Man Initially Thought Girl Was ‘Messing Around’ After Stabbing
A man who discovered a nine-year-old girl after she had been stabbed initially believed she was "messing around," a court has been told.
Ollie Sheppard, who was temporarily staying at Aria Thorpe's home in Weston-super-Mare when he found her on 15 December, told Bristol Crown Court he called 999 and attempted CPR after realizing she was face down and covered in blood.
A post-mortem examination revealed Aria had suffered a single stab wound to the chest and would have "died very swiftly from her injury," jurors were informed.
A 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is currently on trial at Bristol Crown Court charged with the murder and manslaughter of Aria, both of which he denies.
On Tuesday, Sheppard recounted to jurors that he entered Aria's home after finishing work at 18:03 GMT.
Describing the house, he said:
"It felt cold. Everything was silent.
One of the kitchen drawers was wide open. I went from the kitchen into the hallway.
I couldn't push open the door because the door to the cupboard under the stairs was open.
I managed to push my way through. As I pushed through the door, I just walked down the hallway, and I turned round by the stairs, and I saw Aria on the floor."
Responding to prosecutor Ray Tully KC’s question about his initial thoughts upon seeing Aria on the floor, Sheppard said:
"She was messing around.
I called her name, Aria, and pretty much I had put two and two together and I saw blood on her arm.
She was tucked in by the door, face down. There wasn't much blood visible because of the hard flooring, the carpet was dark.
I couldn't see any mark that stood out and as I said there was blood on her arm, and her school top was covered in blood."
Sheppard said he tried to contact Aria's mother, who did not answer because she was at work, and then called 999.
Neighbour Heard Shouting During Incident
Jurors also heard from neighbour Ashley Mansell, who said he heard a male shouting at the time of the incident.
"I heard shouting, three 'no, no, noes'. It was said in a tone of disbelief. It immediately made me think it was an unusual thing to hear," he said.
"It was more like a 'can't believe it' no," he told jurors.
"A short time after my attention was drawn to blue flashing lights," he added.
Defendant Arrested on Train After Incident
Detective Constable Charlie Cook told Bristol Crown Court the defendant was later arrested on a train as it was about to depart Worle Railway Station.
He added that phone records and CCTV footage showed the defendant walked to the station after the incident and spoke to "several young people" for 12 minutes in a shelter near the platform before boarding the train.
As he spoke to the group, the defendant "appeared to re-enact or show others what had happened," Cook told the court.
Trial Continues
The trial of the 16-year-old boy continues at Bristol Crown Court, where he denies the charges of murder and manslaughter related to Aria Thorpe's death.
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