Mum of girl, 14, murdered by her dad ‘is standing by him’ and believes his claim it was a ‘playfight gone wrong’

THE mum of a 14-year-old schoolgirl murdered by her father who claimed he was "play-fighting" with her says she is standing by him.

Scarlett Vickers suffered catastrophic blood loss after a blade was plunged 11cm into her chest and pierced her heart.

On Monday, her dad Simon Vickers, 50, was found guilty of murdering his teen daughter at their home in Darlington, Co Durham, on July 5.

The monster, who had been drinking wine and smoking cannabis, claimed he and Scarlett were just "messing about" when he accidentally threw the blade at her.

He claimed Scarlett died in a "freak accident" during a play-fight in the kitchen, telling police: "I must be the unluckiest man in the world".

Now, it has been revealed that the victim's mum, 44-year-old Sarah Hall, has taken his stand despite Teesside Crown Court's verdict.

"Scarlett was their only child. They doted on her," Sarah's mum, Elaine Hall, .

"If Sarah thought he had done anything to her, she’d have been out of there.

"It’s definitely just been an accident because there’s no way he would have harmed her."

"She’s lost her daughter and now she hasn’t got Simon to lean on.

"We've talked to each other over the phone but at the moment, I think she's too upset to say anything."

After his arrest, Vickers told police: "That was it. We were horse-playing.

"I must be the unluckiest man in the world."

Chilling footage also showed him being booked into the custody suite moaning about an upcoming holiday.

He tells officers: "I just want to know how my daughter's doing. 

"We were mucking about, playing in the kitchen, and for some reason this has gone really weird. 

"Please someone tell me. What's going on? We are going on holiday to f***ing Gran Canaria in six weeks. F***ing hell. I don't believe this is happening.

"I don't understand how this has happened. Honestly."

Vickers claimed the playfight started when he and Scarlett began throwing grapes at each other while mum Sarah Hall made dinner.

He said he went to "try and get her" but his daughter tried to push him away so he grabbed the tongs and chucked them.

But prosecutor Mark McKone KC said Vickers must have stabbed his daughter "deliberately with the knife".

If Sarah thought he had done anything to her, she’d have been out of there.

Elaine Hall

Detective Superintendent Craig Rudd, who led the investigation for Durham Constabulary, said: “Scarlett Vickers would have celebrated her 16th birthday this year. She had her whole life ahead of her.

“Yet it was cruelly cut short by her own father – a man who was meant to protect her.

“We may never know why or what caused Simon Vickers to do what he did that night.

“Sadly, today’s verdict will not bring Scarlett back, but he will now face the consequences of his actions.

“I would like to thank my investigation team for their tireless efforts in getting justice for Scarlett and the community for their cooperation and understanding while we carried out our enquiries.

“Our thoughts remain with those who cared about Scarlett.”