Knife crime can happen to anyone, says father of teenager killed at £1.5m farm party

The father of a 17-year-old stabbed to death during a party at a £1.5million Sussex farm has warned that anyone could become a victim of knife crime .

Martin Cosser, speaking after a 17-year-old was found guilty of murdering his son Charlie, said knives had become “a way of life” for teenagers from all walks of life.

Charlie was stabbed three times in the chest on a crowded dance floor at a gathering of around 100 people in Warnham, West Sussex, on July 23 last year.

Her killer, who was 16 at the time and is now 17, was found guilty of murder and possession of a sharp article, in unanimous verdicts handed down at Brighton Crown Court on Tuesday.

Charlie's family members, who attended the trial daily, cried and hugged each other as the verdicts were delivered.

Mr Cosser told the court: “Thank God. We all hoped for it, but you have to hear them say it.

The defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, showed no emotion as the verdicts were delivered.

Knife crime charity launched

Speaking to the Telegraph, Mr Cosser said that since his son's death he had set up a knife crime charity, Charlie's Promise.

It aims to educate people about knife crime and offer emotional and financial support to families who have lost a loved one.

Mr Cosser said he would soon be giving a lecture at the £47,000-a-year Charterhouse School, where Charlie worked as a horticultural apprentice.

He said he hoped to teach pupils that anyone, regardless of their background, could be a victim of knife crime.

He added: “It's not a problem, as I ignorantly thought, only among working class kids and gangs. It's a problem everywhere. Some of these children come from very wealthy families, but they have problems there.

“Charlie wasn’t part of a gang, he didn’t live in the city center, he was just a normal, sweet little boy enjoying life.”

Mr Cosser added that knife crime had “become a way of life for many children”.