Crown Prosecution Service vows to 'tackle knife crime' after Ramarni Crosby verdicts
Four teenagers have been convicted of the Gloucester teenager's manslaughter
Last updated 16th Jun 2023
The Crown Prosecution Service has vowed to "tackle knife crime," after the verdicts were revealed in the Ramarni Crosby trial.
The 16-year-old died on Stratton Road in Gloucester city centre in December 2021, after being repeatedly stabbed in his back and upper body.
Eight defendants, including five youths who cannot be named for legal reasons, have been facing charges at Bristol Crown Court.
This week, 18-year-old Levi Cameron, of Stanway Road, was found guilty of manslaughter - along with two 16-year-old boys who cannot be named for legal reasons.
Callum Charles-Quebella, who's 18 and from Midland Road, had already pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
However, the eight teenagers accused of murdering Ramarni were all cleared. They included the four that were convicted of manslaughter.
Sentencing will take place on 27 July.
'Terrible impact of young people carrying knives'
Andy Pritchard, a Specialist Prosecutor for the CPS South West Complex Casework Unit, said: "This is another tragic case which highlights the terrible impact of young people carrying knives.
"The CPS is committed to working with our colleagues in the police to tackle knife crime".
According to Mr Pritchard, phone messages and CCTV were "key" to building the case. They were used as evidence which was later presented to the jury.
"This showed the defendants planning a fight with a rival group, revealed that they knew some of their own group would be carrying weapons, and tracked their arrival at the scene of the fatal attack, and then away from it," he added.
What happened to Ramarni Crosby?
On 12 December 2021, Ramarni Crosby travelled to Stratton Road with four friends to settle a feud with the eight defendants.
A week earlier, there had been a fight between one of Ramarni's friends and one of the accused.
Prosecutor Adam Vaitilingham told the jury that this fight "hadn't settled anything".
"There were still grievances bubbling away between them and more violence was very much on the cards," he said.
On the day of Ramarni's death, the two involved in the original fight got back in contact and arranged to meet in Gloucester.
The defendants, who are members of a Gloucester gang known as "GL1," gathered in the city centre before meeting Ramarni and his friends.
Ramarni and his four mates were then seen approaching Stratton Road, for what they expected to be a fist fight against five others. Instead, they were outnumbered by a group of eight, wearing balaclavas and carrying weapons including knives and a meat cleaver.
Ramarni's group ran away from the incident, whilst the defendants gave chase. The 16-year-old then collapsed with stab wounds to his back, and an injured skull caused by a blow from a sharp object.
An ambulance was called, but unfortunately the teenager has been fatally injured and died at the scene.