Father jailed for murdering his daughter in a ‘play fight’

A father who murdered his daughter in what he had claimed to be a ‘play fight’ at their home has been jailed for life with a minimum of 15 years at Teesside Crown Court today.

Simon Vickers, 50, of Geneva Road, Darlington, fatally wounded his daughter Scarlett Vickers in the kitchen of their home in July of last year.

Vickers had claimed that the pair had been play-fighting and jokingly throwing items at each other while cooking, before he mistakenly ‘swiped’ a kitchen knife which then hit Scarlett.

After his partner called for an ambulance, paramedics attended the address and found Scarlett on the floor of the kitchen with a severe stab wound to the chest. Despite their efforts, Scarlett tragically died from her injuries a short time later.

Christopher Atkinson, Head of the Complex Casework Unit for CPS North East, said: “It is difficult to understand what motivated Simon Vickers to take the life of his daughter, Scarlett. In the absence of any plausible explanation on his part, we may never fully understand the circumstances which led to her tragic death.

“What is abundantly clear is that the account provided by Simon Vickers was wholly inconsistent with the forensic evidence in this case. Crucially, the medical expert we instructed to examine Scarlett’s injuries made it clear that they could only have been caused had the knife been firmly gripped as it made contact.

“The Crown Prosecution Service has worked closely with Durham police to build a robust case against Simon Vickers, securing his conviction, which saw him sentenced for her murder today.

“We appreciate that the nature of this case will have been incredibly emotive for Scarlett’s family, and our thoughts are with them at what must remain a very difficult time.”