Inside Scarlett Vickers' murder from fatal play fight to detail that jailed dad Simon

Simon Vickers described himself arsenic "the unluckiest antheral successful the world" aft his girl Scarlett died from a stab coiled to the bosom pursuing a play fight-gone-wrong.

During his trial, the 50-year-old denied the execution and manslaughter of his lone daughter, who was conscionable 14 years aged erstwhile she died successful her household room from an 11cm heavy stab coiled to her chest.

In Vickers' mentation of events, he, his spouse Sarah Hall, and Scarlett had been "horse-playing" astatine their location successful Geneva Road, Darlington, County Durham, connected the nighttime of July 5, erstwhile she was stabbed, fatally, successful the heart.

The defence argued that the schoolgirl's decease had been a tragic "freak accident", which occurred erstwhile Vickers - who, that evening, had drunk 4 glasses of vino and smoked fractional of a associated - accidentally threw a weapon that had been lying connected the room enactment surface.

But prosecutors told Teesside Crown Court that the 11cm wounded was excessively heavy to person been accidental, asserting that the weapon indispensable person been 'held firmly' astatine the time.

Now, Anna Barker, the elder crown authoritative with CPS North East, has taken purpose astatine the inconsistencies successful Vickers' mentation of events, telling the court: “The relationship provided by Simon Vickers astir however his daughter, Scarlett, sustained a fatal wounded is wholly inconsistent with the forensic grounds successful this case.

“As portion of our lawsuit against him, the Crown Prosecution Service instructed a aesculapian expert, whose investigation made it wide that the quality of the coiled sustained by Scarlett could lone person been caused if the weapon utilized had been firmly gripped arsenic she was injured."

According to Vickers, the calamity unfolded erstwhile Scarlett came downstairs from her chamber to chat astatine astir 10pm, complaining that she was bored. He and Ms Hall were cooking a repast of spaghetti bolognese and Ms Hall described the ambiance arsenic "fun", with the trio chatting astir an upcoming vacation to Gran Canaria.

Vickers said: "We turned our beverage disconnected truthful we could person a spot of craic and sound astir a bit. Scarlett mentioned she was inactive a spot hungry, and determination were immoderate grapes connected the meal bar. She started eating immoderate grapes. I'm not definite who started first... but we each started throwing grapes astir for a bit, conscionable mucking about."

He continued: "There were rather a fewer grapes connected the floor, and I said we needed to prime them up due to the fact that I wanted to bring the canine in… Scarlett threw a fewer more. That's erstwhile I started tickling her. Sarah started grabbing maine connected the backmost with a brace of tongs, connected the butt. I turned circular to drawback the tongs disconnected her, mucking about, and she caught my small digit successful them. I did shout, 'Ow', and Scarlett said, 'Dad, you're a wimp’, truthful I said to her, 'How would you similar it?'"

At this point, Ms Hall - who claims she "never" had immoderate concerns that her spouse of 27 years - told the tribunal she turned distant from Vickers and Scarlett to service their meal. She told jurors: "I was alert they were inactive mucking around."

Vickers clarified that Scarlett's 'wimp' remarks had been 'in jest', remarking that the teen had "called maine a batch worse than that”. He continued: “(Scarlett) was precise arrogant of her hair; she had bully agelong hair, and I started wafting it, but she started pushing maine erstwhile I was trying to get it. She was pushing maine successful the absorption of wherever the tongs were. I enactment my manus connected apical of the tongs and swiped them on the room worktop. They deed the country of this blistery plate, and that’s wherefore they flew off.”

According to Vickers, it was astatine this constituent that he'd intended to prime the tongs up and pursuit Scarlett with them; however, arsenic helium attempted to drawback them, they flew retired of his hand. Vickers, who claimed helium "had not touched a weapon each day”, told jurors that the lone utensil he'd touched were the tongs and that helium hadn't spotted the weapon connected the enactment surface.

Vickers said helium lone realised what had happened erstwhile Scarlett exclaimed: “Ow, ow, ow.” He told the court: “She had a pinkish fluffy pyjama apical on. All of a sudden, humor conscionable started coming retired of it. Loads of it.” Meanwhile, Hall said: "She was conscionable looking astatine me; I said, ‘What’s up?’ and past I saw humor coming retired of her side.”

After making a telephone to exigency services, Vickers said he'd tried to assistance Scarlett portion Hall remained connected the phone. Showing emotion, Vickers told jurors: “Scarlett was conscionable laying there, staring, she wasn’t saying anything. Then she started gasping for breath. That’s erstwhile I started shouting ‘Scarlett, Scarlett, Scarlett, Scarlett, Scarlett’. Then she stopped breathing, conscionable stopped, nothing. Her eyes conscionable went similar dolls’ eyes, everything conscionable stopped.”

When officers arrived, Scarlett was discovered collapsed connected the room floor. Vickers and Hall were past informed that the room of their semi-detached location was being treated arsenic a transgression scene.

Jurors saw footage of Vickers being taken into custody astatine Darlington constabulary presumption aft being arrested connected suspicion of attempted murder. He was aboriginal rearrested connected suspicion of execution aft Scarlett tragically succumbed to her fearfulness injury. Vickers was heard saying: "I conscionable privation to cognize however my daughter's doing. We were mucking about, playing successful the kitchen, and for immoderate reason, this has gone truly weird. We were mucking about. I can't judge this.

"Please idiosyncratic archer me. What's going on? We are going connected vacation to f****** Gran Canaria successful six weeks. F****** hell. I don't judge this is happening. We were cooking tea. Just mucking astir successful the kitchen. I don't recognize however this has happened. Honestly."

Vickers suggested that helium indispensable person swiped the weapon without realising he'd done truthful aft attempting to "swing" a brace of tongs. He besides told the assemblage of a "theory" that his girl whitethorn past person accidentally travel onto the weapon aft it "hit the broadside of the blistery sheet and stuck retired implicit the broadside of the counter."

However, this mentation did not clasp value with prosecutors, who claimed Vickers indispensable person stabbed Scarlett "deliberately with the knife" due to the fact that the coiled was "too deep" to person been accidental. During cross-examination, Mark McKone, KC, prosecuting, told Vickers: "I volition person to suggest to you that you person not told the information astir however Scarlett was wounded."

Vickers wept arsenic helium gave evidence, telling the assemblage that helium would ne'er person wounded his lone child, Scarlett. When asked by his barrister Nicholas Lumley, KC, if helium had intended to origin her superior injury, Vickers stated: "No, never, ne'er successful this world. I would person fixed her my life."

However, jurors heard from a Home Office pathologist who told them it would beryllium "practically impossible" for a thrown weapon to effect successful Scarlett's fatal thorax wound. Dr Jennifer Bolton gave her sentiment that the weapon had been “held tightly” astatine the time, truthful that erstwhile it came into interaction with Scarlett, it plunged into her chest. “That typically means a steadfast grip, and that limb is braced successful a definite way,” she argued.

When asked by Mr McKone KC whether she believed the weapon could person been thrown towards Scarlett, Dr Bolton replied: “Kitchen knives aren’t designed to beryllium thrown, they aren’t designed to spell done the air.

"So, it is practically intolerable for a room weapon to beryllium thrown for it to question successful specified a mode that it lands connected Scarlett’s covering and past her tegument astatine 90 degrees, truthful it doesn’t simply bounce disconnected oregon scratch across, and past spell 11cm successful and seemingly travel retired again.”

Mr McKone told the jury: "The weapon indispensable person been held firmly successful the defendant's manus astatine the clip of the stabbing, with the suspect having a steadfast wrist and a steadfast elbow. The weapon indispensable person been firmly successful the defendant's manus to origin that wound, which was 11cm deep. The coiled is excessively heavy to person been caused accidentally."

Detective Superintendent Craig Rudd, who led the probe for Durham Constabulary, contiguous gave the pursuing statement: “Scarlett Vickers would person celebrated her 16th day this year. She had her full beingness up of her. Yet it was cruelly chopped abbreviated by her ain begetter – a antheral who was meant to support her.

“We whitethorn ne'er cognize wherefore oregon what caused Simon Vickers to bash what helium did that night. Sadly, today’s verdict volition not bring Scarlett back, but helium volition present look the consequences of his actions. I would similar to convey my probe squad for their tireless efforts successful getting justness for Scarlett and the assemblage for their practice and knowing portion we carried retired our enquiries. Our thoughts stay with those who cared astir Scarlett.”

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