Mum of girl, 14, knifed to death by dad in ‘playfight’ launches campaign to quash his sentence
13 March 2025, 12:00
The mother of 14-year-old girl who was knifed to death by her dad in what he described as a ‘playfight’ has launched a campaign to free him from jail.
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Simon Vickers, 50, was found guilty of murdering his daughter Scarlett at the family home in Darlington in July last year.
Now, Vickers' partner of 27 years, Sarah Hall, has launched a campaign to free him and quash his murder sentence following the death of her daughter.
"How can I blame him for an accident when I know he's in as much pain as I am?" Ms Vickers said, standing by her husband.
Police and paramedics were called to the address in County Durham where Scarlett was found with a stab wound through the heart, inflicted by an 11cm kitchen knife.
Appearing at Teesside Crown Court in January, Mr Vickers was subsequently found guilty by a jury and sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 15 years for her murder.
However, in March, it was announced that his sentence would be reviewed by the Court of Appeal after claims it was unduly lenient.
The mum's appeal centres around what she says are flaws in the pathologist's evidence.
Speaking with the BBC, she revealed her husband would "never harm" Scarlett, adding that the trio were so close they called themselves the 'Three S's'.
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"All we want is to be able to grieve for our daughter together. How can I blame him for an accident when I know he's in as much pain as I am?" Ms Hall said.
However, given the ongoing appeal against his 'lenient sentence', there remains a possibility that his sentence may instead be increased.
"We want to remember Scarlett and grieve together, and go to the places we went with her and remember her," she added.
"I don’t think we’ve ever come out of shock, it’s just been a never-ending nightmare."
During the case, the prosecution told how Mr Vickers had previously slashed a man in the face when he was younger.
Teesside Crown Court also heard that Vickers and Ms Hall had been drinking on the night of the incident, with Mr Vickers also having smoked cannabis.
At 10pm, the family began cooking spaghetti bolognese, moments before the incident took place.
Mr Vickers is said to have spun around, catching a knife which plunged into Scarlett's chest, according to the defence.
"There was no blood at first”, said Ms Hall.
“But then she started bleeding a lot from her side. I just thought "that’s not right, there’s something seriously wrong.”
She grabbed a tea towel to help stem the bleeding before Mr Vickers called an ambulance, with paramedics unable to save their daughter.
The prosecution, however, claimed Mr Vickers plunged the knife into her chest in a fit of anger.
Following his conviction, a spokesperson for the Attorney General's Office said: "I can confirm the Solicitor General has referred Simon Vickers' sentence to the Court of Appeal as she agrees that it appears unduly lenient.
"It is now for the court to decide whether to increase the sentence."
