Teenager, 17, jailed for life for murder of Joshua Ingram, 16, over £20 drug debt

A 17-year-old who cannot be named for legal reasons has been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 14 years for the murder of 16-year-old Joshua Ingram, and for possessing a knife. 1 2 Joshua, from Newhaven, was stabbed with a 19cm blade the defendant had hidden in his tracksuit bottoms at Seaford railway station in East Sussex on 10 September 2025. 1 2 The defendant had pleaded guilty to manslaughter but jurors at Hove Crown Court found him guilty of murder in August. 1 2

The prosecution told the trial the defendant was a "small-time drug dealer" who had supplied Joshua with drugs in summer 2025 but was not paid; prosecutor Rossano Scamardella KC called it "a £20 cannabis debt". 2 1 Snapchat messages read in court included one in which the defendant said "Josh will perish if I don’t get my f****** money" and that he was "ready to sit in a prison cell for 30 years over a £20 sheet". 1 2 Giving evidence, the defendant called it a "tragic and reckless moment", said he saw the knife as an "accessory" and denied intending to kill or seriously harm Joshua; the court also heard he had owned the knife since Year 9. 2

Mr Scamardella said Joshua was attacked from behind, suffering a 15cm-deep wound, and died within an hour, before he could be taken to hospital. 2 Sentencing, Mr Justice Bourne KC said the debt "cannot begin to explain what you did" and would not be "even the smallest excuse" for attacking someone with a large knife. 1 2 Defence counsel Colin Aylott KC said online influence led the defendant to adopt a "faux gangster persona", which he called "pathetic" and a sign of immaturity, and said the defendant had tried to start on the road to rehabilitation. 1

Joshua's mother, Yvette Bullen, said in a victim impact statement that "His life was worth so much more than £20", urged anyone who knows someone carrying a knife to report it, and said she regretted refusing Joshua £20 the Friday before. 1 The defendant stood trial with two other boys, aged 17 and 15, all accused of conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm with intent between 1 June and 11 September; the jury found all three not guilty of that charge. 2 The 15-year-old was found guilty of assisting an offender and the other 17-year-old had pleaded guilty to it; both were due to be sentenced later on Friday. 2 1

Press applications, including from the Press Association, to lift the murderer's anonymity will be decided at a later date. 1