The teenager who stabbed Ava White to death was today found guilty of murder prompting emotional scenes at court.
Ava was knifed in the neck by a 14-year-old boy in Liverpool city centre. Her killer, aka Boy A, from South Liverpool, cannot be named for legal reasons.
He stabbed the Year 8 Notre Dame Catholic College pupil with a flick knife after an argument about him filming her on Snapchat. Prosecutors alleged the teen laughed and ran away.
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They said he ditched his knife, designer coat and mobile phone in a "cover up", then took selfies, got butter for crumpets and played Call of Duty. Boy A gave a false alibi to police and blamed another boy for killing Ava, before changing his story and claiming he acted in self-defence.
The teen said he "didn't mean to" stab the schoolgirl and was "trying to get her away from me". He said he thought she was a boy, who might be armed, and feared she would "batter" him.
A jury found him guilty of murder after two hours and eight minutes of deliberation and a 12-day trial at Liverpool Crown Court. Some members of Ava's family roared and cheered, with shouts of "yes" and "get in", when the verdict was returned. Others burst into tears and some apologised for the reaction.
Boy A, appearing via video link from a secure unit, bowed his head, then started crying and left the room. After a short break, High Court judge Mrs Justice Amanda Yip said he would be sentenced on July 11.
She ordered a pre-sentence report remanded Boy A until that date, adding: "In light of the jury's verdict I think you know I can only impose a life sentence. But what I have to do is decide what the shortest amount of time that you will have to serve in custody is."
The trial heard Ava and a group of friends, aged 11 to 15, had shared small bottles of vodka and were "messing around" near the Royal Court Theatre in Roe Street, on November 25 last year. Footage showed them "dancing and singing", before being told to move on by security staff, at around 8.15pm.
They headed to Williamson Square and Richmond Street, where Ava and another girl were shown lying on the ground. Boy A walked by with three friends, Boys B to D, aged 13 to 15, who were said to laugh and film Ava on Snapchat
Boy A shared one video on Snapchat. Prosecutors said "angry" Ava demanded they delete any videos and tried to grab Boy C's phone.
The jury heard two masked boys who knew Ava's group came over - Boys F and G - and told Boy C, 16, to delete a video. Boy A said they held a "big knife" to Boy C's stomach and threatened "delete the f***ing video now or I'm gonna stab you".
After Boy C deleted his video, Boys F and G walked away. An autistic man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said he later saw Boys F and G run past with a "Rambo knife".
Boy A's group and Ava's group walked up Tarleton Street as they continued to argue. Prosecutors said Boy A's group "jeered" at Ava when she lay down in Church Street, before Ava and friends ran after them, up Church Alley.
Charlotte Newell, QC, prosecuting, said Ava pushed Boy A in School Lane, at around 8.35pm. CCTV showed him moving backwards before he pulled out his knife and plunged it 5cm into her neck, damaging her jugular vein and causing "catastrophic bleeding".
Ms Newell said his reaction had not been to turn and run, or slap or punch Ava. She said: "Instead it was to thrust a knife into the neck of this unarmed child."
Boy A and Boy B ran to the edge of town, where he ditched his knife near some derelict properties and then left his coat in his nan's garden. They met Boy C and went back to his flat, stopping to buy crumpets at a shop, where Boy A took a selfie.
Police went to Boy A's home and got his mum to ring him, but he hung up. He sent her a photo of the video game Call of Duty, which he said he'd been playing, then moaned in a text: "Gonna end up going the cells for nothing."
He was arrested in Toxteth at 10.31pm and lied to police when interviewed that he had been at the flat from 5pm to 10pm, until confronted with CCTV footage that proved otherwise. He then claimed another boy stabbed Ava, before confessing he made that up.
Boy A told police in March where to find the knife - with a 7.5cm long blade - and admitted possessing an offensive weapon. He told jurors he carried it "because I thought I was big".
Boy A claimed Ava had said "shall we just jump him now cos I feel like it" and he was "scared" when she and friends ran at him. Asked why he got his knife out, he replied: "Because I was frightened and I was trying to like get away - I promise I didn't mean to hit her."
Ms Newell told the jury Boy A had shown a "callous disregard" for Ava - "taking selfies, eating crumpets and playing Call of Duty, knowing he had stabbed her" and "repeatedly tried to hide the truth". She said: "Boy A tells a lie until it's proved wrong, then he moves onto another one."
The QC said Boy A and his group were "not scared of little Ava". She said: "He uses it (the knife) on an unarmed 12-year-old girl who is shouting at him."
Ms Newell added: "He uses his knife, when he doesn't need to, on a little girl".
Nick Johnson, QC, defending, argued Ava was the "aggressor" and it was not the case the prosecution had "sold" the jury. He said Ava - taller and heavier than Boy A - had "pursued" him with her friends, while his friends - "intimidated" by the earlier incident - were "too scared" to step in.
He said Boy A was "outnumbered and unable to defend himself against numbers and a possible weapon" and the fatal blow was "a swipe, not a thrust", as he tried to warn Ava off. Mr Johnson said his client was a "scared kid", who lied to the police, but was "telling the truth now".
