Teenager cleared of murdering nine-year-old girl

Teenager cleared of murdering nine-year-old girlPublished25 June 2026, 14:52 BSTUpdated 2 minutes agoA teenage boy has been found not guilty of killing a nine-year-old girl in her home.The 16-year-old, who cannot be named due to his age, was on trial accused of murder and manslaughter following the death of Aria Thorpe. A jury returned verdicts of not guilty for both charges at Bristol Crown Court earlier.A pathologist previously told the court Aria died of a single stab wound to her chest at her home in Weston-super-Mare on 15 December 2025.After her death, the nine-year-old's family paid tribute to her "lively and bubbly" personality.The accused had told jurors he and Aria had been playfighting when he accidentally stabbed her.He told the court he was holding the knife and "waving" it around."I was going to try and make her flinch, so I leaned forward like I was fencing," he said.After Aria suffered the fatal injury, the 16-year-old left the house and headed for Worle Railway Station. He said he left because he got "scared" and "panicked".This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on X, external to get the latest alerts.Related topicsWeston-super-MareBristol