Teenager Acquitted in 9-Year-Old Aria Thorpe's Death After Jury Rejects Murder, Manslaughter Charges
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jun 25
Teenager Acquitted in 9-Year-Old Aria Thorpe's Death After Jury Rejects Murder, Manslaughter Charges
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jun 25
Summary
A Bristol Crown Court jury found a 16-year-old boy not guilty of murdering or manslaughtering nine-year-old Aria Thorpe over her death on 15 December 2025.
The boy told jurors Aria was fatally injured during playfighting when he leaned forward holding a knife “like I was fencing” and it entered her chest.
A pathologist said Aria died from a single stab wound to the chest at her Weston-super-Mare home, where she was found face down shortly after 18:00 and resuscitation efforts ended at 18:58.
The teenager said he fled to Worle Railway Station because he panicked, and told the court he could not call 999 because his mother had taken away his phone after he was expelled from school hours earlier.