A 16-year-old boy has been acquitted of murder and manslaughter following the death of nine-year-old Aria Thorpe, who suffered a fatal stab wound at her home in Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset, on December 15 last year. The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was cleared of both charges by a jury at Bristol Crown Court on June 25.
Incident Details
Aria Thorpe died from a single stab wound to the chest, which pierced her heart. Home Office pathologist Dr Amanda Jeffery told the jury that Aria would have died "very swiftly" from the injury, which measured between 7.5 and 8cm in depth. The boy testified that he had picked up a knife with a 21cm blade from the kitchen sink and entered the lounge where Aria was seated on the sofa, intending to "scare" her.
He demonstrated moving the knife in a ninja-like fashion before thrusting it towards Aria as though he was fencing, claiming the knife accidentally entered her. The boy told the court: "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."
Aftermath and Arrest
Following the incident, the boy left Aria's home and made his way to Worle railway station. He did not check on Aria, alert neighbours, or call an ambulance. At the station, he told a group of children that he had accidentally killed Aria. A girl at the station called 999, prompting police to respond swiftly. The boy ran onto a train, which officers prevented from leaving, and he was subsequently arrested.
His mobile phone had been taken away by his mother, so he borrowed a phone from another boy at the station and searched for "what happens if you kill.." When questioned about his feelings, he replied: "I felt horrible."
Trial and Verdict
The jury returned not guilty verdicts on both murder and manslaughter charges. Following the verdicts, several members of the public gallery quietly left the courtroom. The boy had claimed the death was an accident, stating he wanted to scare Aria but never intended to harm her.
Aria attended school on the day of her death and was collected from an after-school dance class by her mother, Tori Hull, at around 4.30pm. They shopped for mini-pizzas and toppings, which they prepared together. Ms Hull left for an evening work shift, leaving Aria watching YouTube videos. Family friend Ollie Sheppard, who was temporarily residing at the property, returned home at approximately 6pm, discovered Aria on the living room floor, and dialled 999. Police and paramedics arrived shortly afterwards, but Aria was pronounced dead at 6.58pm.
