Ava White: Boy claimed was on video game as girl stabbed

Ava White died after being stabbed outside a Primark store in Liverpool in November

A 14-year-old boy accused of murdering schoolgirl Ava White claimed he was playing a video game at the time of the stabbing, a court has heard.

The 12-year-old was stabbed to death in Liverpool on 25 November.

Police interviews carried out after the boy was arrested in the hours following the stabbing were played at the trial at Liverpool Crown Court.

The teenager has pleaded guilty to possessing an offensive weapon but denies murder and manslaughter.

In his first interview on 26 November, the defendant denied having been in the city centre that evening and said he was at a friend's house playing Call Of Duty on a PlayStation 4.

He told officers he did not want to give them information about his mobile phone because he did not want them to take it.

Police told him they would find out his phone number but he responded: "I'm not bothered."

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When officers asked him why he thought he was being interviewed he responded with an expletive.

Police told him they believed he was involved in Ava's murder and asked if they were wrong, to which he said: "You've asked me like 100 times."

When they asked again if they were wrong, he said: "Yeah, you are."

The defendant admitted being in the city centre in his second interview on 27 November after being shown CCTV, the court heard.

He claimed his friend had been "fronted" by a boy with a "big knife" after he filmed Ava and her friends "drunk on the floor".

He said: "They made him delete the video and then they were like 'do you want me to stab you up' and that."

He said the group also threatened they would "batter" him.

Floral tributes were left near the scene of Ava's stabbing

In a third interview, when he was shown footage of the moment Ava was stabbed, the defendant started to cry.

When questioning resumed after a short break, he told officers the name of another boy he claimed had stabbed her, jurors were told.

He said he knew the boy a "little bit" and told police: "He told me to wear all of his clothes and I burnt all of my clothes."

He said the boy had promised to give him money for swapping the clothes.

When officers questioned him about the story he said: "OK, you say it was me then, you say it was me."

The interview ended after the defendant got up, became agitated and tried to leave the room, the jury was told.

Balloons were released at the start of the vigil in memory of Ava in December

In a fourth interview, the court heard, the teenager told police he knew what was going to happen to him and said: "I'm going to go to care."

He answered "no comment" when asked about his movements on the day of Ava's death.

In a final interview on 28 November, police asked again about his account of the other boy and he admitted he had made it up.

He answered "no comment" when officers asked him what the truth was and why he had lied.

Mrs Justice Yip told the eight men and four women they had heard all the prosecution evidence.

The defendant, who appeared in court via videolink, would be given an opportunity to see his legal team before the case resumed on Thursday.

The trial continues.

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