Joshua Ingram Murder: Teenager Jailed for Life With 14-Year Minimum for Seaford Station Stabbing
The royal coat of arms, from the Sussex Police court result image used for the sentencing of the teenager who murdered Joshua Ingram (Image: Sussex Police)
A teenager has been sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum term of 14 years, for the murder of 16-year-old Joshua Ingram at Seaford railway station. Hove Crown Court passed the sentence on 2 October, and on 12 October the judge ruled that the defendant, who cannot be named because he is under 18, will stay anonymous.
Source: Sussex Police, Teen jailed for murdering Joshua Ingram at Seaford station, 2 October 2026
What happened at Seaford station
On 10 September 2025, at around 5pm, British Transport Police and Sussex Police responded to reports of a stabbing at Seaford railway station. Paramedics attended and Joshua Ingram was pronounced dead shortly afterwards, according to Sussex Police.
Police say the attacker followed Joshua into the station after spotting him in Seaford town centre, and stabbed him from behind. The force describes a dispute over about £20 of cannabis that the attacker believed Joshua owed him. The attacker was arrested at his home about 40 minutes later.
How the case was built
British Transport Police detectives took statements, examined the suspect's phone and reviewed CCTV, the force says. Messages in a WhatsApp group chat, which two other boys were also in, showed the suspect threatening to harm Joshua.
Officers found that the suspect gave the knife and clothing to a 17-year-old at his home shortly after the attack. About two hours later, that boy and a 15-year-old tried to dispose of the bag, but were met by Sussex Police officers and handed it over, saying the suspect had given it to them.
The three teenagers
Sussex Police says three teenagers were involved in the case.
- A 17-year-old, sentenced to life for murder. He was 16 at the time and cannot be named for legal reasons.
- A 15-year-old, found guilty of assisting an offender.
- A 17-year-old, who pleaded guilty to assisting an offender.
Police say both of the others were due to be sentenced on the same day.
What police and the family said
British Transport Police Detective Chief Inspector Paul Stanley, the senior investigating officer, said:
Today's sentencing is the conclusion of a deeply tragic case.
Detective Chief Inspector Paul Stanley, British Transport Police
He said Joshua's family would not celebrate, and thanked officers, Sussex Police, the Crown Prosecution Service and the local authority.
Joshua's parents, Yvette Bullen and Dave Ingram, issued a statement after the verdict in August that DCI Stanley read to the media at Hove Crown Court. They described him as a "kind-hearted lad" and a "cheeky chappy" who had recently started a bricklaying course at college and was looking forward to his future. They urged young people to think carefully about their choices and avoid knife crime, in a statement reported by Greatest Hits Radio.
This isn't a day for celebration.
Joshua Ingram's family, on the sentencing
Why the defendant cannot be named
Brighton and Hove News reports that on 12 October, at a remote hearing, Mr Justice Bourne refused applications from the Press Association and the BBC to lift the automatic restriction on naming the defendant. The report says the judge cited rehabilitation work and expert advice from the Youth Justice Service, and said naming him was not likely to have a significant deterrent effect. The restriction expires next year when the defendant turns 18. Read the original on Brighton and Hove News.
Sources
More court and police news is on the crime page and under Sussex Police on ImJustBrighton.
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