Boy accused of killing girl gave 'differing' accounts

A teenage boy standing trial for murdering a nine-year-old girl has been accused of changing his story of what happened.

Aria Thorpe died from a single stab wound at her home in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, on 15 December last year.

During the sixth day of the trial at Bristol Crown Court, the prosecution told the court that the 16-year-old defendant, who cannot be named because of his age, gave differing accounts to witnesses, the police and at the trial itself.

The boy has denied murder and manslaughter, but said it was an accident and that he only intended to "scare" Aria.

However, Ray Tulley KC and Gregory Gordon, prosecuting, said the defendant has given "differing accounts".

The court previously heard the defendant's mother had confiscated his phone after he was expelled from school for disruptive behaviour. He said that without his phone, he was unable to call 999.

After inflicting the fatal wound at Aria's house, he fled the scene and headed to Worle Station, where he spoke to a group of youths on the platform about the alleged stabbing.

The court previously heard he told one of the group, who he knew: "I'm a murderer. I accidentally killed someone."

The defendant was shortly arrested on a train waiting to depart from the station platform.

During the trial, the defendant told that jury that he was he was "playfighting" and that Aria had moved toward the knife.

But the court was told that during his police interview, he did not mention anything about a playfight, or that Aria had moved toward the knife.

On the day of the fatal stabbing, the court was told the defendant came down the stairs and asked Aria how her day was going.

"She said 'good'," the defendant said in his police interview.

In a pre-prepared police statement, the defendant said: "I grabbed [the knife] from the sink and stabbed her in the chest.

"I didn't use a lot of force, but it was a big knife. I don't know why I did it."

Defence barrister, Andrew Langdon KC, told the court the defendant did not tell police as he was not questioned about an accident and wanted to take responsibility.

The prosecution lawyers questioned the defendant's story and described it as a "desperately sad case."

"He has given you four differing accounts: the railway station, the statement, the police interview, then finally here in court.

"It's our case - when you analyse carefully, when [the defendant] had that knife and thrusted it toward [her], that he intended to cause serious harm."

The trial continues.

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