What happened to Ava White? Murder of 12 year old girl in Liverpool explained, who is killer, and sentence

A teenage boy has been sentenced to life for the murder of 12-year-old Liverpool schoolgirl Ava White.

The 15-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, stabbed Ava in Liverpool city centre in November 2021 following an argument over a Snapchat video.

More than 20 of Ava’s friends and family had gathered at Liverpool Crown Crown for the sentencing hearing, with emotional statements read out by members of her close family.

What happened to Ava White?

On 25 November 2021, Ava had been on School Lane at around 8:30pm.

It is believed that the two became embroiled in an argument over a Snapchat video.

The defendant, who was 14-years-old at the time, and three friends had been filming 12-year-old Ava and her friends before the argument had broken out.

Ava was then stabbed in the neck by the boy, with her friends saying that he “grinned” after doing so, however the defendant claimed that the act was in self defence.

The teenager then ran away from the scene on School Lane, and discarded of the knife and his coat, which was later found in a nearby wheelie bin.

CCTV from after the inicdent showed the then-14-year-old and his friend in a shop, before heading to a friend’s home.

Police contacted the defendant’s mother in an attempt to speak to him, however he told his mother he was busy playing computer games.

The defendant was eventually arrested just after 10:30pm, and initally told police that he was not in Liverpool city centre.

However, he eventually admitted to being in the location but blamed another boy for the stabbing.

He appeared in court in May 2022, where he was convicted of her murder following a two-week trial.

How long will Ava White’s killer spend in prison?

During the sentencing hearing, the teenager was handed a life senence by Mrs Justice Kip.

He will serve a minimum of 13 years in prision for the murder of Ava White.

Upon handing down the sentence, Mrs Justice Kip said: “There is only one reason why Ava is dead and that is because you chose to carry a knife and you chose to get it out and use it.

“You enjoyed carrying a knife. You were showing it off to your friends earlier that evening.

“It was a nasty weapon and you should not have had it.”

The 15-year-old had been facing other charges of assault on two women but the case had not been to trial before Ava’s murder, while it was suspected last year that the young boy was being exploited by known criminals.

Nick Johnson QC, defending, said that his client had been carrying the knife after being a victim of crime in the past, adding that he had also grown up in a household where his father had been violent towards his mother.

The court was also told that the teenager suffers from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and attended a special school. He also had been subject to a community resolution notice after hitting a police community service officer last July.

Mr Johnson: “One of the things that shines out is the suggestion that as part of his background he had been desensitised to violence, and that is not as a perpetrator of violence.”

However, Mrs Justice Kip pointed out the teenager’s “lack of signs of remorse” in the aftermath of the incident had “understandably caused Ava’s family further distress.”

What did Ava White’s family say?

In attendance at Liverpool Crown Court ofr the sentencing hearing was more than 20 members of Ava’s friends and family.

Ava’s mother, Leanne White, spoke emotionally about the loss of her daughter ahead of the 15-year-old sentencing.

The grieving mother said: “The moment Ava died is now yesterday, tomorrow and forever.

“It is the past, the present and the future.

“It is not just one horrific moment in time that happened last whenever. It is not just the moment, the hour or second.

“Our lives became permanently divided into before and after.

“You may say Ava died last year, or 10 years ago, or even 15 years ago or longer. No she didn’t.

“My beloved Ava dies all over again every morning I wake up. My Ava dies again every moment she is not with us for the rest of our lives.”

Ava’s sister Mia, 18, spoke of her heartbreak over her sister’s murder and also opened up about her anxiety around large groups of youths over fears that they may be carring knives.

She said: “I am a shadow of my former big, loving sister to Ava.”

Mia has been campaigning against knife crime after her sister’s death, adding: “Hopefully if I can change at least one child’s mind about using a knife I will have accomplished something special.”

The court also heard that Ava’s grandfather Robert, 72, had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, while a statement from Ava’s father, Robert Martin, was read out in court.

He said: “Ava was the reason I got out of bed, my reason for living.

“When Ava was taken away it destroyed everything I stood for and worked towards.”