Cancer-hit Sophie sent death threats by girl aged nine

Mar 15 2008 by Paul James, The Journal

A NINE-YEAR-OLD schoolgirl sent internet death threats to a young cancer patient after reading her online diary, it emerged last night.

The unnamed girl from Durham was traced by detectives investigating the intimidation this week, which included threats to kidnap the girl, set her house on fire, slit her throat and eat her.

Detectives from the Midlands arrived in the North East on Tuesday having identified the computer from which the messages were sent.

They appeared in November last year on the website of nine-year-old leukaemia sufferer Sophie Foxley, who lives with her family in Shrewsbury, Shropshire.

The family was forced to flee their home after the threats appeared on the blog, which led to Sophie’s story being featured on national television.

Initially the parents of the Durham nine-year-old were arrested by Shrewsbury CID, but their daughter then confessed to sending the threats on Wednesday.

Police said she was given “suitable and strong words of advice”. No action was taken as she is below the age of criminal responsibility, which is 10.

Officers would not confirm the exact location of the girl, though Sophie’s mother said she had been told she lived in Durham.

One of the messages said: “Me and my husband are going to kidnap you tonight at 12 o’clock. We are going to slit your throat and feed you to our daughter as cannibal stew.

“Don’t go to sleep cos you’ll never wake up. Your (sic) going to be murdered tonight at 12pm. We mean it. See you at 12.”

After the messages were posted, a police patrol was set up outside the family home as Sophie, mother Jane Foxley and 14-year-old sister Jenny Smythe moved out.

Last night Mrs Foxley, 39, said: “It’s good news it’s not going to happen again and they are not coming to get us but it is just awful someone so young can be using that language.

“It’s just unbelievable. It’s good they have got someone but they cannot do anything about it because she is under 10 years old.

“Sophie is nine and she would not even know half those words, let alone use them.

“I am in shock. I do not know what to think. The parents were arrested and they said they did not know anything about it but it was traced to their computer which was registered in the father’s name.

“The child needs help. I do not know what the world is coming to.”

Sophie’s father, civil engineer Phil Foxley, 45, branded the messages sick and twisted.

Sophie was diagnosed with leukaemia in June 2006 and had her latest chemotherapy this week.

She had been ill in November when the threats were posted, so her parents were able to stop her seeing them.

Yesterday Detective Constable Russell Teece, of Shrewsbury CID, said: “There can be no excuse for this kind of behaviour and the young girl has apologised to police for her actions. The victim and her family were left extremely upset and frightened by the messages.

“They were all traced to a computer in the North East of England and the nine-year-old spoken to about the incidents admitted sending them all.

“It has been a long and complex investigation with a successful outcome, and suitable and strong words of advice were given to the girl over her behaviour.”