Mikey Roynon was fatally stabbed in self-defence, court told

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

A teenager was acting in self-defence when he fatally wounded a boy with a "zombie knife" at a house party, a court has heard.

The defendant, known as boy A, will claim he stabbed Mikey Roynon in the neck after being confronted by a group of armed teenagers, Bristol Crown Court was told.

He is one of three 16-year-olds on trial accused of Mikey's murder.

All three, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, deny murder.

Christopher Quinlan KC, prosecuting, told the jury the teenager, referred to as Boy A, had submitted a document to the court, setting out his version of events.

"We anticipate he will say he had a knife. He stabbed Mikey in the neck with it and therefore caused the injuries that led to his death," Mr Quinlan said.

"What we understand his case to be is that he was defending himself and others.

"He will say Mikey struck out with a knife first at Boy B and then him."

'It was his knife'

The jury has been told that trouble flared at a 16th birthday party, which was being held at a house in Eastfield Avenue in the Weston area of Bath on the evening of 10 June last year.

Around 50 people were at the party when Mr Roynon was stabbed in the garden and collapsed and died a short time later.

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

Mr Quinlan said Boy C's DNA was among a mixed profile of DNA recovered from the knife and its sheath.

"We say he had possession of that knife, we say it was his knife. If blood was on the blade it must have been out of its cover at the time it got there," he said.

Two of the defendants, Boy A and Boy B, were arrested soon afterwards, while Boy C was arrested some months later.

In his prepared statement, Boy C said he had first been interviewed by police as a witness in the days after Mikey's death and then was arrested the following October.

'Frightening experience'

"At the time I was spoken to as a witness I was really scared and it was soon after the murder," he said.

"The party on 10 June was the first party I had been to.

"Someone had been murdered and it was a frightening experience. I knew my friend had been arrested."

Boy C said that when he made his witness statement he did not tell police he had made a phone call to his mother or that he had handled a knife at the party.

"When I was at the party, I was talking to someone and I saw he had a Rambo knife. He handed it to me and I touched it and I took it out of the sheath," he said.

"I didn't tell the police I had touched a knife because I didn't want to get into trouble."

Mr Quinlan suggested Boy C was using his prepared statement to "lay the ground" for an explanation as to how he was linked forensically to a knife.

Jurors were shown CCTV footage, taken from a bus, of the three defendants arriving in Bath for the party.

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.

Boy A and Boy B have pleaded guilty to possessing a bladed article, which Boy C denies.

The trial continues.

Correction, 8 February: A previous version of this story said the court heard a teenager, referred to as boy C, would claim he had acted in self-defence. This has been corrected to reflect this refers to the teenager known as boy A.