Hundreds of mourners have paid their respects to a 12-year-old girl who was stabbed following a Christmas lights switch-on.

Ava White died last month after she was assaulted in Liverpool city centre.

Photographs of the schoolgirl covered her coffin, which was brought to her funeral service at Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral in a white horse-drawn carriage on Thursday morning.

Applause broke out from the congregation as the coffin was brought into the church, and again later when the short, emotional service ended.

Ava’s father Robert Martin, her mother Leanne White and her sister Mia were present, along with other family members.

Her fellow pupils from Notre Dame Catholic College were also in attendance, as were some from her former school, Trinity RC Primary.

Many of those attending wore bright colours and some had hoodies bearing a photograph of the youngster.