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.
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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.
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“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
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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
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.”
The Real Adolescence: Our Killer Kids airs on Channel 5 at 10pm on Thursday, May 8, 2025.