Convictions for manslaughter of 16-year-old quashed at Court of Appeal

Two people jailed for the killing of a young rapper at a 16th birthday party have had their manslaughter convictions quashed at the Court of Appeal, it can now be reported.

Cartel Bushnell and Leo Knight were sentenced to nine years and nine and a half years respectively in youth detention in May 2024 after being convicted of the manslaughter of 16-year-old Mikey Roynon.

Mikey was fatally stabbed in the neck with a large knife during a house party in Bath, Somerset, in June 2023.

Fellow teenager Shane Cunningham was convicted of murder and detained for life with a minimum term of 16 years.

Cunningham, Bushnell and Knight, who were all 16 at the time of their convictions, sought to challenge their convictions at the Court of Appeal in May this year.

In a ruling that month, the Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr, Mr Justice Bryan and Mr Justice Cavanagh quashed Bushnell and Knight’s convictions, while dismissing Cunningham’s appeal bid.

The ruling could not be reported because of a retrial scheduled to begin in November, but on Thursday, the three judges said the prosecution had “offered no evidence” in either case, meaning reporting restrictions could be lifted.

In their judgment, Baroness Carr said there had been an “accidental, but critical, error” in directions given to the jury around how to reach their verdict, making the convictions “unsafe”.

Mikey’s mother, Hayley Ryall, said on Thursday that she was “gutted” that the cases against Bushnell and Knight were discontinued, claiming it felt “like a punch in the stomach”.

She said: “The two released have a second chance – I really hope they take it and don’t mess it up. Mikey doesn’t have one, and we don’t get one either.

“I really want to keep Mikey’s name alive and I don’t want him to be forgotten in the wake of this decision.”

Mikey was among dozens who attended the house party in Eastfield Avenue, Weston in 2023.

A Bristol Crown Court trial heard he was stabbed in the garden and collapsed on the driveway, with two weapons later recovered by police.

The first knife, which was found in a drain, was nearly 10in (25cm) long, and scientists found Mikey’s blood on the blade.

The second knife, which was recovered from underneath a hedge, was 7in (18cm) long and had traces of Mikey’s airborne blood on the blade – meaning it was close to the victim when he was stabbed.

During the trial, Cunningham, of Devizes, Wiltshire, claimed he was acting in self-defence when he stabbed Mikey after claiming his victim had swung a knife towards his friends in the garden.

Mr Justice Saini ruled that Cunningham, Bushnell and Knight could be identified at their sentencing hearing despite their ages, after an application by the PA news agency.

Passing sentence, the judge said Mikey’s “future looked promising” and that his family had suffered a “loss which is unimaginable”.

He said Bristol and the surrounding areas “are in the middle of a plague of knife crime”.

The appeal hearing was held on May 15 in London, with the ruling quashing Bushnell and Knight’s convictions handed down on May 23.

In the judgment, Baroness Carr said barristers for Bushnell had told the Court of Appeal that Mr Justice Saini “inadvertently misdirected the jury” on the question of self-defence.

The three senior judges agreed, with Baroness Carr stating the judge had “no doubt inadvertently, materially misdirected the jury”.

She said: “The directions directed the jury that they could convict Cartel, and Leo, if they were sure that Cartel and Leo may not have acted defensively. This was not the case.

“The jury could only properly convict Cartel and Leo if they were sure that Cartel, or Leo, was not acting in self-defence.”

She continued that the error was not identified by barristers in the trial and that the judge “managed the trial with conspicuous fairness, care and sensitivity”.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it offered no evidence for Bushnell and Knight’s scheduled retrial at a hearing at Bristol Crown Court on Wednesday.

Simon Clark, from the CPS, said: “Our thoughts and condolences remain with Mikey’s family during this incredibly difficult time.

“This case shows the perils of people carrying knives.

“The Crown Prosecution Service treats knife crime with the utmost seriousness and is committed to ensuring that those responsible are prosecuted where possible.

“Due to changes with the evidence available and in light of the case as a whole, after careful review and applying the Code for Crown Prosecutors, it was decided that there was no longer a realistic prospect of conviction against Cartel Bushnell and Leo Knight.”

Avon and Somerset Police said that Knight’s and Bushnell’s convictions for possession of a bladed article, for which they received no separate penalty, were unaffected by the CPS’s decision.