The trial of a teenager accused of murdering nine-year-old Aria Thorpe has come to a close with a verdict of not guilty to both murder and manslaughter charges.
The boy had been accused of stabbing Aria in the chest at her home in Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset, on December 15 last year.
During the trial, the boy claimed that the knife had gone into Aria by accident while he was trying to mimic a fencing move.
He told the court that he had been waving the knife around, trying to scare Aria, and that he had leaned forward, acting like he was fencing, before the knife went into her chest.
The boy stated that he did not know what Aria was doing at the time and that the knife had gone into her by accident.
A pathologist confirmed that Aria died from a single stab wound, which went through her heart, and that she would have died "very swiftly" from the injury.
The court heard that Aria had been in good spirits earlier that day, having attended school and an after-school dance class, and that her mother had collected her from class at around 4:30 pm.
Aria's mother, Tori Hull, described her daughter as "bubbly and happy" that evening, and said that she had been looking forward to seeing her after work.
Tragically, Aria was found dead by a family friend, Ollie Sheppard, who had returned to the house after work at around 6 pm, and an ambulance was called, but she could not be saved.
The trial judge praised the jury for their careful attention to the evidence and their civic duty in returning the verdicts.
The boy was found not guilty and will be taken down to be processed.
After the trial, the judge thanked the jury for their service, saying that they had undertaken a difficult task with fortitude and calm reflection.
