MIRROR
A teenager who stabbed a 16-year-old boy to death following an argument over an alleged £20 debt has been sentenced to jail – after his mum rang the police to tell them he’d killed someone.
Joshua Delbono, 19, has been sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum term of 21 years, for killing 16-year-old Charley Bates, after his mum courageously reported him.
In an emotional phone call shortly after midnight the following morning, she can be heard saying: “My son’s killed someone. He’s in my house now, I can’t let him go anywhere,” before handing the phone to her son.
On the call, he admits chucking away a knife, telling the police handler that he “launched it” before suggesting possible places it could be.
The shocking incident took place after a fight broke out between two groups in Somerset, where Delbono rushed Bates, stabbing him repeatedly with a five-inch blade before he fled.
But Delbono was only arrested when his mum called 999 on him after he returned to his home in Frome, Bristol, the trial heard.
She told the emergency handler that her son was here and added “I’ve told him I’ve got to do it,” and admitted she felt “sick” about the incident…
