Teenager Sentenced to Life for Murdering Boy at End-of-Term Party

Yura Varybrus, 17, has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Charlie Cosser, who was stabbed at a party in West Sussex. The tragic incident has led to the creation of a charity in Charlie’s memory to fight knife crime.

Bollywood Fever: A 17-year-old who fatally stabbed a boy at an end-of-term party in front of nearly 100 horrified teens has been sentenced to life in prison.

Yura Varybrus stabbed 16-year-old Charlie Cosser three times in the chest at the BalFest outdoor event at a farmhouse in Warnham, West Sussex, on July 23 last year. Today, Judge Christine Henson KC sentenced Varybrus to a minimum of 16 years behind bars.

Varybrus was found guilty of Charlie’s murder earlier this month and was also convicted of carrying a bladed article. Charlie’s family, who attended court every day, broke down in tears and embraced each other as the verdicts were read. The trial revealed that a fight broke out between Varybrus, Charlie, and two other boys on the dancefloor after Varybrus and his friends were asked to leave the party.

A partygoer captured part of the violence on video while filming her friends dancing to Britney Spears’ “Toxic” under disco lights in the marquee. Prosecutor Alan Gardner KC said during the trial, “In the darkness and noise of a crowded dancefloor, his use of the knife and blows went unnoticed by those nearby. The defendant stabbed Charlie Cosser with that knife as they came together on the dancefloor.”

Numerous witnesses who attended the party testified. A friend of Varybrus said the teenager had drunk an “excessive amount” of vodka and appeared “angry” after an older man tried unsuccessfully to make him leave the party due to his behavior towards a young woman.

One witness found Varybrus near the road with his hands and trousers “covered in blood.” “The top of his joggers down to his knees were almost drenched,” he told the court. He and another friend heard Varybrus say, “I’ve stabbed someone.”

Other party guests, including Harriet West, described seeing a boy, believed to be Charlie, lying on the ground as she approached a security guard in hi-vis attire. She said, “He didn’t have a T-shirt on and had blood all over his chest. I just left. The man in the hi-vis was going to his knees.”

Charlie was still conscious when police arrived at 12:30 AM and was able to tell them his name, address, and date of birth. He suffered a cardiac arrest on the way to the hospital due to internal bleeding caused by a cut to his aorta. The teenager, from Milford, Surrey, also known as “Cheeks,” died two days later, on July 25.

Following Varybrus’s arrest, bloodstains on his trainers were found to be his own. The court heard that he burned the clothes he was wearing at the party in a firepit because they were covered in his blood. The prosecution alleged that Varybrus injured his left hand while stabbing Charlie. The knife was never found. Varybrus denied murdering Charlie and possessing a bladed article, choosing not to testify in his trial.

Initially, Varybrus pleaded guilty to murder at his first appearance at Lewes Crown Court on July 28 last year, but before sentencing, he successfully applied to withdraw his plea, leading to the trial.

Despite attending the same school as some of the other guests, Charlie and his killer had never met. Charlie’s father, Martin, told the Daily Mail, “He’s well known, and I know people are scared of him. The DCI told me when he told him Charlie had died, he didn’t even flinch. He’s known to carry a knife, and so is his friend, who I think gave the knife to him.”

Charlie’s family has paid tribute to their caring, cheeky, and loving son and brother, who had a “ridiculously silly sense of humour.” In his memory, they have established a charity called Charlie’s Promise, dedicated to combating knife crime across Surrey and the UK.

Charlie’s parents, Martin and Tara, his older brother Adam, and younger sister Eloise issued a tribute after his death last year, saying they “cannot imagine life without him.” The statement, issued through Sussex Police, reads, “Our lives have been destroyed by the tragic and unnecessary loss of our son. Despite courageously battling right till the very end of his young and innocent life, his injuries were too severe, and he tragically passed away on the evening of Tuesday, July 25. He was the most caring, cheeky, loving son and brother we could have ever wished for, and we cannot imagine a life without him. Charlie’s wider family are deeply shocked and saddened by the sudden loss. His grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins are struggling to come to terms with this tragic event. Tributes have been pouring in from Charlie’s wide circle of friends, which we would like to acknowledge have brought us huge comfort in our darkest hours. We would also like to thank, on our and Charlie’s behalf, all of the efforts of the emergency services who treated him on the scene, as well as the whole of the critical care team at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton, who did absolutely everything they could to save our precious boy, with the utmost compassion, empathy, sympathy, and care. His ridiculously silly sense of humour will be deeply missed by everyone that knew and loved him.”

Charlie’s tragic death highlights the urgent need for action against knife crime, and his family’s dedication to preventing such tragedies from happening to others.

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