A 16-year-old boy has been found guilty of murdering 14-year-old Christopher McBurnie, who was fatally stabbed in Ramsey last year.

The defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, admitted inflicting the fatal wound but denied murder, claiming he acted in self-defence.

Christopher died at the scene on May 29, 2025, despite desperate attempts to save him.

The jury reached its verdict this afternoon after almost four weeks of evidence at the trial.

Jurors heard that Christopher and the defendant had exchanged social media messages the previous day, during which insults and threats to kill were exchanged.

On the day of the stabbing, Christopher and another boy travelled by bus from Castletown to Ramsey. They were joined by others, and the group had grown to nine boys by the time they reached the defendant’s home.

The defendant came outside and a fight followed. Christopher suffered two stab wounds, a slash wound and a superficial defensive injury.

The prosecution argued that the defendant was guilty of murder and had not acted in self-defence. It said the confrontation was a prearranged fight and that Christopher had expected a fist fight, making the use of a knife unreasonable.

The defence argued that the defendant had regarded the online exchanges as ‘all talk and bravado’ and had not believed a fight would take place. It said he felt frightened and intimidated by the group outside his home, and that his neurological conditions and cognitive impairment played a part in his actions.

Deemster Graeme Cook directed the jury to consider whether the stabbing was deliberate, whether the defendant had acted in self-defence and whether he intended to kill or cause serious harm.

See below for updates to this developing story