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A man researched the Southport killings and other child murders before he attempted to murder a nine-year-old girl playing outside his home.
Jordan Wilkes, 29, was found guilty at Bournemouth Crown Court of the attack which happened in the stairwell of the flats where he lived with his mother in Glider Close, Christchurch, Dorset.
Berenice Mulvanny, prosecuting, told the court that the victim and her friend had been playing on the stairs when Wilkes came out of his flat on August 20, 2024. Wilkes approached the two youngsters while concealing a folding pocket knife.
He then stabbed the victim in the neck, chest and knee while grabbing her by the arm and hair.
Wilkes tore a clump of hair out from the girl, which she suggested he kept as a “trophy” until he was told to throw it away by his mother.
The girls managed to run away from the defendant and banged on doors of flats in the building until a family took them in and looked after them until the emergency services arrived, the court heard.
The victim was taken to hospital where she was treated for her “serious” stab wounds, but the court heard that she would be left scarred for life.
The wound to the neck narrowly missed major arteries which could have led to fatal blood loss if they had been cut, the court heard.
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Ms Mulvanny said that a search of the defendant’s home found a number of knives, several of which had been hidden around the premises.
Analysis of his mobile phone revealed 69 files relating to YouTube videos, news articles and podcasts focused on murders and child killings.
Ms Mulvanny said this included the so-called “Valentine’s Day massacre” at a high school in Parkland, Florida, in 2018 in which 17 people were killed.
He had also looked up the rioting in the aftermath of the murder of three girls at a dance class in Southport in July 2024, and a day after the killings he had clicked on a link for a local dance class, the court heard.
Ms Mulvanny added that at 1.25am on the day of his attack on the two girls, Wilkes had also looked up the case of 14-year-old Aiden Fucci, who stabbed to death 13-year-old Tristyn Bailey in St Johns County, Florida, in May 2021.
The prosecutor also told the court that Wilkes had been given a 14-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, for the assault causing actual bodily harm of an eight-year-old boy in a “brutal” attack on April 1 2016.
She described how Wilkes had punched and kicked the boy before stamping on his head, causing his victim to lose consciousness, because he had become angered at the youngster playing on some bins.
In October 2020, he was suspected to have set light to a pram outside his flat and in September 2022 he had shouted and sworn at a child with special educational needs who had rang his doorbell as a prank.
Sentencing Wilkes to 30 years in custody with an extended five-year period on licence for attempted murder and possession of a knife, Judge William Mousley KC said directly to the defendant: “You are a dangerous offender, there is a significant risk of you causing serious harm to others in the future.”
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He added: “This was a very serious offence, as an attempt to kill a nine-year-old child it was short-lived and not pre-meditated, you lost your temper.
“You had an interest in child-killing and you decided to try it out for yourself.”
The judge praised the two girls for their “great bravery” said that although the girl’s injuries were relatively minor, “she has suffered serious psychological harm which is continuing”.
“She is permanently and obviously scarred, the impact on her family has been very significant.”
The victim’s mother said in a victim impact statement read to the court that before the attack her daughter had been a “happy carefree child” but had become anxious, unable to sleep and had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
She added: “Since that day this has all changed, our entire family dynamic has changed where the innocent, bubbly, free-spirited little girl is no more.
“Ever since that man caused those injuries, she has not been the same child.”
Nick Robinson, defending, said that Wilkes lived an “isolated” life with his mother and explaining that with a low IQ of 72, his client “presents as someone much younger”.
He said that the attack had been “unplanned and spontaneous” and added: “He is remorseful for his actions and the impact it has had physically and psychologically on the victim, her friend and their families.”
After the sentencing, Detective Chief Inspector Aimee Schock, of BCP CID, said: “This was a horrific knife attack on a defenceless young girl that could easily have had fatal consequences.
“I want to thank the young victim in this case and her friend for the courage they have shown in giving evidence and helping to build a case against Jordan Wilkes, which ultimately led to his conviction for attempted murder.
“Thanks to the swift response of the emergency services to this shocking incident, we were not only able to quickly provide immediate first aid to the young girl for her injuries but also arrested the defendant shortly after his violent attack.”
