A teenager jailed for life over a £20 drug debt has been ordered to serve at least 14 years for the murder of 16-year-old Joshua Ingram at a railway station in East Sussex.
The 17-year-old, who cannot be named because of his age, stabbed Joshua at Seaford railway station on September 10, 2025, after a dispute over money linked to cannabis. He had concealed a 19cm-long knife in his tracksuit bottoms and had previously sent threatening messages about Joshua, Hove Crown Court heard.
In one Snapchat message, the teenager threatened Joshua over the unpaid debt, writing that he was prepared to spend decades in prison over the money.
The defendant initially admitted manslaughter but denied murder. Following a trial, he was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment by Mr Justice Bourne on Friday, with a minimum term of 14 years.
The case revealed that the dispute had escalated from a relatively small debt into a fatal confrontation. British Transport Police said the teenager had repeatedly discussed harming Joshua before eventually carrying out the attack.
Joshua’s mother, Yvette Bullen, told the court that her son’s death had left his family struggling with a loss that could never be measured against the amount of money at the centre of the dispute.
In a victim impact statement, she described Joshua as a “kind, caring, cheeky, loveable rogue” and a “great friend” who could also be challenging. Those qualities, she said, were part of what made him who he was.
“A young person with hopes, dreams and the future. Josh was loved. His life mattered and ours will never be the same again,” she said.
Bullen also spoke about a decision she had made just days before her son’s death. Joshua had asked her for £20, but she had refused.
“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 told the court.
Joshua had been training to become a bricklayer and was still building a future for himself when he was killed. Bullen recalled seeing her son taken away on a stretcher after 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.
She urged other young people to think carefully about the consequences of carrying knives and called on anyone who knows that someone is carrying a weapon to report it.
“His life was worth so much more than £20,” she said.
“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.”
During sentencing, Mr Justice Bourne said Joshua was a popular young man who had his whole life ahead of him. He told the defendant that owing about £20 could not provide any justification for the attack.
“It would not provide even the smallest excuse for hurting someone, let alone for attacking them with a large knife,” the judge said.
The defence argued that the teenager’s behaviour had been influenced by material he had encountered online. Colin Aylott KC, representing the defendant, said the teenager had developed what he described as a “faux gangster persona”.
“Influence online led to the adoption of this rather disturbing language and disturbing persona,” Aylott told the court. He described the behaviour as “pathetic” and said it reflected the defendant’s immaturity.
Two other teenagers, aged 17 and 15, were also due to be sentenced on Friday after being convicted of assisting an offender in connection with the case.
British Transport Police Detective Chief Inspector Paul Stanley said the conviction and sentence could not undo the loss suffered by Joshua’s family.
“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.
Stanley said the investigation had established that the defendant had sent numerous messages about harming Joshua because of the approximately £20 cannabis debt. The defendant had attempted to portray those messages in court as bravado and fantasy, but the confrontation at Seaford railway station ultimately turned those threats into violence.
Joshua was killed with a single blow from the knife, according to the police account presented following the investigation.
The sentence brings the criminal proceedings against the teenager to a significant stage, but for Joshua’s family, the case remains defined by the loss of a 16-year-old whose life was still unfolding. The court heard how a dispute over a small sum of money ended with a young man dead and another teenager facing many years in prison.
