Jury shown footage taken after teen was stabbed in 'frenzied' attack

Prosecution disputes teen's self-defence claim

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A warning that this story contains information which some readers may find distressing.

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Jurors have been shown video footage taken seconds after a 14-year-old boy was fatally stabbed in the north of the Island.

Christopher McBurnie, from Castletown, died in May last year outside a property in Ramsey.

The teenager accused of his murder, who is now 15, is standing trial at Douglas Courthouse.

The defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons due to his age, denies the charge against him.

'Violent attack'

Today (29 September) the prosecution opened its case telling the 12 jurors Christopher had been ‘brutally stabbed’ at 3.24pm on 29 May 2025.

Prosecutor David Temkin KC described the attack - which lasted ‘a few seconds’ - as ‘unlawful, deliberate and frenzied’.

Christopher suffered several stab wounds including one to the right side of his chest which led to ‘immediate and torrential bloodloss’.

Despite ‘strenuous’ efforts from emergency services he was pronounced dead at the scene at 4.04pm.

Mr Temkin KC told the jury it was the prosecution’s case that the defendant intended to kill, or cause ‘really serious harm’ to, Christopher during the ‘violent attack’.

‘One on one’

The court heard Christopher travelled to Ramsey by bus, on 29 May, with two friends for a ‘pre-arranged fight’ with the defendant.  

Mr Temkin KC said there were important questions to answer about the build-up to what happened on that day adding: “Why, how and when did these two boys arrange to have a fight?”

Revealing that Christopher and the defendant had never met in person before 29 May he said they had, however, exchanged ‘mutual insults, goading and threats’ over social media.

Mr Temkin KC provided a chronology of some of their contact from the day before, 28 May, which showed the two boys were communicating via Snapchat.

It was during the course of these messages that a ‘one on one fight’ was floated by Christopher who added: "Lad, I'm not going to get you jumped."

Responding the defendant told him: “Come Ramsey, I will f***ing kill you mate.”

The intent, the prosecutor argued, was ‘crystal clear’ with Mr Temkin KC adding: “X (the defendant) wanted this fight to take place on his own territory.”

In response Christopher had replied: “Mate you’re not even killing a fly - you won’t do anything.”

Snapchat

Messages continued to be exchanged between the two boys, and a wider circle of teenagers, into the early hours of 29 May.

Christopher called the defendant a ‘keyboard warrior’ despite his insistence that he’d ‘come out’ if he came to Ramsey for the altercation.

The defendant also sent the group his address, a picture of his house and his postcode.

 “X (the defendant) was serious about it. He was goading Christopher and others to come to his house,” said the prosecutor.

That afternoon, at 1.17pm, Christopher sent a photo of himself at the bus stop to the group chat saying he was travelling to Ramsey adding: “I’m going to smash your f***ing head in.”

The defendant replied: “If you come Ramsey, you’re dead mate.”

In a voice message played to the jurors the defendant could be heard saying: “I’ll f***ing kill you if you come to my house.”

The court was also told Christopher had asked a friend to film the fight on his mobile phone and that other friends were travelling to the location to watch.

“X (the defendant) knew by now that Christopher was coming to Ramsey by bus.

X (the defendant) knew Christopher was not alone.” - David Temkin KC  

‘Knife attack’

Christopher, and two friends, arrived at Ramsey Bus Station at 3.13pm where they met with five others to travel to the defendant’s home.

Whilst the group was making their way to the property one of the teenagers called the defendant with the prosecutor saying it was clear that he knew the group was on its way.

“We know that X (the defendant) had been watching and waiting for them,” Mr Temkin KC told the court.

Footage from the Ring doorbell camera at the property was also played to the jury.

In it the defendant could be heard opening the door and exclaiming: “How many people do you f***ing need?”

The prosecutor told the jury Christopher, who was unarmed, had then thrown punches at the defendant, striking him in the temple, before being attacked with the knife at 3.24pm.

Describing it as an ‘unlawful, unreasonable and unjustified knife attack’ he added: “X (the defendant) had already armed himself with a knife. Within a split second he’d used it.”

An 11-second video, showing the footage recorded by the friend who had been due to film the fight, was played to the court.

Instead it showed the moment the teenagers realise Christopher had been stabbed as he emerges from the front garden and the defendant returns inside.

“He’s just stabbed him bro. He’s just f***king stabbed him bro,” a teenager can be heard shouting.

‘Frenzied violence’

Describing the attack as ‘determined and intentional’ the prosecutor told jurors: “He killed Christopher McBurnie just as he said he would in his messages. Members of the jury this is murder.”

Despite Christopher punching the defendant Mr Temkin KC said it was not a ‘reasonable or proportionate’ response to use a knife to stab him ‘again and again’.

Police arrested the defendant at the scene and, following a search, recovered a 14.5cm kitchen knife from his wardrobe.

In interview, through a prepared statement, he said he had been challenged to the 'one-on-one fight' but thought he was going to be jumped.

He had, he said, put a knife in his pocket to protect himself as he felt 'frightened' and he thought he was going to be killed adding he hadn’t intended to kill, or seriously hurt, Christopher.

This account was disputed by the prosecutor who, in closing, told jurors: “This was not self-defence. This was deliberate and frenzied violence."

Trial

The juvenile defendant denies the charge of murder.

The trial is due to continue tomorrow (30 September).