Pair spared prison after helping murderer

TWO people have been spared jail after helping a murderer in Radstock and leaving his teenage victim dying.

Charley Bates was stabbed to death by Joshua Delbono at a car park in The Street on Sunday, July 31, 2022.

Jack Seal, 20, and Lauren Ephgrave, 21, have both received suspended sentences for assisting Delbono.

Delbono, then 19, received a life sentence in April 2023 for the murder. He will serve a minimum of 21 years, after being found guilty by a jury at Bristol Crown Court.

The court was told Delbono arrived in one of two cars that entered the car park at about 6.40pm. Charley is said to have approached the other car and a confrontation took place, involving him and the people who were in that vehicle.

Delbono saw what was happening and after getting out of the car, went up to the group and stabbed Charley multiple times with a knife he brought to the scene. A pathologist told the court Charley sustained a stab wound to his chest, plus a wound to his arm which was consistent with him trying to defend himself.

Delbono quickly left the scene after stabbing Charley and travelled about half an hour away to Shearwater Lake where he burned clothes he had been wearing. This was captured on a mobile phone, police later discovered.

CCTV footage showed Seal travelling in a Citroen to the car park in the centre of Radstock, with Delbono travelling with his then-girlfriend Ephgrave in the Seat behind.

After Delbono had stabbed the 16-year-old, they fled the scene in the same two vehicles, stopping at various points where they learned Charley had died before heading to Shearwater Lake, near Warminster.

Delbono admitted during his trial that he threw the knife he used to murder Charley into the lake. While at the lake, Ephgrave took photos of clothes being burned in an attempt to dispose of evidence.

Ephgrave, of Melksham, and Seal, of Frome, both pleaded guilty to assisting an offender and were sentenced by Judge William Hart at Bristol Crown Court yesterday.

Ephgrave received a 10-month custodial sentence suspended for 18 months and must engage in 20 days’ rehabilitation activity. Seal was sentenced to 15 months in prison, again suspended for 18 months, and must engage in 140 hours of unpaid work within the next 12 months.

Judge Hart in sentencing the pair remarked both had chosen to help Delbono after he fatally wounded Charley, rather than the critically injured teenager.