Teenager Found Not Guilty in Death of Nine-Year-Old Aria Thorpe

A 16-year-old boy has been cleared of murdering nine-year-old Aria Thorpe after a jury accepted that a fatal knife wound was inflicted accidentally during playfighting at her home in Weston-super-Mare on 15 December. The teenager, who cannot be named due to his age, was found not guilty of both murder and manslaughter charges at Bristol Crown Court. Aria died from a single stab wound to her chest, with jurors visibly emotional as they delivered their verdicts.

Account of the Incident

The defendant told the court that he had picked up a kitchen knife and entered the lounge where Aria was sitting on the sofa. He described waving the knife around and deciding to frighten her by mimicking a fencing motion. According to his testimony, the knife made contact with her chest as he lunged forward, and he immediately pulled it out. Aria then placed her hand to her chest in response to the injury.

The boy's defence barrister, Andrew Langdon KC, argued to the jury that while the teenager had made "the worst decision of his life," he had not intended to kill or cause serious harm to the nine-year-old. The judge, Mrs Justice O'Farrell, described the case as "tragic and shocking" and summarised the defence position that the stabbing was accidental, carried out with the intention only to scare his younger companion.

The Aftermath and Investigation

After Aria was injured, the teenager left the house and walked to Worle Railway Station. He told a group of children at the station that he had killed her accidentally and borrowed one of their phones to search for "what happens if you kill." Another child at the station contacted emergency services, leading to his arrest as he boarded a train.

Aria was discovered face down on the floor of her home shortly after 18:00 GMT by Ollie Sheppard, who was temporarily staying at the property. Emergency services ceased resuscitation efforts at 18:58. Earlier that day, Aria's mother, Victoria Hull, had collected her from an after-school dance class and taken her shopping for mini-pizzas before leaving for an evening work shift. Hull later told the court that Aria had seemed happy and bubbly following her dance class.