Simon Vickers has today been sentenced to life for the murder of his teen daughter Scarlett Vickers, with the presiding judge telling him, “You have never given a truthful explanation of what happened.”. Scarlett, 14, died after a knife was stabbed deep into her heart in her family kitchen in Darlington, County Durham last summer. The father of one, who will serve a minimum of 15 years for his crime, attempted to paint a tragic picture of a fun family night of banter that descended into horror through no fault of his.
Vickers, 50, claimed that he'd accidentally thrown the blade during a playfight and also came up with the theory that Scarlett could have come into contact with the knife as it hung off the kitchen counter. However, such suggestions didn't hold weight with the expert pathologist, who argued that the weapon had been plunged too deeply inside the teenager's chest for her death to have been an accident.
Sentencing Vickers today, Mr Justice Cotter said: “Scarlett was just 14, a normal, healthy girl with a long life ahead of her when it was cut short by you. She died in the kitchen of her own home within minutes of having been stabbed. “It went from an ordinary, happy family Friday night to tragedy within seconds due to what must have been your loss of temper. There is no other plausible explanation. You have never given a truthful explanation of what happened.”.
However, Vickers, who maintained his innocence throughout his trial, did give an account of Scarlett's final evening, including the moment he realised she was mortally injured. In his account, which is supported by his partner of 27 years, Sarah, Vickers claimed: “(Scarlett) was very proud of her hair; she had nice long hair, and I started wafting it, but she started pushing me when I was trying to get it. She was pushing me in the direction of where the tongs were. I put my hand on top of the tongs and swiped them along the kitchen worktop. They hit the corner of this hot plate, and that’s why they flew off.”.
According to Vickers, he'd then tried to pick up the tongs and chase Scarlett with them, but as it was then that they flew from his grasp. Vickers stated that he only realised Scarlett had been seriously injured after she exclaimed: “Ow, ow, ow.” He added: “She had a pink fluffy pyjama top on. All of a sudden, blood just started coming out of it. Loads of it.”. After contacting emergency services, Vickers claimed he'd attempted to save Scarlett while Sarah remained on the phone. Showing emotion, he told jurors: “Scarlett was just laying there, staring, she wasn’t saying anything. Then she started gasping for breath. That’s when I started shouting ‘Scarlett, Scarlett, Scarlett, Scarlett, Scarlett’. Then she stopped breathing, just stopped, nothing. Her eyes just went like dolls’ eyes, everything just stopped.”.
Speaking outside court today, Detective Superintendent Craig Rudd said: “We may never know precisely what happened in that kitchen, but we can be certain there is no justification for what Simon Vickers did. Had he not picked up that knife Scarlett would still be alive today. This has been an incredibly heartbreaking case for everyone involved and our thoughts remain with those who cared about Scarlett.”.
Meanwhile, while sentencing Vickers, Mr Justice Cotter accepted the father-of-one was “devastated” and was now a “broken man”. He told Vickers: “You have lost your only child at your own hand, and you will always live with that awful fact.”. Taking into account that this was a momentary act, with no premeditation and no intention to kill, the judge said: “Simon Vickers, only you know precisely what happened in that kitchen on that Friday evening which led to you fatally stabbing your only daughter at what should have been the safety of her own home.”.
