Leigh Boobyer,West of Englandand

Andy Howard,Bristol Crown Court

The man who found a nine-year-old girl after she had been stabbed said he first thought she was "messing around", a court has heard.

Aria Thorpe died of a single stab wound to her chest in her home on 15 December last year in Weston-super-Mare.

The man, who was staying at the house at the time, told Bristol Crown Court on Tuesday, he then realised Aria was face down and covered in blood. He called 999 and attempted to give her CPR but she died at the scene.

A 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, denies the murder and manslaughter of Aria.

Tully added the defendant told young people after that Aria was injured when he "accidentally stabbed her with a really big knife".

The man, who has not been named, told the court he entered Aria's home after finishing work at 18:03 GMT.

He said: "I couldn't quite open the kitchen door, the cupboard under the stairs and school bags were blocking it.

"I thought the kids had been messy."

He said he then pushed through the door, and shouted "hello is anyone home".

"As I turned, I saw Aria on the floor," he said, adding she was "tucked in by the door, face down."

He thought she was "messing around".

He said: "I called her name, I put two and two together, I saw blood on her arm, and her school top was covered in blood."

He added: "When I first rolled her over, her school t-shirt was covered in blood."

He rang Aria's mother, who did not answer.

He then phoned 999, and despite performing CPR followed by the paramedics arriving she died at the scene.

Det Con Charlie Cook, the officer in the case, told the court the defendant was arrested on a train as it was about to depart Worle Railway Station.

He added phone records and CCTV showed the defendant walked to the station after the incident, and spoke to "several young people" for 12 minutes in a shelter near the platform before boarding the train.

The court also heard a neighbour, who has not been named, said he heard "shouting" at the time of the incident.

He said: "I heard someone shouting 'no no no' in like a way [of] 'I can't believe it'.

"A short time after my attention was drawn to blue flashing lights."