Teenager believed social media threats were 'empty'

16-year-old murder accused finishes giving evidence

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

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A teenager accused of murdering a 14-year-old boy has told jurors he believed threats the two were trading in the lead up to his death were ‘empty’.   

The now 16-year-old, who can’t be named for legal reasons, finished giving his evidence at Douglas Courthouse today (20 October).

He has spent three days telling a jury about his actions in the time before, during and after Christopher McBurnie’s death on 29 May last year.

Re-examination

Yesterday (19 October) the prosecutor highlighted to the defendant that whilst both boys had made threats to kill each other, the defendant had made the first three and 11 in total.

In re-examination the defendant’s advocate Siobhan Grey KC asked him about the social media messages which the two boys, and other teenagers, had exchanged on Snapchat.

These were sent on the evening of 28 May and into the early hours, and afternoon, of the following day.

“I didn’t think much of them at the time,” the defendant said.

“You also received messages from Christopher where he threatened to kill you, didn’t you?” she asked.

“Yeah,” replied the defendant.

“Did you believe he (Christopher) was going to kill you?” Ms Grey KC asked.

“Not at the time,” the teenager replied.

She also asked him whether he thought a message sent by Christopher on the afternoon of 29 May 2025 - which read: “I will f***ing take your head off mate” – was ‘bravado and all talk’.

“Yeah,” the defendant answered.

Fear

The jury heard the defendant had reconsidered his position after seeing Christopher, and a group of teenagers, outside his house in Ramsey, just after 3pm, on 29 May last year.

When asked how he felt about the messages at that stage the defendant replied: “Like, they meant what they said.”

He told jurors he only recognised one person standing outside his home because he wasn’t wearing his glasses adding he didn’t wear them because he didn’t want to get ‘picked on’.

Ms Grey KC also read an extract from a report compiled by prosecution expert Doctor John Marshall, a clinical and forensic psychologist, to the jury.

In it the defendant had told the doctor that his fear at the group being outside his home was ’10 out of 10’.

She also questioned the defendant about claims made by the prosecutor that he’d misled the police in his prepared statement by not revealing the full extent of the messages exchanged.

“Did you mislead the police in any way?” she asked.

“No, I wouldn’t say so,” the defendant replied.

The Trial

The juvenile defendant denies the offence of murder.

The trial is expected to continue tomorrow (21 October).

You can find out more about the trial HERE.