Mother sobs as girl, 14, who stabbed her sister to death is jailed

The killer, who admitted manslaughter, was cleared of murder after a jury accepted she was provoked by the other girl during an argument at home.

The judge at Bradford Crown Court gave her a three-and-a-half year sentence but she is expected to be detained for only half that time.

Outside court, her mother said the girl faced a "life sentence" for what she had done and argued that she should have been allowed to return home to rebuild her life.

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But Mr Justice McKinnon said the teenager was lucky that her trial had ended in the way it did, telling her: "It seems fortunate for you that the jury found positive provocation or that provocation has not been disproved by the prosecution.

"You did a terrible thing taking up that carving knife and using it to deadly effect."

The sisters were at home in Halifax one evening in March when they began to argue.

The row turned violent with the elder girl grabbing her sister's hair and kicking her head.

After their mother broke up the fight, the 14-year- old ran into the kitchen, grabbed a carving knife with an eight-inch blade and shouted: 'You're going to get it!' before plunging it into her sister's back.

Moments later, realising what she had done, the teenager screamed: "Sorry, I love you."

But the 16-yearold, who had picked up the knife and stabbed her in the leg in revenge, collapsed in a chair struggling for breath.

She died hours later in Calderdale Royal Hospital.

Their mother, who held hands and wept in the public gallery with her eldest daughter, aged 21, said later: "We will all miss my daughter's enormous big smile and the laughter that we shared.

"We got her GCSE results this summer and she had got really good grades, all As and Bs, and we are very proud of her.

"Although my heart is broken at the loss of my beautiful daughter, I feel my youngest daughter should be at home with her family around her to help her grieve the deep loss she feels for her sister, and also be left in peace to help try and rebuild her life.

"We feel she will live with this for the rest of her life and I think that is punishment enough, as that is like a life sentence itself."

The court heard that the two sisters both had a fiery temper and rowed regularly.

The 14-year- old grabbed the kitchen knife in a fit of temper after she was attacked for saying her sister's boyfriend "wouldn't amount to much" as he worked in a Morrisons supermarket.

She later told police: "I was really angry but I just intended to scare her with it. I didn't mean to stab her."

Following the case, Detective Superintendent Andy Brennan said: "This is a cautionary tale for all teenagers who carry or think of using knives.

This has been a very difficult and tragic case and we have dealt with it with the utmost sensitivity.

"The last few months must have been horrendous for family and friends who have found themselves in an impossible position.

Our thoughts remain with them."

Outlining the 14-year-old's plans for the future, her barrister, Philippa McAtasney, said she wanted to train as a gunner in the Royal Artillery. She added: 'Her remorse is very apparent. She thinks about her sister every day.'

The girls' father was not in court on the last day of the trial. He split up from their mother years ago, but has more recently been seeing his children again.