The last words nine-year-old Aria Thorpe spoke to her mother were filled with innocent affection: “See you after work, mummy.” Her mother, Victoria Hull, responded warmly, “See you after work, love you.” Just hours later, Aria’s life was tragically cut short after she was fatally stabbed at their home in Weston-super-Mare on December 15 last year.
Aria’s mother described their final moments together in a statement at Bristol Crown Court during the trial of a 16-year-old boy charged with her murder and manslaughter. She recalled helping Aria get ready for school that morning and picking her up later that day, initially forgetting the young girl’s dance class. When Aria expressed a desire to stay for the lesson, her mother returned at 4:30 pm.
“She said she had a really good day,” Ms. Hull shared. They stopped by Aldi to pick up mini-pizzas and toppings, which Aria happily ate while watching YouTube on the living room TV. The mother detailed cutting Aria’s pizza with scissors, while her daughter used her hands to eat, her happiness evident after the dance class.
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Aria’s simple request to have the last Oreo cookie following her meal led to their final exchange — a tender “see you after work." Ms. Hull left soon after for her evening shift at Pontins, working extra hours to save money for Christmas.
Later that evening, Ms. Hull learned of Aria’s stabbing through frantic phone calls and police presence at a friend’s house, prompting a distressing trip to her family home. The chain of events that followed was harrowing: after allegedly stabbing Aria, the teenage suspect reportedly went to a nearby train station and confessed to a group of children, saying he had “stabbed her and she is dead.”
One child called emergency services, guiding police to the station where the boy awaited a train. Witnesses described the boy as anxious and shaking, eventually arrested at 6:19 pm after police stopped the train. In an interview, he admitted to stabbing Aria in the chest with a large knife, expressing confusion about why it happened.
The trial continues under Mrs Justice O’Farrell as the community mourns the loss of a joyful young girl whose life was tragically ended.