on Friday July 5.
Emergency services rushed to the scene just after 11pm but despite their efforts, Scarlett bled to death.
Vickers, along with his wife Sarah Hall, Scarlett’s mother, claimed the stabbing was a total accident.
Simon Vickers, 50, was handed a life sentence with a minimum term of 15 years last month after a jury found him guilty of murdering teenager Scarlett
Scarlett, 14, (pictured) was killed by her father during a ‘play fight’ in the kitchen last year
Sarah Hall, the mother of 14-year-old Scarlett, who stood by Vickers after the tragedy
At his sentence hearing, Mr Justice Cotter told Vickers: ‘Only you know precisely what happened in the kitchen on that Friday evening which led to you fatally stabbing your only daughter in what should have been the safety of your own home.
‘It was a momentary but devastating act of anger.
‘It stole one young life, ruined your life, your wife’s life, and Scarlett’s relatives and friends will never ever recover from it.
‘The clock can’t be turned back.
‘You must now face the consequences that the law dictates.’
But despite the conviction, the Attorney General has now been asked to review the sentence after claims of it being too ‘lenient.’
A spokesperson for the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) said: ‘We have received a request for this sentence to be considered under the Unduly Lenient Sentence (ULS) scheme.
‘The Law Officers have 28 days from sentencing to consider the case and make a decision.’
Scarlett died from rapid blood loss after the blade pierced her chest and her heart
Scarlett posted a tragic final TikTok video showing her posing in her bedroom mirror just hours before her death
The knife which was used by Vickers when he stabbed his daughter during a ‘play fight’
It means they have until March 10 to make a decision.
Last month, Vickers’ family was said to be looking at grounds to appeal his conviction.
During the trial, Ms Hall said: ‘It was an accident. I know he would never harm her. She was my little girl, my best friend, she always came first for the both of us.’
The Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme allows anyone to ask for a Crown Court sentence they believe is too low to be reviewed by the AGO.
Only one person needs to ask for a sentence to be looked at.
But the AGO will then decide whether to send it to the Court of Appeal, which could pass a new, longer sentence.
A document listing all sentences referred under the scheme says a review of Vickers’ sentence is ‘under consideration.’