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Liverpool Echo

National

Neil Docking

Texts Ava White boy sent to his mum as schoolgirl was dying

Boy A Ava White Charlotte Newell

Ava White's alleged killer texted his mum saying he was "gonna end up going the cells for nothing".

Ava, 12, was stabbed in the neck during an altercation with a teenage boy in Liverpool city centre. Boy A, 14, from South Liverpool, who cannot be named for legal reasons, denies murder and manslaughter.

Prosecutors say he stabbed Ava after she pushed him during an argument over him filming a video of her, which he posted on Snapchat. They allege Boy A smirked, laughed and ran away, leaving her to die, then began a "cover up" by discarding his flick knife, designer coat and mobile phone.

A jury has heard Boy A accepts responsibility for fatally injuring Ava on November 25 last year, but argues he acted in self-defence. The second day of a trial at Liverpool Crown Court saw the playing of CCTV footage of the stabbing in School Lane, near The Bluecoat, off Church Alley, at around 8.35pm.

The jury was later shown various clips of Boy A and one of his friends, Boy B, 14, running away from the scene and heading out of the city centre. Boy A ditched the knife near some derelict houses and put his designer coat in a blue bag in a wheelie bin.

The court heard the knife wasn't recovered by police until March 16, after Boy A told officers where to find it. DNA evidence matching Ava was identified on the blade.

Boy A's two other friends, Boy C, 16, and Boy D, 13, headed to the same area on the edge of the city centre, where they split up. Boy D was later arrested at a bus stop on Great George Street.

Footage was played of the three other boys going into a Go Local Shop on Parliament Street at around 9pm. Boy A was shown using his phone in the store.

Charlotte Newell, QC, prosecuting, said around 15 minutes later, a series of texts were exchanged between Boy A and his mum. Police had gone to her home and she had called her son, but he hung up.

Here are the messages read out in court today. They have been redacted for legal reasons and to censor expletives.

9.17pm

Boy A: "Why"

Boy A: "The f***"

Boy A: "Do they want me"

Mum: "Someone has been stabbed in town and I've been named that u was there x"

Boy A: "What"

Boy A: "So that means I will have to go the cells"

Boy A: "WTF"

Boy A: "Cos they will have to interview"

9.18pm

Mum: "If you don't come home you will get the blame"

Boy A: "Me and everything"

Boy A: "What so I go the cells"

Mum: "No not really x just come home x"

Boy A: "Ye I will go the cells"

Boy A: "F***en el"

Church Alley was closed off after the stabbing (Liverpool ECHO)

9. 19pm

Boy A: "Not going the cells for stn I haven't done"

9.20pm

Mum: "So you need to get here speak to them tell me were you are and they will get you to bring you home cos if you proof you wasn't in town then"

Boy A then sent his mum a photo. Ms Newell said it showed a large TV in a domestic address.

9.22pm

Boy A: "Playing the game me show them they can speak to me here I will show them proof here"

Mum: "Can they come to Boy C's flat to speak to you x"

9.25pm

Boy A: "No"

Boy A: "Mum"

Boy A: "Watch if you send them here"

Boy A: "Half 10 I will be home okay"

Boy A: "No actually"

Boy A: "I'm not there, I'm going to go missing"

Boy A: "Gonna end"

Boy A: "Up going the cells for nothing"

9.33pm

Mum: "You won't be getting locked up if you wasn't there then you need your mates to be here so you need to speak to [name redacted] and [name redacted] and Boy D's mum for them to be your aliby that I want in town tonight and I've been in Boy C's all night have you got any pics or screenshots at around 8 o'clock that you were in Boy C's"