Four teenagers convicted of Ramarni Crosby's manslaughter in Gloucester

Ramarni was stabbed to death back in December 2021

Ramarni Crosby died after suffering multiple stab wounds
Author: Ashton Kirby and Matthew HutchinsonPublished 14th Jun 2023
Last updated 16th Jun 2023

Four teenagers have been convicted of the manslaughter of Ramarni Crosby in Gloucester.

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 relating to Ramarni's death.

18-year-old Levi Cameron, of Stanway Road, was found guilty of manslaughter - along with two 16-year-old boys.

All three were convicted by a majority jury, with 10 of the 12 jury members agreeing to find them guilty.

Callum Charles-Quebella, who's 18 and from Midland Road, had already pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

However, the eight teenagers accused of murdering Ramarni have been acquitted. They included the four that were convicted for manslaughter.

A ninth defendant, 20-year-old Keishaleigh Margrett-Whitter, from Lyncroft Road, Tyseley in Birmingham, faced two counts of assisting an offender, which she denied.

The jury found her not guilty on both counts.

All those convicted will be sentenced on 27 July.

The attack took place on Stratton Road

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".

On the day of Ramarni's death, the two involved in the original fight got back in contact and arranged to meet in Gloucester.

CCTV images shows the build-up and aftermath of the incident.

CCTV showing Ramarni Crosby and his four friends approaching the eight defendants

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.

CCTV didn't capture the attack itself, but does show Ramarni and his friends attempting to run away - whilst the defendants gave case.

After continuing to run away from the incident, Ramarni collapsed with stab wounds to his back and an injury to his 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.

The defendants were also caught dropping weapons down local drains. Investigators were able to use the CCTV footage, along with maps, to identify the location of the drains and recover the knives.

This included a meat cleaver, which police found near to the scene of the killing:

After the jury gave its verdict, judge Mrs Justice Cuttes thanked the 12 jury members for the "very obvious care and attention with which you have approached your task".

"Jury service takes you out of your life and has a significant impact on those lives," she added.

She recognised that the jury members had worked on the case for several weeks and discharged them from future jury service for life.

'One of the largest homicide investigations I've worked on'

Detective Chief Inspector Mark Almond was the Lead Investigator on the case.

"It's certainly one of the largest homicide investigations that I've worked on for a period of time and it is probably is one of the largest ones for Gloucestershire for some time.

"Key for this investigation has been the work that we've undertaken around the CCTV.

CCTV captured three of the defendants celebrating and acting out the attack

"One of those shows a number of the defendants meeting on a driveway outside somebody's house. During that time, they were seen celebrating to some extent ... but also acting out some of what had happened to Ramarni.

"What you see is one of the defendants particularly placing, showing where some of the stab wounds were on Ramarni's back. Those wounds corresponded to the pathology work that was undertaken," he told Greatest Hits Radio.

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