Dad who claimed teen daughter’s death was ‘freak accident’ jailed for at least 15 years
Monday 10 February 2025 10:57, UK
A father has been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 15 years
for murdering his 14-year-old daughter.
Simon Vickers was found guilty last month of killing his daughter
[https://news.sky.com/story/father-guilty-of-murdering-his-daughter-14-after-he-stabbed-her-in-kitchen-of-their-home-in-darlington-13297711]
Scarlett Vickers after stabbing her in the heart at their home in Darlington,
County Durham, in July 2024.
The 50-year-old, who denied charges of manslaughter and murder, gave different
accounts of what happened in the seconds before he plunged a kitchen knife 11cm
into her chest.
Scarlett’s mother, Sarah Hall, was the only other person in the room, and stood
by her partner, previously telling Teesside Crown Court that Vickers would never
have harmed her.
The jury, by a majority of 10-2, convicted him of murder after 13 hours of
deliberations, rather than the less serious alternative of manslaughter, or to
clear him.
Ms Hall and other family members in the public gallery looked stunned when the
verdict was delivered.
Vickers himself did not react in the dock.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
This is a modal window.
Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.
End of dialog window.
This is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or
activating the close button.
This is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or
activating the close button.
During the trial, he insisted his daughter’s death had been a “freak accident”.
He claimed he had swiped what he thought were tongs along a work surface, into
her chest, and never realised it was a knife.
Be the first to get Breaking News
Install the Sky News app for free
Prosecutor Mark McKone KC had told jurors that Scarlett’s death was not an
accident.
Home Office pathologist Dr Jennifer Bolton explained to the jury that how the
knife went into Scarlett’s chest meant it must have been held in a hand, with
force.
Follow our channel and never miss an update.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published
shortly.
Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News
app [https://qrcode.skynews.com/skynews/appdownload]. You can also follow us on
WhatsApp [https://www.whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va868Fv8vd1UsF99tP1u] and
subscribe to our YouTube channel [https://www.youtube.com/skynews] to keep up
with the latest news.