Teenage boy charged with murdering nine-year-old girl

Teenage boy charged with murdering nine-year-old girl

Samuel Montgomery

Wed, December 17, 2025 at 12:21 PM UTC

3 min read

Aria Thorpe died of a single stab wound, Avon and Somerset Police said

A teenage boy has been charged with the murder of a nine-year-old girl in her home in Weston-super-Mare.

Aria Thorpe, who celebrated her birthday two weeks ago, died as a result of a single stab wound on Monday, Avon and Somerset Police said.

The 15-year-old boy, who as a child defendant cannot be publicly identified, appeared at Bristol magistrates’ court on Wednesday.

During a brief hearing, he spoke only to confirm his name, address and date of birth. He was remanded into youth detention accommodation ahead of a hearing at Bristol Crown Court on Friday.

Police were alerted by paramedics, who arrived at the property at around 6.10pm. The girl was pronounced dead at the scene in Lime Close, in the Mead Vale area of the Somerset town.

A teenage boy was then arrested on suspicion of murder outside Worle railway station at 6.19pm. Avon and Somerset Police confirmed that the boy had been charged with Aria’s murder.

A post-mortem examination has been carried out, and found that Aria died of a single stab wound.

Flowers and toys left as tributes to Aria Thorpe — Aria Thorpe’s death has caused a ‘profound sense of loss felt throughout the community’, police said - SWNS

Neighbours said Aria had celebrated her ninth birthday with a K-pop themed party. A family friend said she loved dressing up, having her hair styled and wearing make-up.

Tamara Taylor, a neighbour, said: “Aria was a lovely little girl, sassy for her age, she loved dressing up and doing what little girls do. She and my daughter were best friends. They were always playing together and would be in each other’s houses every night.

“I’m dreading telling her when she comes home from school later. How do you tell an eight-year-old girl that her best friend has been murdered?”

The two schoolgirls, who had set up a small car-cleaning business to help pay for their make-up and clothes, were looking forward to Christmas and had been planning their present list together in the days before the stabbing.

Aria, a pupil at Beckett Primary School, lived in a three-bedroom property with her mother Victoria Hull, who works in a local salon. In a message on Facebook, the salon wrote: “Tor has had some devastating news and is mourning the loss of her daughter. The salon will be closed until further notice. We are all heartbroken and ask you to be respectful at this time.”

Supt Jen Appleford said: “Our investigation has continued at pace since Monday evening, and we can confirm that a 15-year-old boy, who lives in Weston-super-Mare, has overnight been charged with murder. He is due to appear in court later today.

“This remains an incredibly difficult time for Aria’s family, who we continue to support and update around our investigation. It is impossible to adequately describe how traumatic the past 36 hours have been for them, and we’d like to reiterate in the strongest possible terms their request for privacy.

“The tragic loss of such a young girl has caused a huge amount of shock and upset, with there being a profound sense of loss felt throughout the community.”

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