Mikey Roynon: Teens found guilty of killing 16-year-old boy

Mikey Roynon died from a single stab wound at a party in Bath

Three teenagers have been found guilty of killing a 16-year-old boy with a zombie knife at a house party.

About 50 people were at the party when Mikey Roynon was stabbed in the back of the neck during a row in the garden of a house in Bath in June 2023.

Mikey's mum, Hayley Ryall, said his killers had "got what they deserved".

One of the 16-year-olds was found guilty of murder, the other two were found guilty of manslaughter. They cannot be named for legal reasons.

The boy found guilty of murder had admitted stabbing Mikey during the incident on 10 June but said he acted in self-defence.

Mikey's family broke down in tears and hugged each other as verdicts were delivered earlier. The trio will be sentenced on 3 May.

Judge Mr Justice Saini said Mikey's family and the jurors had behaved with "dignity and respect" throughout the trial.

Over the course of six weeks, the jury at Bristol Crown Court heard how trouble flared at a 16th birthday party, which was being held at a house in Eastfield Avenue in the Weston area of Bath.

Around 50 people were at the party when Mikey, who was from Kingswood, near Bristol, was stabbed and collapsed. He died a short time later.

Hayley Ryall said her son was "full of life"

Speaking outside of the court after the verdict, Ms Ryall said she wanted to keep her son's "name alive".

"They got what they deserved, it's really good. This makes a difference because we have all suffered," she said.

"It's never going to bring him back... he has still been taken from us but it is a little bit of justice for our boy."

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Speaking to the BBC ahead of the verdict, Ms Ryall said: "Mikey was lively lots of fun and completely fearless with a massive heart of gold.

"He was very loved by everyone, especially me. He was full of life."

Mikey Roynon's mum Hayley Ryall spoke outside court

Jurors were shown CCTV footage from a bus, which showed the three defendants arriving in Bath for the party after travelling from Wiltshire.

In the footage, what appeared to be sharp objects were shown beneath the defendants' tops - which the prosecution said showed the boys arrived at the party armed.

Two of the boys admitted taking knives with them, including the boy who stabbed Mikey, but the third boy denied it.

The defendants left the scene after Mikey was stabbed and later disposed of their weapons, two of which were recovered by police.

The third boy was initially treated as a witness until police recovered a knife with both his and Mikey's DNA on.

As well as finding this boy guilty of manslaughter, the jury also found him guilty of possessing a bladed article.

A teenager, who was also at the party and gave evidence during the trial, said Mikey told him he thought he was going to die after being stabbed.

Witnesses said that about nine or 10 boys had pulled weapons "like swords and zombie knives", the jury heard.

Det Insp Mark Newbury, the senior investigating officer at Avon and Somerset Police, said it was "utterly unconscionable" that three boys went armed with knives to a teenage girl's 16th birthday.

"Mikey went to that party to socialise and to have a good time," he said.

"Instead, he was attacked with a horrifying weapon, suffered a catastrophic injury and tragically lost his life."

Around 50 people were at the party when Mikey was stabbed

The three defendants chose not to give evidence during the trial but gave written statements. All three denied murder.

Summing up, the judge told jurors they needed to "put sympathy and emotion out of their minds" when deciding the verdicts.

He added that Mikey "was a child, the defendants are children".

Jurors were asked to determine whether the 16-year-old boy had murdered Mikey or whether they accepted his claim of self-defence.

They were also asked to consider whether the boy's two friends, who were charged with joint enterprise murder, were equally responsible for his death.

They concluded the boy who stabbed Mikey was guilty of murder and his two friends were guilty of manslaughter.