Top Stories

Mum of schoolgirl, 14, murdered by dad in ‘playfight’ is ‘standing by him’ | UK | News

The mother of a teenager who was fatally stabbed by her father in what he claimed was a “play fight” accident is reportedly standing by her partner after a jury found him guilty of murder.

Scarlett Vickers, 14, died after her father Simon, 40, stabbed her in the heart at their home in Darlington, County Durham, last July.

The 50-year-old denied both murder and manslaughter charges, claiming that he had been “mucking about” with his daughter in the kitchen before the stabbing that caused the teen’s tragic death.

However, prosecutors said the 11cm stab wound was too deep to have been made by accident, arguing that Mr Vickers had picked up a knife while “irritated” and drove it into the 14-year-old’s chest.

He was found guilty of her murder by a jury at Teesside Crown Court this week and faces potential life imprisonment at a sentencing on February 10.

Sarah Hall, Scarlett’s mother, who was the only other person in the room during the stabbing, has refused to accept the verdict, her own mother, Elaine, 65, has claimed.

Ms Hall told MailOnline: “If Sarah thought he had done anything to [Scarlett], she’d have been out of there.

“It’s definitely just been an accident because there’s no way he would have harmed her.”

Scarlett’s mother told the court that her partner of 27 years loved their only child and would never have deliberately caused her harm. She also said she did not see the moment when the fatal stabbing occurred.

Police were called to the family home in Durham on July 5, 2024. When Mr Vickers was taken into custody, he told officers that he and his daughter had been “mucking about”.

The 50-year-old, who had been drinking wine and smoking cannabis on the day of the stabbing, said: “We were mucking about, playing in the kitchen and for some reason, it’s gone really weird (…) I can’t believe this.

“We are going to Gran Canaria in six weeks. We were cooking tea, mucking about in the kitchen, I don’t understand how this happened, honestly.” 

During the inquiries, police examined the family’s phones and reportedly found no evidence of ill treatment. Jurors were also told that Scarlett’s school had no concerns about her home life and there had been no involvement from social services.

Anna Barker, senior crown prosecutor with CPS North East, said: “The account provided by Simon Vickers about how his daughter, Scarlett, sustained a fatal injury is wholly inconsistent with the forensic evidence in this case.

“As part of our case against him, the Crown Prosecution Service instructed a medical expert, whose analysis made it clear that the nature of the wound sustained by Scarlett could only have been caused if the knife used had been firmly gripped as she was injured.

“We have worked closely with Durham Police to meticulously piece together the tragic events which led to Scarlett’s death. Our thoughts remain with her family, for who this must remain a difficult time.”

Scarlett’s grandmother said the family will try to appeal the conviction. 


Source link