Mikey Roynon was proudly wearing his new tracksuit and trainers – bought for him by his mother to celebrate the start of his GCSE exams – when he ran down the stairs of the family home in Kingswood, near Bristol.
The 16-year-old had said his mother Hayley Ryall was going to Nando’s with some friends on her way to a work event in Birmingham, leaving Mikey overnight with a friend for the first night.
“I saw him come down and I smiled and said, ‘You look so handsome,'” Ms Ryall said. Independent. “He smiled back and as he walked out the door, he turned around and said, ‘I love you.’
“And that’s how I’ll remember the last time I saw him.”
Hours later, 16-year-old Mikey was stabbed in the neck with a zombie knife at his 16th birthday party in Bath.
Slimming World consultant Miss Ryall knew something was wrong when she discovered 37 missed calls on her mobile phone, mostly from Mikey. But he had no idea that his whole world was about to collapse.
“Mikey’s friends were calling me from his phone and when I called back they said he had been stabbed and was gone,” she said.
“At first I couldn’t believe it, I didn’t believe it. I sent my friend to the nearby hospital to find him and had another friend take me to Bath. However, when I arrived, I learned that he could not reach the hospital.
“I saw it at the address [of the house party] There was a forensic tent and officers in white suits milling around. A police officer told me what happened and told me I should go home. I was surprised. I can’t explain this feeling.”
That night was the beginning of a devastating chapter for Mikey’s mother.
Over the next nine months, she buried her son and relived the night he died during a five-week trial that ended with one teenager found guilty of murder and two others of manslaughter.
“This was the best result we could have had,” Ms Ryall said of the conviction.
“Getting a child found guilty of murder was my main focus. “I thought it wouldn’t make any difference, but it actually made a huge difference and made me feel like we got justice for Mikey.”
The trial heard Mikey was out partying with a group of friends when trouble flared in the backyard and he was stabbed in the neck. He collapsed in the front driveway and later died.
The convict boys, whom Mikey does not know, came to the party by bus from Wiltshire. Surveillance footage from the bus showed detectives a large knife lodged in one of his pants.
One of the boys admitted to stabbing Mikey but said it was part of an act of self-defense; The jury rejected this claim and found him guilty of murder.
Two other boys, who jurors heard were also armed with knives, were also blamed for the attack and both were convicted of manslaughter.
“I don’t think they knew who they were doing this to; I don’t even believe they knew Mikey,” Ms Ryall said. “All the boys [including Mikey] They had balaclavas on, I don’t think you could tell who was who.
“I’m so angry at them because they caused so much pain. “Mikey was my world and I miss him every day.”
Ms Ryall said her life since her son’s death had been “horrible”.
The teenager still had two GCSE exams left when he was killed. When her mother received the results weeks later, she took them to her grave in Kingswood Cemetery to open them with her friend. He received grades ranging from 4 to 6 in the exams he took.
“I wanted him to see how well he did,” he said.
Mikey was buried in a well-attended funeral, replacing the tracksuit that was bought for him before his death.
Now, following the trial, Ms Ryall is focusing on a group she set up in her name called Mikey’s World, which aims to tackle knife crime locally. Bleeding control kits (a bag containing items such as bandages to stop bleeding from injuries such as stab wounds) are also being distributed in bars, sports clubs and lounges, with more than 120 of them already distributed.
A total of £20,000 was raised for the group, which will soon be registered as a charity.
Mikey’s death was one of several fatal stabbings by young people in the Bath and Bristol area. A month before Mikey was stabbed, 18-year-old Ben Moncreiff was murdered outside McDonald’s in Bath city centre; A working group on knife crime has been established by the local council here.
Teenagers Max Dixon, 16, and Mason Rist, 15, were stabbed to death in Bristol in January. A month later, 16-year-old Darrian Williams was also stabbed to death.
Ms Ryall said: “If I had known my son was going to that party I would have said no. There are so many young people carrying knives, they are everywhere.
“I’m not sure if it’s a gang or zip code thing; But if you have a party where many different groups of friends come together, that’s when there’s danger.
“Mikey was really excited, but he didn’t have a chance. We all need to do more to eliminate this. Stronger sentences, better support. “Too many lives were lost.”
Latest figures from the Ministry of Justice showed that 26 per cent of knife crimes committed by young people under 18 in the year ending September 2023 resulted in a reprimand, warning or youth caution.
Eight percent results in an immediate penalty.
Locally, Avon and Somerset Police are working with Bath and North East Somerset Council and other agencies to divert young people away from crime.
The groups also held open events with parents to help them keep their children safe; three of these were held at local schools last month.
Senior investigating officer Detective Inspector Mark Newbury said: “Our communities are also key and we want to encourage parents to talk to their children about knife crime to make sure they understand the dire consequences that carrying a knife can have, as well as how to report it if they are concerned that someone they know is carrying a knife.”
The three boys found guilty of Mikey’s murder will be sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on May 3.