A man obsessed with child murder stabbed a 9-year-old girl and kept a lock of her hair. He was convicted after a disturbing trial.
Wilkes grabbed the girl and stabbed her three times without saying anything. Prosecutors shared details about Wilkes’ online activity which included watching videos about child murders. He viewed the Southport dance class killings and the James Bulger murder. American school shootings were also among the content he consumed.
The day before, Wilkes watched footage of Aiden Fucci, who brutally murdered a 13-year-old girl by stabbing her 114 times. The attack on the girl happened just three weeks after the Southport killings.
The girl played with a friend on the stairs near Wilkes’ home in Christchurch. Driven by a twisted urge, he opened his door and targeted the girl with a penknife, stabbing her neck, shoulder, and knee.
The injured girl and her friend ran away and found safety in a nearby home. Despite her deep wounds, she fully recovered, although some wounds showed bones.
Armed officers quickly arrived at Wilkes’ apartment and found a lock of the girl’s hair there; it is speculated he may have cut it as a trophy or ripped it off during the attack. Wilkes denied attempted murder but was convicted at trial.
The prosecutor painted Wilkes as disturbed with an unhealthy fascination with child murder, wanting to fulfill a sick fantasy. She described the girl playing outside Wilkes’ flat when he came out, grabbed her arm, and struck her three times with a knife, hitting her neck, shoulder, and knee.
The young victim shared that she saw him reach into his pocket, not knowing it was a knife. He hid it and then attacked, grabbing her arm tightly, aiming for her neck.
Her friend said Wilkes looked “mad.” Police found Wilkes’ mobile phone, revealing a “concerning” search history. The phone data showed 69 files related to violence, with knives and child killings appearing in his history, spanning three months before the attack.
He watched news, YouTube videos, documentaries, and listened to podcasts about violence. Content covered the Valentine’s School Massacre and America’s deadliest school shooting. The prosecutor stated the phone showed unhealthy interests including violence, knives, and child murders.
Searches included videos of the Valentine School Massacres, child serial killers, and James Bulger’s murder. Riots after the Southport murders also showed up; these killings happened weeks before this attack.
A woman heard screaming and banging as the girls ran to her flat. She stated the girls were alarmingly calm, seemingly in shock.
The woman treated the girl’s neck wound and noticed blood dripping on the floor. She then saw a large chest wound describing a huge gash on the shoulder, where she could see down to the bone, saying it looked long, wide, and ripped open.
A forensic pathologist described the girl’s wounds, noting a two-centimeter neck wound and an eight-centimeter gash above her collarbone. He stated the chest wound was deep and could have caused death or serious injury.
Wilkes is scheduled to be sentenced in April.