A teenager has been convicted of murdering a 16-year-old boy at a train station in a knife attack over a £20 drug debt. The defendant, also 16, was found guilty on Wednesday of killing Joshua Ingram, who was fatally stabbed at Seaford railway station in East Sussex on September 10, 2025.
Snapchat messages revealed
The court heard that the teenager sent a Snapchat message before the attack, saying he was "ready to sit in a prison cell for 30 years over a £20 sheet." In another message, he wrote: "Josh will perish if I don’t get my f****** money, that’s a fact and he knows this."
The prosecution described the defendant as a "small-time drug dealer" who had supplied Joshua with drugs in the summer of 2025 but had not been paid.
Trial details
The trial at Hove Crown Court also involved two other boys, aged 17 and 15, who were accused of conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm with intent. Jurors found all three not guilty of that charge. However, the 15-year-old was found guilty of assisting an offender, and the 17-year-old had already pleaded guilty to the same charge.
Prosecutor Rossano Scamardella KC said the 16-year-old went to Seaford with a 19cm-long knife hidden in his tracksuit bottoms. He approached Joshua, who was from Newhaven, and stabbed him twice.
Fatal attack
Mr Scamardella said: "Joshua stood no chance. The speed of the attack from behind gave him no chance to defend himself and the injury he sustained was so serious that he could not survive." Joshua collapsed on the platform and died within an hour, despite efforts by members of the public and emergency workers.
The prosecutor added: "All of this over a £20 cannabis debt."
Defendant's claims
The 16-year-old had pleaded guilty to manslaughter and told jurors it was a "tragic and reckless moment." He claimed he viewed the knife as an "accessory" bought on Telegram and never intended to kill or seriously harm Joshua. The court heard he had owned the knife since Year 9 and would "wave it around and playfully intimidate" others.
Witness account
Joshua's friend, who was with him during the attack, said the defendant asked "Is that Josh?" before pulling out the knife with "no hesitation" and stabbing Joshua twice. The friend described the attacker as looking "very calm and just normal."
In a tribute, Joshua's family described him as a "cheeky chappie who was loved by many" and taken "far too soon." The defendants will be sentenced on October 2.
