BREAKING: Boy found not guilty of murder or manslaughter of 9yr old Aria Thorpe
- Dan Heley
- 6 hours ago
- 2 min read
A 16-year-old boy has been cleared of all charges after a jury found him not guilty of both the murder and manslaughter of nine-year-old Aria Thorpe.
The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons because of his age, stood trial at Bristol Crown Court over the past ten days.
He had been accused of killing Aria at a property in Weston-super-Mare on 15 December 2025.
Throughout the trial, he denied both the murder and manslaughter charges relating to Aria’s death.
Avon & Somerset Police have issued the following statement;
“Aria Thorpe was a fun-loving girl, adored by her parents and wider family. She clearly brought a huge amount of joy to many people's lives.
"Aria's grieving family have shown exceptional courage over the past six months, particularly during this trial, and our thoughts are with them.
"During the trial the jury listened to a lot of evidence around a teenager's involvement in Aria's death.
"The court was told the boy fatally wounded Aria with a kitchen knife while they were play-fighting. The boy said it was an accident and he never sought to harm Aria.
"The jury have found the boy not guilty of both murder and manslaughter after carefully reviewing all the facts presented in court.
"Aria's family have repeatedly asked for their privacy to be respected, and we are grateful to those who have shown them compassion and understanding around that. We would please ask that continues following the conclusion of these proceedings.
"We'd also like to remind people that legal restrictions are in place preventing the boy from being named publicly because he is under 18.
Nothing should be published that would allow him to be identified."
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