A mum whose daughter was stabbed in the heart by her own father in what he claimed was a 'play fight' has stood by him. Scarlett Vickers was just 14 when she was murdered by her dad Simon. He was found guilty by a jury who heard the knife was plunged deep into her chest "too deep" for it not to have been deliberate. Today, as he was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 15 years, his defence team reminded the judge that Scarlett's mum Sarah Hall was standing by him.
Nicholas Lumley KC, defending, told Teesside Crown Court: “Each of those left behind by Scarlett have been left serving life sentences of their own from which none of them will ever be free. Sarah Hall (Scarlett’s mother) remains resolute in her belief that the father of her only child did not intend Scarlett any harm and his parents are of the same view. None can believe that he will now be known as Scarlett’s murderer.”.
During the trial the court heard Scarlett was at home in her kitchen when a knife was plunged 11cm into her chest. Her dad Simon Vickers said: "We were horse-playing. I must be the unluckiest man in the world." The 50-year-old said he had drunk four glasses of wine and smoked half of a joint during the evening. He told the court he accepted causing Scarlett's fatal chest wound but had no knowledge of touching the green-handled knife.
Jurors watched footage of Vickers being booked into custody at Darlington police station after being arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. He was later rearrested on suspicion of murder after Scarlett succumbed to her fatal injury. He was heard saying: "I just want to know how my daughter's doing. We were mucking about, playing in the kitchen, and for some reason this has gone really weird. We were mucking about. I can't believe this.
"Please someone tell me. What's going on? We are going on holiday to f*****g Gran Canaria in six weeks. F*****g hell. I don't believe this is happening. We were cooking tea. Just mucking about in the kitchen. I don't understand how this has happened. Honestly.". Mark McKone, KC, prosecuting, told the dad during cross-examination: "I will have to suggest to you that you have not told the truth about how Scarlett was wounded.".
He later put to Vickers: "Isn't the reality that this explanation of a swiping movement towards a pair of tongs, causing a knife to go into Scarlett's chest by 11cm, is just a lie by you?" Vickers replied: "No, it is not. It certainly is not. The police assume that I have held a knife and stabbed my daughter which is something that just wouldn't happen. Why would I harm my daughter? If someone held a gun to my head and told me to stab my daughter, I would be shot.".
Her mother Sarah Hall, who had been cooking spaghetti in the kitchen with them that night, was emotional in the witness box at times as she gave evidence in support of her partner of 27 years. Nicholas Lumley KC, defending Vickers, asked her: “Did you have any concerns about his care?” Ms Hall replied: “No, never.” Mr Lumley asked: “If you had thought he had murdered your daughter, would you still be with him?” She replied: “Definitely not, she was my number one, she was my best friend, my girl.” Ms Hall also said she would not still be with Vickers if she believed he had deliberately harmed their only daughter.
Jurors were told by a Home Office pathologist that it would be "practically impossible" for a thrown knife to cause Scarlett's fatal chest wound. Dr Bolton said it was her opinion that the knife was being “held tightly” at the time, so that when it came into contact with Scarlett, it went into her. “That typically means a firm grip and that arm is braced in a certain way,” she said. Detective Superintendent Craig Rudd led the investigation for Durham Constabulary. He said today: “We may never know precisely what happened in that kitchen, but we can be certain here 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.”.
