Wannabe gangster who killed boy over £20 drug debt is jailed for life

A 17-year-old boy has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 14 years after stabbing 16-year-old Joshua Ingram to death over a £20 drug debt.

The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, attacked Joshua with a 19cm-long knife at Seaford railway station in East Sussex, United Kingdom, on September 10, 2025. Hove Crown Court heard that the teenager had concealed the weapon in his tracksuit bottoms and had previously sent threatening messages about Joshua over the unpaid debt.

In one Snapchat message, he wrote: “Josh will perish if I don’t get my f\*\*\*\*\*\* money, that’s a fact and he knows this. I’m ready to sit in a prison cell for 30 years over a £20 sheet.” The teenager admitted manslaughter but denied murder. He was subsequently convicted of murder following a trial.

Mr Justice Bourne sentenced him on Friday to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 14 years. Joshua’s family said his death demonstrated the devastating consequences of teenage knife crime and urged young people to reconsider the choices they make around carrying weapons.

In a victim impact statement read to the court, Joshua’s mother, Yvette Bullen, described her son as a “kind, caring, cheeky, loveable rogue, great friend, goofball but also challenging and a little sod – all the traits that made Josh, Josh.” She added: “A young person with hopes, dreams and the future. Josh was loved. His life mattered and ours will never be the same again.”

Bullen also spoke about the guilt she continues to experience over a decision she made days before her son’s death. “As his mother I live with guilt every day. On the Friday before, Josh had ask me for £20 and I said no. That’s a parenting decision I will regret for the rest of my life,” she said. She recalled seeing Joshua, who had been training to become a bricklayer, being taken away on a stretcher following the stabbing. She said she was only able to kiss him on the forehead after his death because his body had become a crime scene.

Calling for her son’s killing to serve as a warning about knife crime, Bullen said: “His life was worth so much more than £20.
“I hope this vicious, senseless act makes others think before carrying a knife and, as for others, if you know someone is carrying one, report it rather than assisting them, because this could have been prevented if someone had spoken up.”

Sentencing the teenager, Mr Justice Bourne said: “Joshua Ingram was a popular young man with all his life before him.”
Addressing the defendant, the judge added: “It seems that Josh Ingram owed you about £20. That, of course, cannot begin to explain what you did. “It would not provide even the smallest excuse for hurting someone, let alone for attacking them with a large knife.”

Defence barrister Colin Aylott KC told the court that the teenager had been influenced by material online and had adopted what he described as a “faux gangster persona.” “Influence online led to the adoption of this rather disturbing language and disturbing persona,” Aylott said. “It was all rather pathetic and reflects the immaturity of the defendant.”
Two other teenagers, aged 17 and 15, were due to be sentenced later on Friday for assisting an offender in connection with the case.

British Transport Police Detective Chief Inspector Paul Stanley described the case as deeply tragic and said Joshua’s family would continue to live with the consequences despite the conviction and sentence. “Today’s sentencing is the conclusion of a deeply tragic case. Though we have seen justice served, there will be no celebration for Joshua Ingram’s family as they continue to mourn their devastating loss,” Stanley said.

“Joshua’s life was tragically cut short in an attack that can only be described as vicious and cowardly.
“Our investigation proved that the defendant had messaged extensively about harming Joshua as a result of a petty debt for about £20 of cannabis. “In court, he attempted to dismiss these messages as sheer bravado and fantasy. But following a chance meeting on that fateful day, he put his talk into action taking Joshua’s life from a singular blow with a large knife he routinely carried.”

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