Who are Mikey Roynon's killers Shane Cunningham, Cartel Bushnell and Leo Knight and where are they now?
MIKEY Roynon was a talented teenage drill rapper whose life was tragically cut short when an altercation broke out at a 16th birthday party.
The horrific crime is featured in C5's The Real Adolescence: Our Killer Kids, which explores the devastating impact of youth violence in the UK.
6
Who Was Mike Roynon?
Mikey Roynon was a 16-year-old from Kingswood, near Bristol, who was tragically murdered at a party in June 2023.
He had a passion for music, particularly drill, and released tracks that gained popularity online, including a viral hit titled Oh Dear.
Despite his mother's concerns about the dangerous drill scene, Mikey reassured her that it was just music.
The teen's ex-girlfriend Chyna-Lei Patterson told The Sun: 'He was such a lovely polite boy and was loved by loads of people.
"His memory will be cherished by everyone who came across him and I'm just devastated at his loss.
"He was a really talented musician and dreamed of making a career as a rapper.
"Everyone who knew him is devastated."
Zombie knife attack
On the night of June 10, 2023, Mikey attended a 16th birthday party in Bath, where he was fatally stabbed in the neck with a zombie knife during a confrontation in the garden.
He had been on a day trip in the Somerset city and was eating at a Nando's restaurant when one of his friends heard about the bash on social media.
The youngsters decided to go along the the party 'on a whim'.
Locals said that the gathering was crashed by a group of 200 revellers and soon got out of hand.
The horrific murder led to a high-profile trial at Bristol Youth Court, with three teenage boys in the dock.
Shane Cunningham
6
Shane Cunningham, 16, was identified as the boy who delivered the fatal stab wound.
During the trial, he admitted to stabbing Mikey, but claimed it was in self-defence — a claim the jury rejected.
Cunningham was found guilty of murder and detained for life, with a minimum of 16 years before being eligible for parole.
Cartel Bushnell
6
Cartel Bushnell, 16, was found guilty of manslaughter.
He admitted bringing a knife to the party and was involved in the events leading to Mikey's death.
While Bushnell was acquitted of murder, he got nine years and six months, and will be eligible for parole after serving at least two-thirds of his sentence.
Leo Knight
6
The third teenager, Leo Knight, 16, was also convicted of manslaughter.
Unlike the others, he denied having a knife, but CCTV and forensic evidence linked him to the crime.
Knight was also found guilty of possessing a bladed article and got nine years and six months behind bars, and will be eligible for parole after serving at least two-thirds of his sentence as well.
All three boys were from the Wiltshire and Dorset areas, and had travelled to Bath for the party armed with knives.
CCTV footage captured them discussing the incident and disposing of their weapons after fleeing the scene.
The Honourable Mr Justice Saini, who presided over the sentencing, lifted previous reporting restrictions, allowing the boys to be named publicly due to the gravity of the crime and public interest.
Mikey's mum Hayley Ryall 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.'
The Real Adolescence: Our Killer Kids
The Channel 5 documentary The Real Adolescence: Our Killer Kids features Mikey's tragic case, as well as those of other young victims of peer violence.
6
The programme includes interviews with bereaved families, experts in youth crime and campaigners.
Shedding light on the rise in murder convictions among 12 to 17-year-olds in the UK, the doc stresses the urgent need for preventative measures, as well as support for affected families.
Executive producer Daniel Smith said: ' Child killers is a horrific topic that has been brought back to the top of the agenda by Adolescence, but this documentary is real life.
"We want to thank all the contributors for sharing their personal stories and hope that by bringing them together, we have focussed on the shattering impact of these crimes and included experts to suggest how they might be prevented.'
Commissioning editor Dan Louw said: 'This is a shocking and sobering film about a national emergency, and I challenge every parent to watch it.
"For years we've written off growing levels of youth violence as a mere 'moral panic', but this film demonstrates that this approach is failing our kids, and victims of violence.'
Channel 5 at 10pm on Thursday, May 8, 2025.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
15 minutes ago
- BBC News
Newton Aycliffe man jailed for kidnap and intent to rape teenager
A man who kidnapped a girl with the intention of raping her has been jailed for 11 well as kidnap, Matthew Hindhaugh had also pleaded guilty to assaulting and intentionally strangling the teenager in Crown Court heard that the 22-year-old, of Rowan Place in Newton Aycliffe, had also admitted possessing a samurai sword and making indecent images of children. Durham Police said Hindhaugh claimed he was trying to help the girl who he said had fallen over and hurt her face, but that "overwhelming CCTV evidence and witness statements proved otherwise". The victim said her attacker had punched her in the face before putting his hands over her mouth and telling her to be then forced her into his house and on to his bed where he held her down and started to unzip his described the girl as "quick-thinking" after she told Hindhaugh she would not tell anyone what had happened if he let her then escaped leaving a shoe behind. 'Chastity belt' Det Supt Peter Carr said the victim's bravery was "nothing short of extraordinary"."Not only did her resilience and quick-thinking actions manage to get her to safety, but she managed to prevent Hindhaugh from causing harm to anyone else," he said. "He is an extremely dangerous predator, whose actions were abhorrent that night."When arrested Hindhaugh was wearing a chastity belt which he told officers was to try and stop his sexual admitted eight charges including kidnap with the intention to commit rape, assault causing actual bodily harm and intentional strangulation, all committed on 27 also pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children, including 171 in the most serious category, between May 2015 and September 2024. Follow BBC Tees on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Telegraph
19 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Police blunder put paratroopers on alert for ‘Lee Rigby-style' threat
Military staff at an Army base were mistakenly put on alert over a 'Lee Rigby-style' threat to behead a paratrooper. Security was tightened at the Colchester garrison, where Parachute Regiment battalions are located, after online threats were intercepted by Nottinghamshire police. All military staff at the base were warned not to wear any uniforms or clothing outside the camp that would identify them as military personnel. The families of service members were also sent warnings. However, a spokesman for Nottinghamshire Police has said: 'This story relates to outdated intelligence and does not relate to any current threat or investigation.' It is understood that due to an error made by police logging the date the post was made, military officials were mistakenly informed this week it was a new threat. Fusilier Rigby was murdered by Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale on May 22 2013, outside the Royal Artillery barracks in Woolwich, south London, after he was seen wearing a Help for Heroes hoodie, which was popular with troops. The alert sent to families and service personnel at Colchester Garrison, where 3,500 troops and 750 civilian workers are based, said: 'Urgent. All, please disseminate to all your people in camp. 'We have received a warning that a man has made threats against members of the Para Regt and wants to carry out a 'Lee Rigby' style attack. 'The SCC [Security Control Centre] and main gate have been informed but ensure no Para Regt/military clothing is worn outside camp and remain vigilant.' Colchester's military history dates back to the late 18th century when the first barracks were built in the city. The garrison is the home of 16 Air Assault Brigade and troops from the Parachute Regiment's second and third battalions, alongside other infantry and aviation units and supporting detachments, such as logistics and medical personnel. Airborne forces are known to wear regimental clothing outside working hours, particularly their distinctive maroon-coloured T-shirts and fleeces, most often worn with tight jeans and desert boots, a tradition that goes back many decades. Fusilier Rigby was a father-of-one from Middleton, Greater Manchester, and had served in Afghanistan. At the time of his death, he was working in army recruitment. He was a trained machine-gunner and a regimental drummer. He was given a military funeral at Bury parish church on July 12 2013.
Telegraph
19 minutes ago
- Telegraph
A gentleman's guide to three-piece suit etiquette
The three-piece suit needs a bit of rescuing, the format having been hijacked by the Instagram manosphere and estate agents. We are an awfully long way from Indiana Jones in his Raiders of the Lost Ark professorial garb and, like a lot of the sartorial canon, various codes have been forgotten. The first thing to know is that a three-piece suit is the least formal of suit styles, perfectly demonstrated by Tom Hardy with his excellent and discerning use of RRL, a range from Ralph Lauren that's designed to be somewhat informal and more 'rustic'. This is the rule for both lounge suit and black tie, followed by double-breasted suits and two-piece single-breasted varieties. However, this wasn't always the case. The wearing of a waistcoat was essential in the nascent years of suiting because of a decree in October 1666 by King Charles II, mandating the wearing of a waistcoat for gentlemen. We know this because it was noted in Samuel Pepys' diary, reminding us of a time where people remembered to memorialise the more important matters. In the Regency era to much of the Victorian, order of the day for established houses was morning dress (a riding outfit - the morning was when gentlemen rode out) or frock coat in the daytime, and white tie in the evening, all requiring a waistcoat. As morning dress was replaced by the lounge suit and the frock coat was more or less isolated to the Court, the waistcoat was no longer a certainty in a man's daily wardrobe. In 1856, Edward VII commissioned Henry Poole to make him an 'evening lounge suit' in midnight blue, as he disliked dressing in white tie and preferred the growing trend of tailless jackets. Black tie was born, and waistcoats also began to fall out of favour for evening wear. More on 'Dirty Bertie' later. This heritage might explain the consensus that the wearing of a three-piece suit is occasion wear, which is why it's so prevalent at weddings. The hard-man credentials of Peaky Blinders have also made a lot of men feel confident that it's an agreeable way to dress up without losing any machismo. Whether you align with Tom Hardy and wear it casually, or want to wear the three-piece for something formal, there are rules that need to be kept in mind. Button know-how This is where we return to our wonderfully short-lived but sartorially consequential monarch, Edward VII. The question surrounding waistcoats often has to do with the bottom button. There are various disputes around the origin of this, but allow me to dispel things once and for all. Edward VII was perfectly able to wear the bottom button done up, no matter how large he was, his tailor would have taken it into account and an extra button would have made no difference at all. In fact, it was popped open for riding. This could easily have been for comfort but that is not necessarily a weight issue, rather the traditions of higher buttoning on riding garments - see morning coats, paddock-cut jackets and hunting pinks - which all need raised buttons for comfort in a sedentary position. The unbuttoning of the waistcoat therefore indicated you were a man of good standing who rode, and so everyone wanted to follow suit. Just to confuse things a bit, this does not apply to double-breasted waistcoats; they must all be done up. The smartest button stance is a three-button (six altogether) angled stance in a V shape, rather than the straight buttoning you see often from fashion designers. Fit check One of the biggest fashion faux pas is the sight of a man's shirt peeking out beneath the lapel and above the trousers. It is as much of a sartorial shortfall as the triangle of death – the triangle of white above the waistline and single-breasted jacket button, betraying the jacket as too small. This is very much how a certain tight-suited, Love Island hopeful might dress. One issue is that many brands make trousers that have what is called 'a low rise', i.e. the distance between the crotch and the top of the zip is short. What a man needs are trousers that are cut higher, ideally with pleats and held up by braces, to avoid this sloppy look. The lapel debate Old school aesthetes like my father, the kind that see everything through the prism of what is allowed in the officer's mess, would die on the hill against lapels on waistcoats. The lapel debate has more to do with opinion rather than actual etiquette, and truthfully, far be it from me to speak ill of my father's opinions on style, I think this is a misstep. It is true that a single-breasted lapel should have a very small lapel, if one at all, but a double-breasted waistcoat must have one, and the prouder the better. Accessorising The Roaring Lion by Yousuf Karsh is considered one of the greatest portrait photographs of all time; Winston Churchill's moody look is because just before it was taken, Karsh removed Churchill's cigar from his mouth. What stands out the most in this image is the chain which travels across the pockets, dipping to create a W shape. Whether a pocket watch, a lighter, a Champagne swizzle stick or cigar cutter, the chain is legitimate accessorising for waistcoats. The chain should travel from the left pocket to the first button hole that sits above the line of the pocket, and then if there is a fob, it should dangle down. If long enough, it can then be passed to the opposite pocket. One form of accessorising is a more outre design of waistcoat. This is, and should remain, the domain of the prefects of Eton College, known as 'Pop', who are allowed to wear whatever design of waistcoat they like in order to distinguish their authority (and boy do they take advantage of that freedom). You also had Sixth Form Select who were the 'other' prefects, selected due to academic achievement, and they could wear silver buttons. Keep it simple on civvy street; yours should match the jacket and trouser of the suit, and with morning dress should be a pastel colour such as sky blue. Where to find inspiration Watch every episode of Jeeves & Wooster for a categoric reminder of proper classic style, and there is plenty of three-piece action in there for you to see. Further watching should be the aforementioned Indiana Jones, Jude Law as Dumbledore in the Harry Potter offshoot Fantastical Beasts (seriously, a great men's style reference), and the original Great Gatsby. For non-fiction references, look to Churchill of course, and then his Tory successor Anthony Eden. Tom Hardy is definitely a solid inspiration for men who want to avoid the dandyish look. Just remember that tweed and heavier wools are much more preferable for a three-piece suit, so in the summer look for what are known as 'high twist wools', which allow for breathability. Full linen will crease too easily, so travel fabrics like Fresco wool are ideal. The three-piece suit may feel like dress up, but perhaps with a little bit of historic enlightenment and better knowledge of the rules, you can channel your Bertie or Tom Hardy and never let anyone take your cigar without asking permission.
