Grandad of girl, 14, knifed to death by dad speaks out for 1st time – & reveals why mum is STILL standing by killer

THE FAMILY of a dada who claimed helium stabbed his girl to decease successful a play-fight vowed to basal by him yesterday arsenic helium was jailed for life.

Simon Vickers, 50, plunged a weapon 4in into 14-year-old Scarlett's bosom aft "mucking around" successful the household room past June.

Experts dismissed his defence and insisted it was "practically impossible" for it to person been an mishap owed to the extent of the wound.

He indispensable person been holding the weapon with a "firm grip" to pierce her pyjamas and chest, they said.

But his household said they were agreed down him yesterday arsenic a justice sentenced him to a minimum word of 15 years for her murder.

Vickers's dad, Barrie, 78, told The Sun: "He would ne'er successful a cardinal years person wounded her deliberately.

"Scarlett was his life. Simon would person killed himself earlier helium laid 1 digit connected that girl.

"And I'd beryllium the archetypal 1 not to talk to him again had I thought for 1 2nd helium did it.

"We cognize Simon wouldn't person killed her. We cognize the truth. It was an accident."

He said Vickers' spouse Sarah Hall - Scarlett's mum - was "absolutely broken" aft helium was recovered blameworthy by a jury.

He added: "Sarah's mislaid her girl and present she's mislaid her spouse - but she's lasting by him."

Prosecutors offered nary motive for the sidesplitting astatine Teesside crown court.

Nicholas Lumley, KC, defending Vickers, said: "Each of those near down by Scarlett person been serving beingness sentences of their ain from which nary of them volition ever beryllium free.

"Both of Scarlett’s parents could not judge that their lone kid had died that night.

"And Sarah Hall remains resolute successful her content that the begetter of their lone kid did not mean Scarlett immoderate harm and his parents are of the aforesaid view."

But sentencing Vickers, Mr Justice Cotter told him: "You've fixed antithetic accounts of what has happened, specifically that she was stabbed by accident, that you'd been throwing knives, that you'd thrown a spatula oregon tongs, that Scarlett lunged towards the knife.

"Indeed, the unconvincing and wholly implausible mentation of events you gave to the assemblage progressive you swiping tongs on the room aboveground earlier them flying up into the air, and that you'd not adjacent been alert of a weapon earlier oregon aft Scarlett suffered injury.

"Indeed, you said the weapon wasn't successful immoderate equation but erstwhile Sarah had been cutting onions.

"Given the grounds of the pathologist, this was intelligibly untrue. She came by that fatal wounded done your hand."

He said mill idiosyncratic Vickers had chopped abbreviated Scarlett's beingness successful a "flash of anger" astatine the household location successful Darlington, Co Durham.

The justice added: "Exactly what happened, lone you know.

"Although you person accepted it was your actions that caused her death, your beloved girl deserved the information but you person not fixed it."