Tom Thorpe, the father of nine-year-old Aria Thorpe, was left frozen with shock upon learning that his daughter had been fatally stabbed. The tragic incident occurred at Aria’s home in Weston-super-Mare on December 15 last year.
Tom, 35, was informed by Aria’s grandfather Dennis in a phone call that would change his life forever. “He said, ‘I’ve got some really bad news, Aria’s been stabbed.’ Of course, I asked, ‘What on earth do you mean?’” Tom recalled.
Due to his offshore work schedule—two weeks on and two weeks off—Tom typically saw Aria and her older sister every other weekend. At the time of the call, Tom had just returned to his accommodation in Brighton when Dennis told him that a 16-year-old boy had been arrested in connection with Aria’s death.
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Tom had last seen Aria two weeks prior at a garden centre where she delighted in the Christmas reindeer walkthrough, a place that perfectly captured her adventurous spirit. “She was an outdoor girl; she loved the woods and climbing trees,” he said.
The shock of losing his daughter so suddenly left Tom struggling to comprehend the unimaginable. “How do you even start to process your daughter being stabbed at home? It’s a strange, freezing feeling,” he explained.
On the night Tom received the news, he and his partner Sophie, 34, stayed awake until dawn before making their way to Dennis’ home in Weston-super-Mare, where relatives had gathered. Police arrived early the next morning, and it was several days before Tom could see Aria’s body following the postmortem examination.
He described the painful moment when he and Aria’s mother, Victoria Hull, were finally allowed to see their daughter. “We spent over an hour with Aria—it was really tough,” Tom said.
Last week, a jury at Bristol Crown Court acquitted the 16-year-old boy of murder and manslaughter charges. The teenager maintained that the stabbing was accidental, claiming he had intended only to “scare” Aria with a knife he found in the kitchen.
Tom expressed heartbreak and frustration over the verdict. “It feels like it’s happened all over again. He’s got away with it,” Tom said.
After the verdict, emotions ran high. Aria’s mother and others left the courtroom quietly, heeding the judge’s warning not to show emotion as the decisions were read. Tom and Sophie left immediately, choosing silence over confrontation.
Reflecting on the proceedings, Tom questioned how someone could cause such harm, flee the scene, brag about it to peers, and still walk free. Watching the accused embrace his father in court compounded Tom’s pain.
Currently, Tom is exploring his legal options. He’s in the process of obtaining court transcripts and considering an appeal, though he has been warned that overturning the verdict would require significant new evidence.
This tragic case continues to weigh heavily on Tom’s heart as he struggles to navigate life after such a profound loss.