A Bristol Crown Court trial has heard that a teenager fatally stabbed Mikey Roynon with a “zombie knife” in an act of self-defence during a house party, according to the defendant’s version of events presented to the court.
The accused, one of three 16-year-olds facing trial for Mikey’s murder, asserts that he stabbed Roynon in the neck after being confronted by a group of armed teenagers. All three defendants, whose identities are protected by legal provisions, have pleaded not guilty to the charge of murder.
Christopher Quinlan KC, the prosecuting counsel, informed the jury that the accused teenager, referred to as Boy C, had submitted a document to the court detailing his version of the incident. Quinlan stated that Boy C would claim he wielded a knife in self-defence and that Mikey had initiated the altercation by brandishing a knife toward Boy B and then himself.
The altercation occurred at a 16th birthday party held at a residence in Bath’s Weston area on the evening of June 10 last year, where approximately 50 attendees were present. Mikey Roynon was stabbed in the garden and succumbed to his injuries shortly thereafter.
The prosecution highlighted that Boy C’s DNA was found on a knife recovered by the police, implying his ownership and use of the weapon. The defendants were apprehended shortly after the incident, with Boy C being arrested several months later.
In his prepared statement to the court, Boy C explained that he had initially been questioned by the police as a witness and was subsequently arrested. He admitted handling a knife at the party but claimed he did not disclose this to avoid trouble.
Jurors were shown CCTV footage depicting the defendants arriving in Bath for the party, with objects resembling blades visible beneath their clothing, indicating their armed status as per the prosecution’s assertion.
While Boy A and Boy B have admitted to possessing bladed articles, Boy C denies this charge.
The trial is ongoing.
