'broken'
THE mum of a tragic schoolgirl knifed to death as she enjoyed a Christmas lights switch-on with friends said her daughter "dies all over again every morning".
Leanne White wept as she told of the death of Ava, 12, who was murdered by a 14-year-old boy in Liverpool late last year.
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The evil teen killer, who cannot be named for legal reasons, later boasted to cops: "I'll get away with it."
Sickeningly, the remorseless boy blasted "shut up you nonce" to an officer as he was questioned - before shrugging: "I'm not bothered."
Speaking in court as the defendant was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 13 years today, Mrs White said: "It's the past, the present and the future.
"It's not one horrific moment. Our lives became permanently divided into before and after.
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"My beloved Ava dies all over again every morning I wake up. My Ava dies again every moment she's not with us for the rest of my life.
"She was my life, the life and soul of the party. She was a happy, healthy child adored by her family.
"The light of my life was dimmed forever."
The defendant, appearing via videolink, covered his face with his hand as Ms White and her older daughter Mia, 18, tearfully addressed the court.
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He had claimed he stabbed Ava "accidentally" in self-defence as he tried to frighten her away.
A row broke out at the event on November 25 last year after a group of boys recorded Snapchat videos of Ava and her friends.
Ava and the defendant argued because he had filmed her without permission - before he lunged at her with a blade.
She died of her injuries at the scene.
After he was charged, the boy admitted possessing the knife, which had a 7.5cm blade, but denied murder and manslaughter.
He told the court he'd ben frightened Ava would "jump" him, adding: "I promise, I didn't mean to hit her."
SCHOOLGIRL SLAIN
But Ava's friends say he "grinned" after plunging the knife into her body. He ran from the scene as she begged pals: "Don't leave me."
The killer wept as he was convicted by jurors in May.
More than 20 members of Ava's family in the public gallery erupted into cheers as the jury read out their verdict.
And Mrs White moved the court to tears with her victim impact statement this afternoon.
"Now I have nothing to live for. I remember how excited she was for Christmas. Never could I imagine I would never see my beautiful baby alive again," she said.
A MUM'S TEARS
"My heart is broken. I will never hear her laughter or hold her in my arms. Precious memories are all I have left of my Ava."
She said her daughter "had only gone to watch the lights being switched on for Christmas".
"How could we ever imagine this would lead to her death?" she said.
"Rest in peace my baby girl, you are loved. The people of Liverpool have been so kind. To all the people of Liverpool, our heartfelt thanks to you."
Nick Johnson QC, mitigating, said the defendant had himself been a victim of crime.
"One of the things that shines out is the suggestion that as part of his background he had been desensitised to violence, and that is not as a perpetrator of violence," he said.
I have nothing to live for... My heart is broken. I will never hear her laughter or hold her in my arms
Leanne White
Merseyside police's Detective Superintendent Sue Coombs said residents of the city were "shocked" by the tragedy.
“No parent should be told by a police officer that their child has died," she said.
She said young people believe they'll feel "bigger or braver" if they're carrying a blade.
“Ultimately, what will happen is a sequence of events that they don’t have awful lot of control over," she said.
“Things happen without much thought when a knife is in your possession and that’s the tragedy of these sort of cases."
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The lad was accompanied by an intermediary in the dock as he was sentenced today.
Throughout his trial, he played with a fidget toy, which the jury was told could help him concentrate due to his attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.
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