Teen convicted of murdering 17-year-old boy in party stabbing attack

A teenager who stabbed a 17-year-old boy to death on a crowded dance floor at a party has been found guilty of his murder.

Charlie Cosser was stabbed three times in the chest during an outdoor event called BalFest, attended by around 100 people, on a farm in Warnham, West Sussex, on July 23 last year.

The accused teenager, who was 16 at the time and is now 17, will be sentenced to life in prison for the attack following a trial at Brighton Crown Court.

He was found guilty of Charlie's murder and guilty of publishing a cutting article in Tuesday's unanimous verdicts.

Charlie's family members, who attended court every day, cried and hugged each other as the verdicts were delivered.

The trial heard that a fight broke out between the defendant, Charlie and two other boys on the dance floor after the defendant and his friends were asked to leave the party.

A partygoer filmed some of the violence as she began filming her friends dancing to Britney Spears' song Toxic under the marquee's disco lights.

Opening the case on May 13, prosecutor Alan Gardner KC said: “In the darkness and noise of a crowded dance floor, his use of the knife and his stabbing went unnoticed by those around him. near.

“The defendant stabbed Charlie Cosser with this knife as they gathered on the dance floor.”

Jurors heard from numerous witnesses who were at the party that evening.

A friend of the accused said the teenager drank an 'excessive amount' of vodka and appeared 'angry' after an older man tried unsuccessfully to get him to leave the party over his apparent behavior towards a young woman.

The witness described hearing “arguing” and “yelling” inside the marquee before the defendant and others began fighting.

Later, the young man found the accused on the side of the road, his hands and pants “covered in blood”.

“The top of his jogging pants down to his knees was almost soaked,” he told the court.

He and another friend of the defendant also said they heard the teen say, “I stabbed someone.”

Other guests at the party, including Harriet West, described seeing a boy, presumably Charlie, lying on the floor as she approached a high-visibility man who was acting as a security guard.

She said: “He wasn’t wearing a T-shirt and he had blood all over his chest.

“I just left. The man in hi-vis was getting down on his knees.

The court heard Charlie was still conscious when police arrived at 12.30am and he was able to give them his name, address and date of birth.

He suffered a cardiac arrest on the way to hospital, with internal bleeding caused by a cut to the aorta, the main artery to the heart.

The teenager, from Milford, Surrey, also known as 'Cheeks', died two days later on July 25.

After the defendant's arrest, jurors learned that the bloodstains on his sneakers had been tested and were his own blood.

The court was also told that the accused admitted to burning the clothes he wore at the party in a fire pit in the garden because, he claimed, they were covered in his own blood.

The teenager had suffered an injury to his left hand, which the prosecution said occurred while he was using the knife to stab Charlie.

The knife was never found.

The youth chose not to give evidence at the trial, but denied Charlie's murder and possession of a sharp article.

He initially pleaded guilty to murder at his first appearance at Lewes Crown Court on July 28 last year, but before being sentenced he successfully applied to have his guilty plea withdrawn, resulting in allowed the trial to take place.

Charlie's family had previously paid tribute to their most caring, cheeky and loving son and brother, who had a “ridiculously silly sense of humour”.

Since his death, they have set up a charity called Charlie's Promise, dedicated to tackling knife crime in Surrey and across the UK.

A sentencing date will be set for Tuesday afternoon.