Ava White was a 12-year-old girl who was murdered by a 14-year-old boy on 25 November 2021, in the English city of Liverpool.[1] She was stabbed after a row over a Snapchat video. The boy has not been named for legal reasons.[2]
BackgroundEdit
Ava was a student of Notre Dame Catholic College in Everton.[3]
MurderEdit
On 25 November 2021, Ava and her friends, aged between 11 and 15 were playing and sharing alcohol[4] near the Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool while waiting for the switching on of the Christmas lights.[5]
A teenage boy and his friends, aged between 13 and 15 started filming them with intent to share it on Snapchat.[6] Ava aggressively[7] asked them to stop and delete the recording. The unarmed girls ran towards and the teenage boy stabbed her in the neck with a knife, laughed and ran away.[8]
She was taken to Alder Hey Children's Hospital but died shortly after.[9]
Following a two-week trial at Liverpool Crown Court, the boy who had initially denied[10] murdering Ava by saying it was another boy, later claimed to have acted in self-defence.[11] The court was shown CCTV footage, police recorded interviews were presented and a 20-second clip showing the stabbing were played during the trial of the boy.[12] Her friends also testified.[13] Among the footage presented in court is of him and a friend throwing away his coat and knife as they ran from the scene of the murder.[14]
He was found guilty of murder and was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 13 years.[15]
Ava was murdered on International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.[10] She is believed to be the youngest victim of knife violence in the UK since Damilola Taylor in 2000.[10]
MemorialEdit
- On 2 December 2021, Everton F.C. and Liverpool F.C. fans joined in a round of applause as a banner with an anti-knives message was displayed during the game.[16]
- On 23 January 2022, a crowd bringing along balloons of the figure 13 or the letter A gathered outside Anfield stadium and sang songs in memory of Ava.[17]
See alsoEdit
ReferencesEdit
- ^ Smith-Spark, Laura (26 November 2021). "Police launch murder inquiry after 12-year-old girl is killed in Liverpool city center". CNN. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
- ^ "Ava White: Boy guilty of murdering girl, 12, in Snapchat row". BBC News. 24 May 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
- ^ Miller, Joshua Rhett (29 November 2021). "Boy charged with fatally stabbing 12-year-old girl at Christmas tree lighting". New York Post. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
- ^ "Ava White: Girl, 12, murdered after Snapchat row, jury told". BBC News. 9 May 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
- ^ Brown, Mark (24 May 2022). "Boy, 14, guilty of murder of Liverpool schoolgirl Ava White". the Guardian. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
- ^ "Trial date for teenager charged with murder of Ava White". ITV News. 1 December 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
- ^ "Ava White: Boy showed 'callous disregard after stabbing girl'". BBC News. 23 May 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
- ^ "Ava White: Boy, 14, guilty of murdering 12-year-old girl who was stabbed to death after Snapchat video row". Sky News. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
- ^ "Boy, 14, charged with murder of Ava White in Liverpool". the Guardian. 28 November 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
- ^ a b c Lyons, Izzy; Chandler-Wilde, Helen; Hall, Sam (24 May 2022). "Ava White: 14-year-old boy found guilty of murdering schoolgirl in Liverpool". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
- ^ Mehta, Amar (19 May 2022). "Ava White death: Boy, 14, accused of murdering 12-year-old girl tells court he just wanted to 'frighten her away'". Sky News. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
- ^ Barlow, Eleanor; Bancroft, Holly (24 May 2022). "Boy 'thought he'd get away with Ava White murder', court told". The Independent. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
- ^ "Ava White: Schoolgirl, 12, said she could 'batter' 14-year-old boy accused of fatally stabbing her, court hears". Sky News. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
- ^ Docking, Neil (24 May 2022). "Ava White murder trial jury sent out to consider verdicts". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
- ^ Robertson, Kirsten (24 May 2022). "Boy, 14, found guilty of murdering 12-year-old Ava White". Metro. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
- ^ "Ava White: Everton and Liverpool fans pay tribute to stabbed schoolgirl". BBC News. 2 December 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
- ^ Weston, Alan (23 January 2022). "Huge crowd gathers to pay tribute to Ava White on 13th birthday". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 24 May 2022.