Ava White: Boy, 14, to face court over murder of 12-year-old girl in Liverpool city centre

A teenage boy is due to appear in court on Monday (29 November) after he was charged with the murder of a 12-year-old girl in Liverpool city centre.

Ava White had been in the city with friends on Thursday (25 November) following a Christmas lights switch-on when she suffered “catastrophic injuries” in an assault at 8.39pm, said Merseyside Police.

The 14-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has been charged with murder and possession of a bladed article.

Police said Ava was involved in a “verbal argument” which escalated into an “assault on her with a knife”.

Ava was taken to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital after paramedics arrived but died a short time later.

Three other boys, aged between 13 and 15, were also arrested and have been conditionally bailed as inquiries continue.

The force said the offenders ran off up School Lane, across Hanover Street and into Fleet Street after the incident took place.

On Friday, flowers were laid on Church Street in tribute to the Notre Dame Catholic College pupil, as forensics officers and police searched the scene.

Headteacher Peter Duffy said: “She was an incredibly popular girl with a fantastic group of friends.”

Detective Superintendent Sue Coombs said: “We’re continuing to support Ava’s family and they have requested that their privacy continues to be respected at this difficult time.

“It’s also vitally important as we continue the investigation that nobody posts comments or names on social media which could potentially impact upon us getting justice for Ava’s family.

“Please trust us that we are doing all we can to investigate and update people on this tragic incident, and we do not want anything to jeopardise this.”

Ms Coombs urged anyone who captured the incident or aftermath to send images or footage to the force online.

A message from the editor:

Thank you for reading. NationalWorld is a new national news brand, produced by a team of journalists, editors, video producers and designers who live and work across the UK. Find out more about who’s who in the team, and our editorial values. We want to start a community among our readers, so please follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and keep the conversation going. You can also sign up to our email newsletters and get a curated selection of our best reads to your inbox every day.