Dad’s ridiculous excuse for killing schoolgirl daughter, 14

A British man has been found guilty of murdering his daughter, despite claiming it was a freak accident while “mucking about”.

A man has been found guilty of murdering his daughter, who he claimed died in a “freak accident” during a play fight involving a knife.

Scarlett Vickers, 14, bled to death after being stabbed in the heart at their home in Darlington, a small town 180 km northeast of Manchester in the UK, on July 5 last year.

She suffered a fatal 11cm stab wound, which her father, Simon Vickers, 50, said occurred while they were “mucking about” in the kitchen, according to The Guardian.

However, the jury rejected his explanation after a forensic pathologist informed Teesside Crown Court that it was “practically impossible” for the wound to have been inflicted in the manner claimed by the defendant.

‘Mucking about’

Vickers claimed that he didn’t know exactly how his daughter ended up being killed while alone with her parents at home on that tragic Friday night.

However, prosecutors argued that he was lying, stating he picked up a 20cm kitchen knife in a moment of frustration and stabbed Scarlett in the chest.

The jury heard that he had been smoking a cannabis joint and had consumed four glasses of wine before the incident occurred.

He was in the kitchen with Scarlett’s mother and partner of 27 years, Sarah Hall, who was preparing dinner.

Scarlett then came downstairs feeling bored, and they began what Vickers described as “mucking about” in some harmless fun.

What started as throwing grapes escalated into tickling and eventually involved nipping with kitchen tongs.

During the play fight, Vickers heard his daughter shout, “Ow, ow, ow,” and then, “all of a sudden, blood started coming out” of her pink pyjama top.

Police reported that she was stabbed around 10:45pm, and emergency services were called at 11pm.

While waiting for an ambulance, “Scarlett was lying there, staring, she wasn’t saying anything,” Vickers said.

“Then she started gasping for breath. That’s when I began shouting, ‘Scarlett, Scarlett, Scarlett, Scarlett, Scarlett.’ Then she stopped breathing, just stopped, nothing. Her eyes became lifeless, like dolls’ eyes, everything just stopped.”

Scarlett Vickers died after being stabbed in the chest by her father. Picture: Family handout

The 14-year-old was said to be a happy girl, who was looking forward to a family holiday in Spain. Picture: TikTok

‘I was throwing a pair of tongs as far as I was aware’

Vickers initially told police he must have accidentally thrown a knife at his daughter, thinking he was holding a pair of tongs instead.

“There was no knife in the equation. I was throwing a pair of tongs, as far as I was aware,” he said.

However, while giving evidence, he said that he might have accidentally swiped a knife along a workbench, causing it to somehow end up in her chest.

He denied intentionally harming his only child, and Hall supported his version of events, telling jurors that she believed the incident was an accident.

Forensic pathologist Jennifer Bolton concluded that, given the nature of the wound, the knife must have been held firmly during the stabbing, according to BBC.

She explained the knife would have needed to strike at a 90-degree angle, otherwise, it would have bounced off the body.

Simon Vickers denied intentionally harming his daughter. Picture: Durham Police

“The prosecution submit that Mr Vickers did not and could not have stabbed his daughter through the heart accidentally,” prosecutor Mark McKone KC told the court.

The Crown Prosecution Service stated after the verdict that Vickers’ account of Scarlett’s death was “wholly inconsistent” with the evidence.

No motive for the killing was put forward, but it was suggested that he may have become irritated after grapes fell on the floor, where their dog could eat them, and that alcohol could have exacerbated the situation.

He is set to be sentenced on February 10 and may face life imprisonment.

The final TikTok Scarlett made the day before her death. Picture: TikTok

Scarlett’s eerie final post

On the night she was murdered, Scarlett was in good spirits, looking forward to the summer holidays and a family trip to Spain, the court heard.

Her final TikTok video, which remains live on her account, shows her posing in her bedroom mirrors the day before her death.

She is wearing an all-black outfit next to an unmade bed while Lana Del Rey’s song ‘Born to Die’ plays in the background.

“Ignore the mess, please,” she captioned the clip.

In other videos, she appears to be a typical teenage girl, lip-synching to popular TikTok sounds while in her bedroom.