Chilling final moments of teen murdered by dad Simon Vickers in 'play fight'
Chilling final moments of teen murdered by dad Simon Vickers in 'play fight'
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Schoolgirl Scarlett Vickers was just 14 years old when she died in her family kitchen during an evening of horseplay with her family. Father Simon Vickers, 50, denied both murder and manslaughter after Scarlett was stabbed through the heart in their family home in Geneva Road, Darlington, County Durham, in what the defence argued was a tragic "freak accident". He has today been convicted of her murder.
"Devastated" parents Vickers and Sarah Hall told Teesside Crown Court that they'd been cooking a meal of spaghetti bolognese on the evening of July 5 last year when Scarlett sustained a fatal knife wound to her heart. Prosecutors argued that the 11cm injury was too deep to have been caused accidentally, asserting that the knife must have been 'held firmly' at the time.
However, Vickers claimed he had accidentally thrown a knife without realising it while "mucking around" with his family in the kitchen. He said he only understood something had gone horribly wrong after blood started pouring from Scarlett's "pink fluffy pyjama top.
Grieving mum Sarah stuck by her partner of 27 years throughout the trial and has stated that she would not still be with him had she believed he'd deliberately hurt their only daughter. Remembering the night of Scarlett's death, Sarah recalled how Scarlett had come downstairs from her bedroom to talk to them at approximately 10 pm.
The conversation was a "fun" one, according to Sarah, with the family excitedly discussing their plans to go on holiday. Sarah says she and Scarlett tried to throw grapes into each others' mouths, with Vickers joining in. She then started to snip at Vickers playfully with some tongs, with Scarlett telling her father, "Don't be so wimpy" when he complained about it hurting.
