Let’s Explore Charley Bates Murder Case!

Charles Bates was a 16-year-old boy who was murdered by Joshua Delbono during a fight between two groups in Radstock, Somerset.
Joshua has been sentenced to life in prison after “senselessly” murdering a teenager, Charley Bates. Joshua’s mother informed the police after calling on 999 and told them about a murder. She said, “My son’s killed, someone.” Police released an audio recording on Tuesday after Joshua was sentenced.
Joshua Delbono, a 19-year-old man, was found guilty of killing Charley Bates on July 31, 2022. Joshua repeatedly stabbed Charley with a knife in a car park in Radstock. Charley was stabbed in the chest and arm and was pronounced dead about 30 minutes later.
Delbono fled the scene, making his way to Shearwater Lake, where he burnt the clothes that he was wearing during the incident – police later discovered cell phone footage of this. After about six hours of the killing, officers received a phone call at 12:45 am, which was from Delbono’s mother.
During a call, Delbono’s mother cleared that Delbono murdered someone and she kept him at her home. She said, “My son’s killed someone, He’s in my house now but I can’t let him go anywhere.”
Furthermore, she told the call receiver, “he’s here, I have told him I have got to do it.” Along with that, she said she felt sick by what had happened. She then gave the phone to Delbono, who acknowledged the stabbing, and he stated that he was trying to defend others in the parking lot.
He falsely stated that he discarded the knife at the scene but admitted during the trial that he had thrown it into Shearwater Lake. Soon after, officers arrested Delbono, of Frome, on suspicion of murder.
The law enforcement officer, Detective Chief Inspector Mark Almond paid condolences to Charley’s family,” Our thoughts and sympathies remain with Charley’s family who has experienced unimaginable pain over the past nine months. They continue to grieve for Charley, and we are offering them support through our specially trained officers.”
To add on, “Charley had his whole life ahead of him and it was cut short by Joshua Delbono.” He continued, “The vigil held in his memory in Radstock in the days after this senseless tragedy highlights how his death affected the community and how popular a person he was.”
He concluded, “Such incidents are thankfully rare in Radstock, but the devastating consequences knife crime has on families and communities is clear for all to see and it is why we are committed to working with our partners to do all that we can to prevent more tragedies like this from happening.”
Delbono was found extremely guilty by a jury on Tuesday at Bristol Crown Court of the murder of 16-year-old Charley Bates, whom he stabbed many times in an incident at a public car park in Radstock town center shortly before 7 p.m. on Sunday 31 July.
Judge William Hart sentenced him to a minimum of 21 years in prison without the possibility of parole, saying that what began as a normal fist fight ended with a “young boy with his whole life ahead” lying dead on the ground – and accused Delbono of fleeing the scene rather than trying to help Charley as he lay dying on the ground.
In victim impact statements, Charley’s mother expressed her inability to breathe after her “boy was stolen from me in a senseless violent act” and thanked his friends for trying to save his life. His father also stated that “hundreds of hearts were broken that day.”
On Tuesday the Judge told Delbono, “You took the knife from the car intending to use it as you did, not to warn people off”. Besides, he explained about the message to others thinking of carrying knives, “You may rob a person of their life. What happened that day cast a horrible shadow over everyone.”