Mother Recalls Last Hours with Daughter Before Tragic Stabbing

Victoria Hull shares the emotional final hours spent with her daughter, Aria Thorpe, before the tragic incident that took her life.

The mother of a nine-year-old girl who tragically lost her life has shared the heartbreaking details of their final moments together. Victoria Hull, known as Tori, recounted the last hours she spent with her daughter, Aria Thorpe, before the devastating incident that occurred on December 15 last year.

Aria was fatally stabbed in her chest at her home in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset. A 16-year-old boy, whose identity is protected due to his age, is facing charges of murder and manslaughter in connection with Aria’s death.

The trial is currently underway at Bristol Crown Court.

The Final Hours

In a statement read to the jury, Ms. Hull described how she picked up Aria from an after-school dance class at 4:30 pm. Aria was in high spirits, sharing that she had a wonderful day.

The pair stopped by Aldi to pick up mini-pizzas and toppings before heading home at 4:45 pm. They spent the evening making and enjoying their pizzas together.

Ms. Hull recalled how Aria was bubbly and happyclearly excited about her dance class. The young girl even asked for the last Oreo cookie, to which her mother happily agreed. As Ms. Hull prepared to leave for her evening shift at Pontins, Aria sweetly said, “See you after work, Mummy,” to which her mother replied, “See you after work, love you.”

The Aftermath

Ms. Hull’s evening shift was abruptly interrupted when she became aware that people were trying to contact her. She left work and arrived at a friend’s house at 7:18 pm, where she was met by the police. It was at this moment that she learned about the unimaginable tragedy that had befallen her daughter. The details of what followed were a blur as she was taken to her parents’ house by female police officers.

The court heard that after the stabbing, the defendant went to Worle railway station, where he allegedly confessed to a group of children what he had done. A 14-year-old girl, who cannot be identified due to her age, called 999 and directed the police to the platform where the boy was waiting to board a train. She told the emergency call handler that the boy had said he had “stabbed” Aria and that she was “dead on the living room floor.”

Witness Accounts

In a police interview, the 14-year-old girl described the boy as “anxious” and “shaking” as he talked to them. She recounted how she immediately called the police and told them what had happened. As soon as the boy saw the police, he ran over a bridge and jumped onto a train. The police stopped the train and arrested him.

Another witness, a 13-year-old boy, stated that the defendant had told him he stabbed Aria “on accident.” The boy appeared anxious and mentioned that he thought the police were looking for him. A 12-year-old boy told police that the defendant had said, “I’ve done something really bad, I’m going to go to jail for a long time.”

Police Intervention

PC Timothy Stride attended Worle railway station and spotted the defendant running onto a train. The officer shouted to the staff to stop the train from leaving and arrested the boy on suspicion of attempted murder. PC Stride noted that he could feel the defendant shaking and advised him to take some deep breaths.

In a police interview, the boy gave a prepared statement describing how he had stabbed Aria “in the chest.” He told officers that he didn’t use a lot of force but that it was a big knife. He admitted that he didn’t know why he did it, stating that it “just happened.” The trial before Mrs. Justice O’Farrell continues.