The family of Aria Thorpe, a nine-year-old girl who was fatally stabbed at her home, has expressed profound distress and questioned the outcome of a trial in which a teenage boy was cleared of murder and manslaughter. The 16-year-old, whose identity is protected by law, was acquitted after testifying that he accidentally stabbed Aria in the chest while playing.
During the trial at Bristol Crown Court, the boy stated he had intended to "scare" Aria and was waving an eight-inch knife he picked up near the kitchen sink. He described acting "like I was fencing" before the incident occurred in the lounge where Aria was seated. He then left her home in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, on December 15 of the previous year and went to a nearby railway station. There, he told other children that Aria's death was an accident.
The verdicts on Thursday led to an outcry from Aria's family, who feel the justice system has failed her. "How is this justice? What message does this send to society?" asked Aria's aunt, Katie Thorpe. "What does it teach people when a child can lose her life in such a horrific and senseless way, yet nobody is held accountable?"
Great aunt Sarah Cox Pike added, "To see the person responsible for taking our beautiful Aria's life found not guilty is beyond devastating. It feels like the justice system has failed not only Aria and everyone who loved her, but every family who expects the courts to deliver justice." The family stated they have been given a "life sentence" of grief, while the person responsible "walks free."
Testifying before the jury, the boy recounted how Aria stood up as he was waving the knife. He said he decided to "make her flinch and scare her, to get a reaction" and leaned forward. He stated that Aria had begun to step forward before the knife entered her chest. He described pulling the knife out and panicking, then running to the kitchen and placing the knife back in the sink. Aria fell to the floor, and he believed she had died.
A Home Office pathologist, Dr. Amanda Jeffery, confirmed that Aria died quickly from a single stab wound that penetrated her heart. The wound was measured at 3.2cm wide and between 7.5cm and 8cm deep.
Aria's mother, Victoria Hull, had last seen her daughter alive on the afternoon of December 15. After school, Aria attended a dance class, and they later made pizzas at home. Her mother described Aria as "bubbly and happy" before she left for her evening work shift. Ms. Hull learned of her daughter's death after being contacted while at work and arriving at a friend's house to find police present.
Earlier in the trial, it was revealed that after leaving Aria's home, the teenager went to a railway station and informed a group of children about the stabbing. A 14-year-old girl from that group contacted emergency services, directing police to the platform where the boy was waiting for a train. She told the call handler that the boy had said he "stabbed" Aria and that she was dead on the living room floor. The girl alerted an officer to the situation and called the police. The train was stopped, and the boy was arrested.
Forensic officers were present at the scene in Weston-super-Mare on December 17 last year.