Ava White: Girl told friends 'don't leave me' after stabbing

A 12-year-old girl said "don't leave me" to her friends as she was lying on the ground after being stabbed, a court has heard.

Ava White was stabbed to death in Liverpool on 25 November 2021.

Her 15-year-old friend told police she initially thought Ava had been punched in the neck and had run after the defendant before returning to her side.

A boy, 14, has pleaded guilty to possessing an offensive weapon but denies murder and manslaughter.

The jury heard more pre-recorded evidence about the night of the fatal stabbing.

Ava's friend said: "I remember her saying to us 'don't leave me'.

"That's the last words I heard out of her mouth."

She said the group of friends had been in the city centre when they noticed the defendant with three other boys filming Ava and asked them to delete the videos.

The witness said she had argued with the defendant and he had called them names.

Nick Johnson QC, defending, told Liverpool Crown Court the boy said that was not true.

The girl said the group of four boys had walked away but then the defendant shouted back to them "look at the state of yous" and Ava "flipped".

She said: "Obviously Ava was already angry and she wasn't going to sit there and let a boy speak to her like that."

The court heard police went to the home address of the defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, at 21:10 BST, just over half an hour after Ava was stabbed.

In a statement, PC Michael Eccleston said his mother answered the door and rang the youth but he refused to tell police where he was and hung up after speaking to another police officer.

He said the defendant was arrested after he was seen walking down a street at about 22:30.

The boy had attempted to get away from a police vehicle by sprinting past him but he blocked the boy's path with his body, he added.

Home Office pathologist Dr Jonathan Medcalf said Ava died as a result of the stab wound to her neck which caused catastrophic bleeding.

He said he believed a moderate degree of force was used.

He added: "I can't say it was severe but I can't say it was gentle. I don't think it was mild force, for example."

The court heard the blade of the knife measured 7.5cm (2.9in) from tip to hilt.

The trial continues.

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