A jury has retired to deliberate the verdict in the trial of a 16-year-old boy charged with the murder of nine-year-old Aria Thorpe. Aria died from a knife wound to her chest at her home in Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset, on December 15 last year.
The accused, who cannot be named due to his age, faces charges of murder and manslaughter but denies any intent to kill. Mrs Justice O’Farrell instructed the jury to set aside emotional responses and judge the evidence impartially as they consider their decision.
The prosecution alleges that the stabbing was deliberate, with intent to kill or cause serious harm, or that the act was one any reasonable person would foresee as likely to cause injury. The defendant admits to stabbing Aria but claims it was accidental. He states his intention was only to scare her, describing a lurch or jab with a kitchen knife without intent to cause fatal injury.
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The judge emphasized the importance of reaching a unanimous verdict. During the trial, it was revealed the boy later went to a nearby train station, telling children he had accidentally killed Aria. Police were alerted by a witness and arrested him after boarding a train.
Home Office pathologist Dr Amanda Jeffery testified that Aria’s death resulted from a single, swiftly fatal stab wound. On the day of the attack, Aria attended school and an after-school dance class before spending time with her mother, Tori Hull. A family friend found Aria injured at home in the evening and called emergency services, but she sadly could not be saved.
The trial continues under Mrs Justice O’Farrell as the jury weighs the evidence to reach their verdict.