Boy, 14, is guilty of killing Ava
Murdered girl’s family roar ‘yes’ after verdict
RELATIVES of 12-year-old Ava White shouted “yes” and “thank you” after a boy was convicted of her murder.
Ava’s mum Leanne sobbed in the court’s public gallery.
The boy, 14, who is one of Britain’s youngest killers, wept as he was found guilty yesterday.
The jury deliberated for only two hours and eight minutes.
Dressed in a black Nike T-shirt, the boy put his head in his hands and slumped in a chair after the verdict was announced.
The defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was not in court. He watched proceedings via video link.
There is a mandatory life sentence for murder. The judge, Mrs Justice Amanda Yip, said she must now decide what is the minimum term the boy must serve for stabbing Ava to death.
Mrs Justice Yip added that whatever length of time she imposes will “seem far too short” to Ava’s family because the sentence will have to “reflect the age of the defendant”.
The boy is due to be sentenced on July 11. He stabbed Ava in the neck after a confrontation in
Liverpool city centre in November. Prosecutor Charlotte Newell said the boy and one of his friends filmed Ava “messing around” and that she then told them to delete the videos from their phones.
The defendant lashed out with a flick knife with a 3in-long blade.
Ava was rushed to hospital but died due to cardiac arrest.
Liverpool crown court heard that after the stabbing, the boy ran
away, disposed of the knife and dumped his coat, which was later found in a wheelie bin.
He was arrested within 90 minutes of the attack but claimed he had been playing video games at a friend’s house at the time of the murder.
He replied “no comment” numerous times to police, and told one officer: “Shut up, nonce.”
The defendant later admitted wielding the knife but claimed he had acted in self-defence.
He told the court he thought Ava, who was wearing a hooded jacket, was a boy and that he feared he would “get battered”. He said: “I didn’t mean to hit her.”
Det Supt Sue Coombs said after the verdict that Ava’s family have “suffered immeasurable grief ”.