Three teenagers convicted of killing 16-year-old Mikey Roynon at a birthday party in Bath have been named after a judge lifted reporting restrictions. Shane Cunningham, 16, was found guilty of murder and detained for life with a minimum term of 16 years. Cartel Bushnell and Leo Knight, both 16, were convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to nine and nine-and-a-half years in youth detention respectively.
The attack occurred in June last year at a girl's 16th birthday party in Eastfield Avenue, Bath. Mikey, a promising young rapper, suffered fatal knife wounds to his neck from a large 'zombie knife'. Despite bleeding heavily, he managed to walk from the garden to the driveway before collapsing. The three attackers disposed of their weapons after the stabbing.
CCTV footage showed the trio travelling by bus from Wiltshire armed with knives. After the attack, they were seen discussing the incident and discarding clothing and weapons. During the trial, Cunningham claimed self-defence, alleging Mikey had swung a knife at his friends.
Mikey's mother, Hayley Ryall, described the naming of the defendants as 'a really huge thing for me'. She recalled her son's last moments: 'I saw him come down and I smiled and said: “You look bloody handsome.” He smiled back and then, as he walked out of the door, he turned around and said, “I love you.”' She later learned of his death through missed calls and friends' messages.
Sentencing, Mr Justice Saini said: 'Bristol and its surrounding areas are in the middle of a plague of knife crime. The lives of young boys who carry knives continue to be taken at the hands of other boys who carry knives.' Detective Inspector Mark Newbury added: 'That three boys armed themselves with knives to go to a teenage girl’s 16th birthday party is utterly unconscionable.'
Ms Ryall has since established 'Mikey's World', a group aiming to tackle knife crime locally by distributing bleed control kits to pubs, sports clubs and halls.
