Three teenagers found guilty of killing Mikey Roynon in Bath
The 16-year-old died at a party last summer, with the jury concluding the boy who stabbed Mikey guilty of murder and his two friends guilty of manslaughter
Last updated 7th Mar 2024
Three boys have been found guilty over the killing of 16-year-old Mikey Roynon in Bath.
After a 5-and-a-half week trial, the jury concluded the boy who stabbed Mikey was guilty of murder and his two friends were guilty of manslaughter.
Mikey, from Kingswood in South Gloucestershire, died after being stabbed once in the neck while at a 16th birthday party in the Weston area of the city on 10 June 2023.
The three boys on trial, who we cannot name for legal reasons, each denied murder.
The trial
During proceedings at Bristol Crown Court, we heard Mikey was stabbed in the back garden of the house on Eastfield Avenue, when a confrontation broke out between two groups of boys.
Giving evidence via video link a witness, who we also cannot name, described how as many as a dozen boys pulled out weapons when tensions flared, though what caused the escalation, is not clear.
Defendant A admitted stabbing Mikey but argued he acted in reasonable self defence, with Mikey swinging a knife first.
The witness gave evidence that he was "60 per cent sure" Mikey had a knife and swung it "like a Star Wars character" before being stabbed.
However, no other evidence was provided to prove Mikey was armed.
Defendants B and C were also charged with murder as, the prosecution argued, they also had knives drawn in a way which encouraged the fatal stabbing and attempted to dispose of evidence afterwards, which implied guilt.
The day of the party
Bristol Crown Court heard the defendants had travelled to Bath on a bus from Devizes on the evening of the party, as part of a group of eight boys.
Mikey also travelled to Bath on a different bus from his home in Bristol with his own group of friends.
Once at the party, the primary witness in the case described how he ran out into the garden after looking through a window and seeing the group of boys from Bristol holding knives and wearing balaclavas.
Once outside, the witness testified seeing Mikey swing a knife towards Boy B, which prompted Boy A to swing back, catching Mikey in the neck.
However when cross examined by the prosecution the witness said they were only 60 per cent sure that the first person to swing a knife was Mikey, as they were wearing a balaclava at the time.
Once stabbed, the court heard how Mikey stumbled through the house, saying "I am going to die" before collapsing on the drive way outside.
The three defendants initially denied all charges against them, though Boy A went on to admit having a knife and stabbing Mikey in self defence.
Boy B admitted being in possession of a knife but denied murder.
Boy C denied having a weapon but was also found guilty of that charge as well as manslaughter.
During the trial the prosecution said police had found a knife hidden under a hedge in the days after the stabbing, which had Boy C's DNA on.
CCTV footage of the boys travelling to the party was also shown, in which Boy C appeared to have an object down his trousers, which the prosecution argued was the knife and the blade was found covered in spots of Mikey's blood when it was found, which it was argued meant it must have been drawn and near Mikey at the moment he was stabbed.
Detective Inspector Mark Newbury, the senior investigating officer with Avon and Somerset Police, said: "That three boys armed themselves with knives to go to a teenage girl's 16th birthday party is utterly unconscionable.
"Mikey went to that party to socialise and to have a good time.
"Instead, he was attacked with a horrifying weapon, suffered a catastrophic injury and tragically lost his life.
"Mikey was a much loved teenage boy and his family have been left totally devastated.
"They have shown incredible bravery and have courageously spoken out against knife crime since his death, which is something they should never have to do."
A wider issue with knife crime
Since Mikey's death several other young people have also lost their lives, including Eddie Kinuthia in Bristol just a month later and Mason Rist and Max Dixon in January of this year.
We recently revealed fatalities from knife crime across Avon and Somerset were up 160 per cent in 2023 and In response the police have begun a new operation to try and prevent such tragedies.
"However, we know police enforcement alone won't solve the problem and we're working closely with our local authority partners, our colleagues in education and health and the Violence Reduction Partnership to identify the root causes and divert young people away from criminality," DI Newbury said.
"Our communities are also key and we'd like to encourage parents to talk to their children about knife crime - to make sure that they understand the terrible consequences carrying a knife can have and also how to report if they have concerns about someone they know carrying a knife."
The three boys will be sentenced on 3 May.