Teenager not guilty of killing nine-year-old Aria Thorpe
A teenage boy was found not guilty of murdering a nine-year-old girl in her home.
The 16-year-old, who cannot be named due to his age, was being tried on charges of murder and manslaughter following the death of Aria Thorpe. The jury previously returned not guilty verdicts on both charges at Bristol Crown Court.
A pathologist had previously told the court that Aria died from a single stab wound to the chest at her home in Weston-super-Mare on December 15, 2025.
After the nine-year-old’s death, his family paid tribute to his “vibrant and cheerful” personality.
The defendant told jurors that he and Aria were fighting when he approached her and the knife in her hand stabbed him in the chest.
“I was going to try to scare him, so I leaned forward like I was fencing,” he said.
Defense barrister Andrew Langdon KC told the jury the teenager “made the worst decision of his life” but did not intend to kill or harm the nine-year-old.
Following Aria’s fatal injury, the 16-year-old left home and headed towards Worle Railway Station. He said he left because he was “scared” and “panicked.”
The jury heard that Aria was expelled from school hours before her death for disruptive behavior and truancy, and her mother took her phone away as punishment.
He said he couldn’t call 999 without his phone.
Aria was found face down on the floor of her home shortly after 18:00 GMT by Ollie Sheppard, who was staying at the house temporarily.
Sheppard described the house as “quiet” and “very spooky” when he arrived. “At first I thought she was making a mess,” he told the court, before noticing Aria’s school shirt was covered in blood.
Emergency services stopped trying to resuscitate the nine-year-old at 6.58pm.
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