Teen convicted of murdering Charlie Cosser at summer party | UK News

A teenager who stabbed another boy to death on a crowded dance floor at an end-of-year summer party in the grounds of a £1.5million country mansion has been recognized 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.

His killer, who was 16 at the time and is now 17, had never met him before launching this horrific attack. Brighton The Crown Court heard.

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

Charlie’s father, Martin Cosser, said of the verdict: “Thank God. We all hoped for it, but you have to hear them say it.

The accused teenager, who cannot be named, admitted the murder at an initial hearing in the case but was later allowed to withdraw his plea.

Mr Cosser said: “He didn't flinch and I just wish we hadn't had to go through this and that he had stuck to his guns.”

Charlie's mother Tara said nothing would bring her son back. Choking back tears, she said: “I always come home tonight and he’s not here.

“It took a while but it’s the right result.”

Charlie’s grandfather Steve Cosser said: “He was such a lovely young man and we have had his future stolen from us now.

“We were only just finding out what kind of boy he would have been. This should never have happened.

“The police always said he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“Since October last year we have lived with the fear that something could go wrong. I hope the family can now begin to move forward.

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.

Her killer threw the first punch in a mass brawl when she was asked to leave a second time after another female guest complained about being sexually harassed by him.

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.

One of the killer's friends said the teenager drank an 'excessive amount' of vodka and seemed 'angry' after an older man tried unsuccessfully to get him to leave the party over his behavior apparent 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 high visibility man got 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.

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