Latest news with #ScarlettVickers


Daily Mail
15-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Father who murdered his 14-year-old daughter by stabbing her in the heart 'in play fight' will not have 15-year sentence increased, judges rule
A father who murdered his teenage daughter by stabbing her in the heart during a play-fight will not have his sentence increased, judges have ruled. Simon Vickers was jailed for life with a minimum term of 15 years in February for the murder of his 14-year-old daughter, Scarlett Vickers, at their home in Darlington on July 5 last year. The Solicitor General sought to refer the 50-year-old's sentence to the Court of Appeal, with their lawyers arguing at a hearing on Thursday that it was 'unduly lenient'. They believed that the sentence should be increased as it 'failed to adequately reflect the overall seriousness of the offending'. Barristers for Vickers opposed the bid, arguing the sentence should remain the same. In a ruling, three senior judges ruled that Vickers' sentence was not 'unduly lenient' and should not be increased, stating it is 'properly to be described as merciful, but it is none the worse for that'. Lord Justice Stuart-Smith, sitting with Mr Justice Goose and Mrs Justice Eady, said: 'This was a justifiable and humane resolution of a very difficult sentencing exercise.' In written submissions, Louise Oakley, for the Solicitor General, said that Scarlett and her mother, Sarah Hall, had been 'messing around throwing grapes at each other' in the kitchen of their home on July 5, which Vickers wanted them to stop. Ms Hall then pinched Vickers with some cooking tongs and caught his finger, leading him to complain he had been hurt. Scarlett then said 'Dad, don't be a wimp', the court was told, before Ms Hall turned to resume cooking. Ms Oakley said: 'Exactly what then happened only the offender knows. 'What is clear is that the offender must have picked up a kitchen knife and deliberately stabbed his daughter in the chest. 'The offender continues to deny this is what happened.' Ms Hall continues to stand by her husband throughout the tragic case, and giving evidence in his support during his ten-day trial. She insists Vickers would 'never harm' their daughter. Ms Hall made a 999 call and told the operator they had been 'messing about' and that her partner had thrown something at their daughter, and he 'didn't realise'. Vickers told a paramedic that his daughter had lunged towards him during a bout of play-fighting, but then denied saying this at his trial at Teesside Crown Court. He gave different accounts of what happened in the seconds before he stabbed a knife 11cm into Scarlett's lung and heart, with a jury convicting him of murder by a majority of 10-2 in January. The sentencing judge, Mr Justice Cotter, said the version of events that Vickers told the jury - that he had accidentally swiped the knife across the work surface and into his daughter's chest without realising - was 'unconvincing and wholly implausible'. The judge accepted that the defendant was 'devastated', that he was a 'broken man', and that there was no premeditation or intention to kill. He said: 'You have lost your only child at your own hand, and you will always live with that awful fact.' Vickers had drunk wine and smoked cannabis that night, but the judge said he was not sure that alcohol had contributed to the offence, which was a 'momentary but devastating act of anger'. Mr Justice Cotter said: 'It stole one young, precious life, ruined your life, your wife's life and Scarlett's relatives and friends.' Ms Oakley said in written submissions that Mr Justice Cotter was faced with 'an extremely difficult sentencing task' involving 'an unprecedented burst of anger by an otherwise caring parent'. But she continued that the judge should have given Vickers a longer sentence because he used a knife against a child in their own home, and because of a previous conviction for wounding with intent from 1993. She said: 'It is submitted that the level of mitigation available to the offender in this case for his lack of premeditation and the absence of an intention to kill should not be given as much weight as some other cases, given he deliberately picked up and used a knife for no reason whatsoever. 'Scarlett posed no threat to the offender.' Nicholas Lumley KC, for Vickers, did not make oral submissions during the hearing, but Lord Justice Stuart-Smith said that he had submitted in writing that Mr Justice Cotter 'came to a conclusion that was reasonably open to him'. Giving judgment, Lord Justice Stuart-Smith said that Vickers, Ms Hall and Scarlett were 'a happy family who doted on each other' and that their lives were changed 'catastrophically' by the killing. But he continued that Vickers' actions 'were completely out of character for the man he had become', and that there was 'substantial mitigation available'. He added that the 'quasi-mathematical' approach of the Solicitor General to the sentence was 'inapposite'. Vickers, who attended the hearing via video link from HMP Gartree in Leicestershire, showed no reaction as the ruling was handed down.


The Independent
15-05-2025
- The Independent
Father who murdered daughter in play-fight will not have sentence increased
A father who murdered his teenage daughter by stabbing her in the heart during a play-fight will not have his sentence increased, judges have ruled. Simon Vickers was jailed for life with a minimum term of 15 years in February for the murder of his 14-year-old daughter, Scarlett Vickers, at their home in Darlington on July 5 last year. The Solicitor General sought to refer the 50-year-old's sentence to the Court of Appeal, with their lawyers arguing at a hearing on Thursday that it was 'unduly lenient' and should be increased as it 'failed to adequately reflect the overall seriousness of the offending'. Barristers for Vickers opposed the bid, arguing the sentence should remain the same. In a ruling, three senior judges ruled that Vickers' sentence was not 'unduly lenient' and should not be increased, stating it is 'properly to be described as merciful, but it is none the worse for that'. Lord Justice Stuart-Smith, sitting with Mr Justice Goose and Mrs Justice Eady, said: 'This was a justifiable and humane resolution of a very difficult sentencing exercise.' In written submissions, Louise Oakley, for the Solicitor General, said that Scarlett and her mother, Sarah Hall, had been 'messing around throwing grapes at each other' in the kitchen of their home on July 5, which Vickers wanted them to stop. Ms Hall then pinched Vickers with some cooking tongs and caught his finger, leading him to complain he had been hurt. Scarlett then said ' Dad, don't be a wimp', the court was told, before Ms Hall turned to resume cooking. Ms Oakley said: 'Exactly what then happened only the offender knows. 'What is clear is that the offender must have picked up a kitchen knife and deliberately stabbed his daughter in the chest. 'The offender continues to deny this is what happened.' Ms Hall made a 999 call and told the operator they had been 'messing about' and that her partner had thrown something at their daughter, and he 'didn't realise'. Vickers told a paramedic that his daughter had lunged towards him during a bout of play-fighting, but then denied saying this at his trial at Teesside Crown Court. He gave different accounts of what happened in the seconds before he stabbed a knife 11cm into Scarlett's lung and heart, with a jury convicting him of murder by a majority of 10-2 in January. The sentencing judge, Mr Justice Cotter, said the version of events that Vickers told the jury – that he had accidentally swiped the knife across the work surface and into his daughter's chest without realising – was 'unconvincing and wholly implausible'. The judge accepted that the defendant was 'devastated', that he was a 'broken man', and that there was no premeditation or intention to kill. He said: 'You have lost your only child at your own hand, and you will always live with that awful fact.' Vickers had drunk wine and smoked cannabis that night, but the judge said he was not sure that alcohol had contributed to the offence, which was a 'momentary but devastating act of anger'. Mr Justice Cotter said: 'It stole one young, precious life, ruined your life, your wife's life and Scarlett's relatives and friends.' Ms Oakley said in written submissions that Mr Justice Cotter was faced with 'an extremely difficult sentencing task' involving 'an unprecedented burst of anger by an otherwise caring parent'. But she continued that the judge should have given Vickers a longer sentence because he used a knife against a child in their own home, and because of a previous conviction for wounding with intent from 1993. She said: 'It is submitted that the level of mitigation available to the offender in this case for his lack of premeditation and the absence of an intention to kill should not be given as much weight as some other cases, given he deliberately picked up and used a knife for no reason whatsoever. 'Scarlett posed no threat to the offender.' Nicholas Lumley KC, for Vickers, did not make oral submissions during the hearing, but Lord Justice Stuart-Smith said that he had submitted in writing that Mr Justice Cotter 'came to a conclusion that was reasonably open to him'. Giving judgment, Lord Justice Stuart-Smith said that Vickers, Ms Hall and Scarlett were 'a happy family who doted on each other' and that their lives were changed 'catastrophically' by the killing. But he continued that Vickers' actions 'were completely out of character for the man he had become', and that there was 'substantial mitigation available'. He added that the 'quasi-mathematical' approach of the Solicitor General to the sentence was 'inapposite'. Vickers, who attended the hearing via video link from HMP Gartree in Leicestershire, showed no reaction as the ruling was handed down.


The Guardian
15-05-2025
- The Guardian
Man who murdered daughter in play-fight avoids longer jail term
A father who murdered his 14-year-old daughter by stabbing her in the heart while 'mucking around' in a play-fight will not have his sentence increased, judges have ruled. Simon Vickers was jailed for life with a minimum term of 15 years in February after being found guilty of the murder of his daughter, Scarlett, in what the trial judge called a 'momentary but devastating act of anger'. Vickers, 50, had given different accounts of what happened in the seconds before he stabbed a kitchen knife 11cm into Scarlett's lung and heart at their home in Darlington on 5 July last year. The solicitor general, one of the government's top law officers, referred his sentence to the court of appeal on the grounds that it was 'unduly lenient'. However, three judges ruled on Thursday that the 15-year term should not be increased, stating it was 'properly to be described as merciful, but it is none the worse for that'. Lord Justice Stuart-Smith, sitting with Mr Justice Goose and Mrs Justice Eady, said: 'This was a justifiable and humane resolution of a very difficult sentencing exercise.' Giving evidence at his trial at Teesside crown court, Vickers denied intentionally or knowingly inflicting the wound that killed his daughter. The only other person in the house that night was Sarah Hall, Scarlett's mother and Vickers' partner of 27 years. She gave evidence for the defence, saying Vickers would never harm their only child. A forensic pathologist told a trial that Scarlett's fatal injury, a stab to the heart, could only have been caused by a knife that was held and used with force. Sentencing Vickers at Teesside, the judge, Mr Justice Cotter, said he was sure the defendant had lied throughout and had killed Scarlett in a moment of anger. 'Scarlett was just 14, a normal, healthy girl with a long life ahead of her when it was cut short by you,' he said. 'It went from an ordinary, happy family Friday night to tragedy within seconds due to what must have been your loss of temper.' The prosecution did not offer a motive for the murder. Mark McKone KC, prosecuting, said Vickers was lying to the jury and that he may have been 'irritated' by his daughter's behaviour that night. The court heard Vickers had smoked a cannabis joint and drunk at least four glasses of red wine at the family home on 5 July. After watching football on TV, he was in the kitchen with Scarlett and Hall when they started 'mucking about'. The horseplay began with throwing grapes, and became tickling and then nipping with kitchen tongs. Vickers initially told police he must have accidentally thrown the knife at her, thinking he had something else in his hand. Giving evidence, he said that was not what had happened and that it may have been a freak accident, with him accidentally swiping the knife along a work surface and it somehow going into her chest. After he was arrested, Vickers told police: 'I must be the unluckiest man alive.'


BBC News
15-05-2025
- BBC News
Simon Vickers' murder sentence not unduly lenient
The prison sentence of a man who was convicted of murdering his 14-year-old daughter in what he claimed was a play fight was "justified and humane", judges have Vickers, 50, fatally stabbed his daughter Scarlett in the chest with a kitchen knife at their home in Darlington in July had alleged it was a "freak accident" while the pair were "mucking about", but jurors at Teesside Crown Court found him guilty of murder and he was jailed for life with a minimum term of 15 of Appeal judges have now ruled the sentence was not unduly lenient following a review. Lord Justice Stuart-Smith said the trial judge's sentence was "properly to be described as merciful, but it is none the worse for that". Vickers' trial heard Scarlett suffered a 4in (11cm) deep wound to her heart when she was stabbed in the kitchen of her family home on Geneva Road on the evening of 5 her father and mother claimed the injury was inflicted accidentally but a pathologist said it was "practically impossible" for it to have been caused by anything other than a knife being held firmly in a hand. The case was referred under the unduly lenient sentence (ULS) scheme by an unknown person to the Solicitor General, who passed it on the Court of Appeal to a written submission on behalf of the Solicitor General at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, Louise Oakley said the case had been an "extremely difficult task" for the sentencing judge Mr Justice Oakley said it was a case where a child died as a result of an "unprecedented burst of anger by an otherwise caring parent".But the "highly experienced" judge gave too much weight to mitigating factors and not enough to aggravating features, she said, which "failed to adequately reflect the overall seriousness" of the crime. In particular, Ms Oakley said the judge had not adequately counted the use of a knife in the killing as an aggravating factor which, if it had been, would have seen an increase on the 15-year age and the fact she was killed in a "domestic context", which represented a "violation of the trust" children should have in their patents, should also have elevated the sentence, Ms Oakley also said the judge "erred" in "completely disregarding" Vickers' previous convictions, in particular for intentionally wounding a man, whose face he slashed with a Stanley knife in October 1993, for which the then 19-year-old received two years' detention in a Young Offender Oakley also said the judge gave too much credit for the lack of premeditation and "absence of an intention to kill" by Vickers, adding: "[Vickers] deliberately picked up and used a knife for no reason whatsoever."Scarlett posed no threat to the offender."She also said Vickers had not accepted responsibility for what he did. In response, Nicholas Lumley KC, who represented Vickers at trial, said Mr Justice Cotter had presided over a "very highly charged trial" and was "uniquely placed" to judge the culpability, remorse and punishment already inflicted on said the judge had "weighed all matters appropriately" and his conclusion had been "reasonable".The appeal court judges Lord Justice Stuart-Smith, Mr Justice Goose and Mrs Justice Eady said everyone accepted it was an "exceptional and unique" Justice Stuart-Smith said Scarlett and her parents had been a "happy family who doted on each other" whose lives "changed catastrophically" on 5 said Scarlett's mother Sarah Hall and their wider family still "resolutely supported" he added, the appeal court could not let the family's vehement defences of Vickers affect them and the findings of the jury had to be Justice Stuart-Smith said the trial judge had reached a "justified and humane conclusion" in a "very difficult" case, adding: "It is properly to be described as merciful, but it is none the worse for that."Ms Hall previously told the BBC she still believed her daughter's death was a tragic accident. Follow BBC Tees on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram. Send your story ideas here.


The Independent
15-05-2025
- The Independent
Father who murdered daughter in ‘play fight' could have sentence increased
A father who murdered his 14-year-old daughter during a 'play-fight' could have his sentence increased on Thursday after his case was referred for possibly being 'too lenient'. Simon Vickers fatally stabbed his daughter Scarlett in the heart whilst the two of them and her mother were play-fighting in the kitchen. He was jailed for life with a minimum term of 15 years in February after being found guilty of her murder with sentencing judge Mr Justice Cotter claiming the killing happened in a 'momentary but devastating act of anger'. During his trial at Teesside Crown Court, Vickers, 50, had given different accounts of what happened in the seconds before he stabbed a kitchen knife 11cm into Scarlett's lung and heart at their home in Darlington on July 5 last year. The Solicitor General has referred his sentence to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme, with the case set to be heard by three senior judges in London on Thursday. Vickers' trial heard how Scarlett's mother, Sarah Hall, was making spaghetti bolognese on the evening of July 5 2024, and she and her daughter threw grapes at each other for fun. Ms Hall grabbed some tongs and snipped at her partner of 27 years, and when he complained he had been hurt, Scarlett implied her father was being 'wimpy'. Ms Hall told jurors that during the play-fighting, she turned away to serve the family's evening meal and then heard Scarlett say 'ow'. She said she immediately saw that their only child was pouring with blood, with Scarlett bleeding to death at the scene. Ms Hall made a 999 call and told the operator they had been 'messing about' and that her partner had thrown something at their daughter, and he 'didn't realise'. Vickers told a paramedic that his daughter had lunged towards him during a bout of play-fighting, the court heard, but a jury convicted him of murder by a majority of 10-2 in January. Sentencing him, Mr Justice Cotter said the version of events that the defendant told the jury – that he had accidentally swiped the knife across the work surface and into his daughter's chest without realising – was 'unconvincing and wholly implausible'. Vickers had drunk wine and smoked cannabis that night, but the judge was not sure that alcohol had contributed to the offence, which he was convinced was caused by 'a flash of anger'. Mr Justice Cotter said: 'It stole one young, precious life, ruined your life, your wife's life and Scarlett's relatives and friends.' He continued: 'You have never accepted exactly what happened, although you have accepted it was your actions that caused her death. 'Your beloved daughter deserved that you told the truth. You have not done so.' The hearing before Lord Justice Stuart-Smith, Mr Justice Goose and Mrs Justice Eady is set to begin at 10.30am on Thursday at the Royal Courts of Justice.