Two young people jailed for the killing of a teenager at a 16th birthday party have had their manslaughter convictions quashed, it can now be reported.
Cartel Bushnell and Leo Knight were convicted of the manslaughter of 16-year-old Mikey Roynon and sentenced in May 2024 to nine years and nine-and-a-half years respectively in youth detention.
Mikey was fatally stabbed in the neck with a large knife during a house party in Bath, Somerset, in June 2023.
Fellow teenager Shane Cunningham was convicted of murder and detained for life with a minimum term of 16 years.
Cunningham, Bushnell and Knight, who were all 16 at the time of their convictions, sought to challenge their convictions at the Court of Appeal in May.
In a ruling that month, the Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr, Mr Justice Bryan and Mr Justice Cavanagh quashed Bushnell and Knightâs convictions, while dismissing Cunninghamâs appeal bid.
The ruling could not be reported because of a retrial scheduled to begin in November.
However, on Thursday, the three judges said the prosecution had âoffered no evidenceâ in either case, meaning reporting restrictions could be lifted.
In their judgment, Baroness Carr said there had been an âaccidental, but critical, errorâ in directions given to the jury around how to reach their verdict, making the convictions âunsafeâ.
Mikey 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 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 Mikeyâs blood on the blade.
The second knife, which was recovered from underneath a hedge, was 7in (18cm) long and had traces of Mikeyâs airborne blood on the blade â 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 Mikeyâs âfuture looked promisingâ and that his family had suffered a âloss which is unimaginableâ.
He said Bristol and the surrounding areas âare in the middle of a plague of knife crimeâ.
The appeal hearing was held on 15 May in London, with the ruling quashing Bushnell and Knightâs convictions handed down on 23 May.
In the judgment, Baroness Carr said barristers for Bushnell had told the Court of Appeal that Mr Justice Saini âinadvertently misdirected the juryâ on the question of self-defence.
The three senior judges agreed, with Baroness Carr stating the judge had âno doubt inadvertently, materially misdirected the juryâ.
She said: âThe 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.
âThe jury could only properly convict Cartel and Leo if they were sure that Cartel, or Leo, was not acting in self-defence.â
She continued that the error was not identified by barristers in the trial and that the judge âmanaged the trial with conspicuous fairness, care and sensitivityâ.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it offered no evidence at a hearing at Bristol Crown Court on Wednesday.
Simon Clark, from the CPS, said: âOur thoughts and condolences remain with Mikeyâs family during this incredibly difficult time.
âThis case shows the perils of people carrying knives.
âThe Crown Prosecution Service treats knife crime with the utmost seriousness and is committed to ensuring that those responsible are prosecuted where possible.
âDue 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.â
