A harrowing 999 call made by a family friend was played to the jury during the trial over the stabbing death of 13-year-old Aria Thorpe.
On December 15 last year, Aria was found fatally stabbed at her home in Weston-super-Mare. The distressing call came from Ollie Sheppard, a family friend temporarily staying at the house, who discovered Aria lying on the living room floor.
In the call, Sheppard described the scene: “I have literally just got home from work, I’ve come through the door and came into the living room. A little girl who lives here is on her front. I have turned her over and she is covered in blood. There looks like a stab wound. Her face is going grey. Oh my god.”
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Emergency services rushed to the property, but Aria was pronounced dead shortly after at 6.58 pm.
A 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named due to legal restrictions, is currently standing trial for murder and manslaughter charges. He denies all accusations. It has been revealed that the teenager fled to a nearby train station after the stabbing and reportedly confessed to others that he had accidentally killed Aria.
Dr. Amanda Jeffery, a Home Office pathologist, explained to the court that Aria died from a single stab wound penetrating her heart. She told jurors, “Injuries to the heart of this nature can result in sudden collapse and incapacitation. Some victims are capable of a short period of movement before they collapse. Aria would have died very swiftly from an injury of this nature.”
The fatal wound measured approximately 3.2cm wide and around 7.5 to 8cm deep. The court was shown a large kitchen knife with a 21cm-long blade and green plastic handle, confirmed capable of causing such a wound. Notably, there were no defensive wounds on Aria’s body.
Dr. Jeffery added that the minimum force needed to cause the wound would be classified as “mild,” though greater force could not be ruled out.
On the day of the tragedy, Aria had attended school and an after-school dance class. Her mother, Tori Hull, collected her at about 4.30 pm, and the pair went shopping for mini pizzas and toppings, which they made together before Ms. Hull left for her evening work shift. Aria stayed home watching YouTube videos.
The teenage suspect was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder at Worle railway station. During police interviews, he admitted to stabbing Aria in the chest and expressed regret, saying, “Just wish I never did it.”
The trial before Mrs Justice O’Farrell is ongoing.