Teenage boy found not guilty of killing nine-year-old Aria Thorpe

A teenager has been found not guilty of the murder and manslaughter of nine-year-old Aria Thorpe.

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

The 16-year-old boy, who cannot be identified due to his age, denied charges of murder and manslaughter in relation to Aria's death.

Giving evidence at Bristol Crown Court, the boy said he stabbed her accidently when he picked up a knife from the kitchen of Aria's home and went into the lounge where she was sitting on the sofa.

The boy later told the jury that he had taken the knife into show it to Aria to "scare" her.

He demonstrated moving the knife in a ninja-style way before jabbing it towards Aria as if he was fencing.

He said the knife accidentally went into Aria, causing the fatal injury.

Police and paramedics attended, but Aria was pronounced dead at 6.58pm.

After the verdict was read out on Thursday, several members of the public gallery - including Aria's mother Tori Hull - left the court room quietly.

The court had earlier been warned by judge Mrs Justice O'Farrell not to show any emotion when the verdicts were delivered.

"Members of the jury, I want to express my thanks to you for the work that you have done in this case - your careful attention to all of the evidence and the speeches as part of your civic duty," Justice O'Farrell said.

"I appreciate that this has been a distressing case.

"I am grateful to you for undertaking this difficult task with fortitude and calm reflection."

After the jury left the courtroom, Justice O'Farrell told the teenager: "You have been found not guilty and you will now be taken down to be processed."

Following the verdict, Avon and Somerset Police Detective Inspector Neil Meade said: "Aria Thorpe was a fun-loving girl, adored by her parents and wider family. She clearly brought a huge amount of joy to many people's lives.

"Aria's grieving family have shown exceptional courage over the past six months, particularly during this trial, and our thoughts are with them."

'I felt horrible'

During the trial, the boy described how he had picked up the 21cm blade and walked into the lounge.

He told the jury: "Aria stood up and I was waving around the knife.

"Then at some point I decided that I was going to try to make her flinch and scare her, to get a reaction.

"I leaned forward, acted like I was fencing."

The defendant said Aria had been in front of him at the time.

"She had almost taken a step forward but without taking a step forward because before she could, it happened," he said.

"I don't know what she was doing.

"The knife went into her. Then I pulled it out. I didn't know what to do. She put her hand to her chest."

The boy said Aria then fell to the floor.

The teenager then walked to Worle railway station, where he told a group of children that he had killed Aria accidentally.

He borrowed a phone belonging to another boy and searched "what happens if you kill…".

Another girl then called the police, prompting the boy to run onto a train, before he was arrested by officers.

When asked how he was feeling about what happened at that time, the boy replied: "I felt horrible".

Aria attended school and a dance class on the day of her death, before she and her mother made pizzas at home.

Ms Hull then left for an evening shift.

A family friend found Aria on the floor at about 6pm and rang police.

(c) Sky News 2026: Teenage boy found not guilty of killing nine-year-old Aria Thorpe