THE three teenagers convicted of killing 16-year-old Mikey Roynon at a house party in Bath last summer have been jailed.
Mikey died after being stabbed in the neck with a knife following an incident in the back garden of a house in the Weston area of the city on 10 June.
Three 16-year-olds stood trial earlier this year, with a jury returning a verdict of murder for one of the boys and manslaughter for the other two.
On May 3 the boys were brought back to Bristol Crown Court where they were sentenced for killing Mikey and possessing a bladed weapon.
The judge lifted reporting restrictions banning the names of the boys from being reported.
Shane Cunningham, who was convicted of murder, was jailed for life and told he must serve a minimum of 16 years in prison.
The two boys convicted of his manslaughter were Cartel Bushnell and Leo Knight. Bushnell was sentenced to nine years in jail and was told he must serve at least two thirds of this before being considered for parole.
Knight, who unlike Cunningham and Bushnell denied having a knife but was found guilty of this offence by the jury, was jailed for nine years and six months. He too will also have to serve at least two thirds of this sentence.
The police investigation into the incident uncovered CCTV showing the boys had travelled to the party from the Wiltshire area armed with knives.
After stabbing Mikey, they fled the house and were captured on CCTV discussing what happened. They then discarded some of their clothing and disposed of their knives, with the one used to kill Mikey later recovered from a drain.
None of the boys chose to give evidence in their defence during the trial although jurors were told the boy convicted of murdering Mikey admitted stabbing him, claiming it was self-defence.
In a statement read out in court, Mikey’s mum, Hayley Ryall, described the impact her son’s death had on her.
She said: “Every morning I wake up and it hurts as much as the last morning. I keep having awful dreams that Mikey is lost and I’m looking for him, but even the awful dreams are better than waking up to reality. At least in my dreams he is somewhere, whereas in reality he is gone.”
She described how difficult she found what would’ve been Mikey’s 17th birthday in November and Christmas without him and spoke of her sadness at never being called ‘mum’ again.
She also spoke of her fear of the court process and of the future.
“I feel like I’m living in a film or a nightmare and soon I’ll wake up and I’ll be able to hug and kiss him and Mikey will say “it’s OK mum”,” she said.
“Will justice help me? I don’t know and I’m not even sure I want to know because life will never be normal again.”
In his statement, Mikey’s dad, Michael Roynon said: “There is no punishment for those responsible that will take away the pain that I feel. Nothing will bring Mikey back and as a dad losing my only son, I feel like I have a life sentence and will have to live with this forever.”
After the sentencing, Det Insp Mark Newbury, the senior investigating officer, said: “Knife crime is a disease which leaves a horrifying and long-lasting mark on everyone it affects.
“Mikey’s mum has shown tremendous fortitude since losing her only child and I have the utmost respect for the bravery she has shown in talking openly about her grief and how she has highlighted the devastation knife crime causes.”