The mother of murdered schoolgirl Ava White said her daughter’s teenage killer should spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Ava was just 12 when she was stabbed to death at a Christmas lights switch-on.
She was knifed in the neck by a boy, then aged 14, who was later convicted of murder and given a life sentence with a minimum of 13 years.
It means he could be freed before he reaches the age of 30.
Speaking on what would have been Ava’s 14th birthday this week, Leeann White, 39, said: “Life should mean life.
“He was old enough to know what he was doing. He was old enough to know he shouldn’t be walking round with a knife. He was old enough to know he shouldn’t have pulled it out and stabbed Ava in the neck.
“He took her life so he should spend his life in jail. We’ve got the life sentence. We’re living the life sentence, Ava’s living the life sentence.”
Leeann told ITV News the pain of her daughter’s death never goes away.
She said: “I struggle going out. I don’t really go out anymore.
“I don’t really like being around people. I don’t like anyone really coming to my house so I’m always on my own or with Mia (Ava’s sister).
“I can’t cook Scouse because that was one of her favourites. Even going shopping, it’s just hard.”
Ava died after being attacked in Liverpool city centre in November 2021.
She had got into a row with her killer over a Snapchat video he had filmed of her and her friends.
After stabbing her he fled the scene, dumped the knife and went to buy crumpets from a shop.
Leeann said: “How he acted so normal, it’s unbelievable. He went to a shop, stood in front of a camera and combed his hair trying to make himself an alibi. This is a 14-year-old kid we’re talking about and it’s scary.”
Mia, 19, said: “I remember asking if they were sure it was him. I remember actually saying ‘are you sure you’ve got the right person?’ because I couldn’t comprehend that a child could do that.”
In July last year the boy, then aged 15, who cannot be named, was convicted of Ava’s murder.
Her family have since set up the Ava White Foundation to help fight knife crime.
They have also raised funds for bleed prevention packs to be placed at venues in the city.
Mia told ITV: “We’re in a knife pandemic. If I’m stopping another child from putting that [knife] in his pocket or their pocket and going out and using that, well our mission is done as a foundation.”
Leeann added: “It’s shocking how these crimes are happening on a daily basis. We want to hopefully reduce knife crime and violent crimes.
“We want to go round and teach the kids, educate them that this is not OK. This is not a world that we should be living in. We shouldn’t be doing this to each other.”
