The murder of 17-year-old Charlie Cosser has become a heartbreaking example of the devastation caused by knife crime. His tragic killing featured in the first episode of ITV’s second series of TikTok: Murder Gone Viral, which aired on Monday, October 21. The documentary examines the events surrounding Charlie’s death and the campaign led by his father, Martin Cosser, to raise awareness about knife crime.

In July 2023, Charlie attended a party in Warnham, West Sussex, where a confrontation led to him being fatally stabbed in the chest by 16-year-old Yura Varybrus. Charlie died two days later. In the aftermath, Martin turned to TikTok to express his grief and educate young people about the dangers of knife crime.

While Varybrus was sentenced to life in prison and must serve a minimum of 16 years before parole, Martin told the Herald he doesn’t feel justice has been done.

“The episode is just a window into our world,” Martin told the Herald. “The documentary has really stirred up a lot of emotions for me. I really don’t feel like justice has been done. Nothing can bring my little boy home, but there are so many people who I feel have escaped justice, and it is so wrong.

“The fact that Yura and his family were eating a roast at Toby Carvery while my son was fighting for his life – that they helped him get rid of his phone, and didn’t make him take responsibility for his crime – disgusts me. Yura had no remorse, zero, for what he had done to my boy. Then there are others whose actions that night horrify me.”

Martin said he believes the system failed to act against certain individuals connected to the case.

“A lot of people have blood on their hands from that night, and I feel they have all escaped justice. These people are going on with their lives like nothing has happened, while our family has been torn apart. The documentary has shown me there’s another journey to be had – justice still needs to be served.”

The documentary offers a gut-wrenching, emotional look at how one moment in time can destroy countless lives. It features interviews with Charlie’s family, paramedics, friends, and others affected by his murder.

According to witnesses, Varybrus stabbed Charlie after a fight broke out between them and two other boys on the dance floor. Varybrus and his friends had been asked to leave following complaints about his behaviour towards a girl.

During the fight, Varybrus stabbed Charlie three times in the chest. Charlie suffered catastrophic injuries, including a cut to a major artery that caused internal bleeding and cardiac arrest.

Charlie’s sister Eloise, then aged 15, witnessed his final moments.

“I can’t even really describe how it feels to basically watch your brother die,” she said in the documentary. “I put my head on his chest and was listening to his heartbeat for the last time. I could see the colour draining from his face.

“I was being told I needed to step back as I was in such a state, crying hysterically, but I refused because I didn’t want to leave Charlie’s side in his last moments. I put my head back on his chest, and that’s when I realised that his heart was no longer beating.”

Martin said Charlie’s murder didn’t just take his son’s life — it also stole Eloise’s childhood.

Charlie’s mother, Tara, shared her ongoing grief: “I still message Charlie every morning, telling him I love him. Sometimes I tell him I miss him. It’s my way of staying close to him.”

Despite the emotional toll, Martin continues to speak to young people across the country about knife crime.

“Doing the talks and making the videos is mentally exhausting, but when I do my talks, they are the best hours of my day because Charlie is there with me. I know he is standing up there with me because I can feel him.”

Martin has spoken to more than 50,000 young people this year alone. Since the episode aired, over 160 schools have contacted him requesting talks.

“When I started making the videos, I never thought they would be seen by anyone – they were for Charlie to see when he woke up, so he could see we had all been there for him. Then he died, and I did a talk 13 weeks later. I was filmed and it got put on TikTok, where it got a million views. That’s when it clicked for me: I could educate people about knife crime and try to prevent this from happening to other Charlies, to other families.

“I don’t want any other family living in the darkness we are in. I know from the thousands of people who have contacted me that Charlie’s legacy has already saved lives.”

Speaking in TikTok: Murder Gone Viral – The Killing of Charlie Cosser, Martin spoke about the vow that launched Charlie’s Promise – a charity that aims to educate and fight the rising knife-crime epidemic: “I just held Charlie’s hand and I made him a promise, and it was the most important promise of my life.

“I promised him justice, but the main promise that I made Charlie was that I would spend the rest of my life educating people about the dangers and the immeasurable impacts of knife crime.”

Yet despite his tireless campaign, youth knife crime continues to devastate communities. Only last week, 15-year-old Mohammed Umar Khan was sentenced to life in custody, serving a minimum of 16 years, for the murder of Harvey Willgoose in Sheffield.

Undeterred, Martin continues, stressing the importance of emotional openness in his talks and social media posts.

“With toxic masculinity, boys are taught to suppress their emotions, and I want them to know it is OK to get upset and be vulnerable.”

The ITV documentary, TikTok: Murder Gone Viral – The Killing of Charlie Cosser, is produced by Nine Lives Media and is available to stream on ITVX.

“The documentary is only a glimpse into our lives, which are so sad, so lonely, so broken since Charlie was killed,” Martin adds. “I want your readers who haven’t seen it to watch it with their children and have those conversations because they are so important.

“I can never ask my little boy if he knew there was a knife at that party because he’s dead. If I had had that conversation with him beforehand, things might have been different. I will never know now, but that conversation could save someone else’s life.

“Knife crime is real, even in idyllic, leafy Surrey.”

To learn more about Charlie’s Promise and the work it does, visit www.charliespromise.org