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Teen accused of girl's murder expelled from school hours before her death, court hears
TL;DR
A teenage boy accused of murdering nine-year-old Aria Thorpe was expelled from school just hours before her death. He is currently on trial for murder and manslaughter, both of which he denies.
Key points
- Teenage boy accused of murdering nine-year-old Aria Thorpe
- Aria died from a stab wound to her chest
- Boy expelled from school hours before Aria's death
- He is on trial for murder and manslaughter
- Defendant's mother received call about expulsion on the day of death
Mentioned in this story
Aria Thorpe16-year-old boyWeston-super-MareBristol Crown Court
A teenage boy accused of fatally stabbing a nine-year-old girl had been expelled from school hours before her death, a court has heard.
Aria Thorpe died of a single stab wound to her chest in her home in Weston-super-Mare on 15 December last year.
A 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named due to his age, is on trial at Bristol Crown Court charged with murder and manslaughter over her death, both of which he denies.
The court heard he would often get into trouble for being disruptive, but teachers felt he was "trying hard" a week before the decision was made to exclude him.
The defendant's mother said in a statement that on the day of Aria's death, she received a call from the school saying "they'd come to the decision that [the defendant] would no longer be attending".
"They would contact another school to put something in place," she said.
"I felt angry, the week before I was told he was trying hard," jurors heard.
The teenager's mother said she had confiscated his phone in response and told him: "I'm so disappointed with you."
But she added she had not seen a significant change in his behaviour as a result and he seemed calm.
The defendant's grandfather said he would "back chat" his mother but he was not aware of anything physical.
"We were exploring him [the defendant] joining the Navy," he said in a statement.
"He's not academic, he did silly impulsive things at school without thinking," he continued.
"I tried to get him into rugby, but he thought it was too aggressive," the defendant's grandfather added.
Aria was found face down on the floor of her home by Ollie Sheppard, who was temporarily lodging there, just after 18:00 GMT.
Emergency services stopped trying to resuscitate her at 18:58.
Her mother, Victoria Hull, said she had collected her daughter from an after-school dance class at about 16:30 and the last time she had seen her alive Aria had been eating mini-pizzas in front of the TV in the living room.
"Aria seemed bubbly and happy because she had a good dance class," Hull said.
The girl's mother then headed out to work at Pontins, where she was doing evening shifts to earn extra money for Christmas.
"[Aria] said something like 'see you after work mummy'. I replied 'see you after work, love you'," Hull continued.
She said she left work early when she realised people were trying to contact her and arrived home at about 19:20 to discover police at her house.
The defendant was arrested on board a train at Worle Railway Station moments before it departed.
Q&A
What happened to Aria Thorpe?
Aria Thorpe was fatally stabbed in her home in Weston-super-Mare on December 15 last year.
Why was the teenage boy expelled from school?
The boy was expelled due to disruptive behavior, although teachers noted he was trying hard in the week leading up to his expulsion.
What charges is the 16-year-old boy facing?
He is charged with murder and manslaughter in connection with Aria Thorpe's death.
What did the defendant's mother say about the expulsion?
She stated that she received a call from the school on the day of Aria's death informing her of the decision to expel her son.
