British teenage girl charged with murder of 7-year-old girl

A 15-year-old girl has been charged with the murder of a 7-year-old girl and with possession of an offensive weapon, police in the northern English region of Yorkshire said on Wednesday.

The suspect, who cannot be named because she is a minor, is due to appear at York Magistrates Court later.

North Yorkshire Police named the victim as Katie Rough and released a picture of a smiling girl in a school uniform clapping her hands.

Officers were called on Monday afternoon to an adress in the Woodthorpe area of York, and said they found Katie with life-threatening injuries at a scene nearby. She was taken to hospital but died shortly after arriving there.

The BBC reported that Katie was found on a path leading to a playing field, and published a picture of a wooded area with a white forensics tent and a police cordon. The report said flowers and cards had been placed near the field.