The heart-wrenching experience of losing a child was compounded for the mother of 16-year-old Mikey Roynon when she discovered that the convictions for his killers had been overturned. For Hayley Ryall, the news felt like “a punch to the stomach,” a cruel twist in an already devastating situation.

In May 2024, Cartel Bushnell, 17, and Leo Knight, 18, faced a grim reckoning, having been sentenced to nine years and nine-and-a-half years in youth detention, respectively, following their conviction for the manslaughter of Mikey, an aspiring drill rapper. However, this judgment was recently undone by the Court of Appeal.

The decision to quash their convictions came after the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) concluded that there was insufficient evidence to sustain a realistic prospect of conviction in a potential retrial. This development underscored the complexity and challenges inherent in the legal process, leaving Mikey’s family in a state of disbelief and mourning all over again.

The tragic incident took place during a 16th birthday celebration in Bath, Somerset, in June 2023, where Mikey was fatally stabbed with a zombie knife—an attack that shook the community and left an indelible mark on those closest to him.

Reflecting on the grueling trial they endured last year, Hayley expressed her family’s sense of closure following the original verdict. “We went through a long trial last year, which was like a whirlwind, but when that was over we thought it was all done,” she lamented, capturing the profound sense of loss and frustration felt by those seeking justice for Mikey.

‘We went through a long trial last year, which was like a whirlwind, but when that was over we thought it was all done. 

Fellow teenager Shane Cunningham was convicted of murder and detained for life with a minimum term of 16 years and remains in prison. 

Ms Ryall added: ‘We take comfort in the fact that Shane Cunningham is still in prison. We know he murdered Mikey, and this doesn’t take that justice away, because he has that life sentence.

Hayley Ryall, mother of Mikey Roynon who was knifed to death at a house party has said it felt ‘like a punch to the stomach’ when she learnt two teens had their convictions quashed

Mikey Roynon was fatally stabbed at a 16th birthday party in Bath, Somerset

‘The two released have a second chance – I really hope they take it and don’t mess it up. Mikey doesn’t have one, and we don’t get one either.

‘I really want to keep Mikey’s name alive and I don’t want him to be forgotten in the wake of this decision.

‘Mikey was cheeky, he had a great big grin and a really kind heart. He was a typical teenage boy.

‘I can’t begin to put into words how much I miss him. I still think he is going to come home.’  

Cunningham, Bushnell, and Knight, who were all 16 at the time of the killing, first sought to challenge their convictions at the Court of Appeal in May this year.

In a ruling that month, the Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr, Mr Justice Bryan and Mr Justice Cavanagh quashed Bushnell and Knight’s convictions, while dismissing Cunningham’s appeal bid.

The ruling could not be reported due to a retrial scheduled to begin in November, but this week, the three judges said the prosecution had ‘offered no evidence’ in either case, meaning reporting restrictions could be lifted.

In their judgment, Baroness Carr said there had been an ‘accidental, but critical, error’ in directions given to the jury around how to reach their verdict, making the convictions ‘unsafe’.

Cartell Bushnell (left) and Leo Knight (right) were jailed for the manslaughter of Mikey Roynon. Their convictions have now been quashed

Mikey from Kingswood, near Bristol, was among dozens who attended the house party in Eastfield Avenue, Weston in 2023.

A Bristol Crown Court trial heard he was stabbed in the back of the neck in the garden and collapsed on the driveway, with two weapons later recovered by police.

The first knife, which was found in a drain, was nearly 10in (25cm) long, and scientists found Mikey’s blood on the blade.

The second knife, which was recovered from underneath a hedge, was 7in (18cm) long and had traces of Mikey’s airborne blood on the blade – meaning it was close to the victim when he was stabbed.

During the trial, Cunningham, of Devizes, Wiltshire, claimed he was acting in self-defence when he stabbed Mikey after claiming his victim had swung a knife towards his friends in the garden.

Mr Justice Saini ruled that Cunningham, Bushnell and Knight could be identified at their sentencing hearing despite their ages, after an application by the PA news agency.

Passing sentence, the judge said Mikey’s ‘future looked promising’ and that his family had suffered a ‘loss which is unimaginable’.

He said Bristol and the surrounding areas ‘are in the middle of a plague of knife crime’. 

Following the trial last year, Bushnell and Knight were also found guilty of possessing an offensive weapon – a conviction which is being upheld by the court.

But they had already served 28 and 24 months in custody retrospectively and a judge said this was longer than the maximum sentence for possessing an offensive blade, and therefore the two were able to walk free on Wednesday.  

Explaining why it decided there was not a realistic prospect of conviction at a retrial, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said there had been a change to the evidence available since the original trial. 

Speaking after they were released, Mikey’s mother Hayley Ryall told the BBC the pair now had a ‘second chance’, something her son and family did not have. 

Shane Cunningham claimed he was acting in self-defence when he stabbed Mikey

‘You go through a long trial which is horrendous, it’s like a whirlwind and you think that’s it,’ Ms Ryall said.

‘You just start rebuilding a different life, a very different life, and then to have it all again is just really hard.’

At the trial, jurors were shown CCTV footage from a bus, which showed Bushnell and Knight travelling with Cunningham to Bath for the party from Devizes, Wiltshire. 

Another clip showed Mikey travelling to the party on a different bus.  

About 50 people were at the party at the property in Bath, Somerset, in June last year.

A teenager, who was also at the party and gave evidence during a Bristol Crown Court trial last year, said Mikey told him he thought he was going to die after being stabbed. 

Witnesses said that about nine or 10 boys had pulled weapons ‘like swords and zombie knives’, the jury heard.

The appeal hearing was held on May 15 in London, with the ruling quashing Bushnell and Knight’s convictions handed down on May 23.

In the judgment, Baroness Carr said barristers for Bushnell had told the Court of Appeal that Mr Justice Saini ‘inadvertently misdirected the jury’ on the question of self-defence.

The three senior judges agreed, with Baroness Carr stating the judge had ‘no doubt inadvertently, materially misdirected the jury’.

She said: ‘The directions directed the jury that they could convict Cartel, and Leo, if they were sure that Cartel and Leo may not have acted defensively. This was not the case.

‘The jury could only properly convict Cartel and Leo if they were sure that Cartel, or Leo, was not acting in self-defence.’

She continued that the error was not identified by barristers in the trial and that the judge ‘managed the trial with conspicuous fairness, care and sensitivity’.

The CPS said it offered no evidence for Bushnell and Knight’s scheduled retrial at a hearing at Bristol Crown Court on Wednesday.

Simon Clark, from the CPS, said: ‘Our thoughts and condolences remain with Mikey’s family during this incredibly difficult time.

‘This case shows the perils of people carrying knives.

‘The Crown Prosecution Service treats knife crime with the utmost seriousness and is committed to ensuring that those responsible are prosecuted where possible.

‘Due to changes with the evidence available and in light of the case as a whole, after careful review and applying the Code for Crown Prosecutors, it was decided that there was no longer a realistic prospect of conviction against Cartel Bushnell and Leo Knight.’

Avon and Somerset Police said that Knight’s and Bushnell’s convictions for possession of a bladed article, for which they received no separate penalty, were unaffected by the CPS’s decision.