Girl, 15, due in court accused of murdering Katie Rough, seven
A teenager is due to appear in court today charged with the murder of a seven-year-old girl found seriously injured on a playing field.
The 15-year-old girl has also been charged with the possession of an offensive weapon after the death of Katie Rough in the Woodthorpe area of York on Monday.
North Yorkshire Police said the girl was due to appear at York Magistrates' Court on Wednesday morning.
Katie, who was described as a "kind and thoughtful child", was found on a track after police were called to a nearby address.
Witnesses described how Katie's mother, named locally as Alison Rough, fell to her knees in the street, crying and pleading for help after her daughter was injured.
Rob McCartney, 50, said he saw the young girl lying in the field near the quiet cul-de-sac and her mother running up the street "shouting for help".
He said: "I spoke to her later, asked if she was OK and she said 'No, no, she's my little girl'."
Katie was taken to hospital where she died, police said.
Tracey Ralph, Katie's headteacher at Westfield Primary School, said her death was a "terrible loss".
"Katie was a kind and thoughtful child who was well liked by both pupils and staff," she added.
The area where Katie was found, which is less than a mile from the family home, was cordoned off on Tuesday while forensic officers examined the scene and mourners laid flowers in the street.
One couple, believed to be the young girl's grandparents, left a bouquet with a card, which read: "Night, night my darling princess Katie, love Nana and Grandad."
