A heartbroken sister has shared the moment she heard her brother’s heart beat for the final time.
Charlie Cosser, 17, was stabbed three times at an end-of-term house party in 2023 and died two-and-a-half days later in hospital.
Charlie’s dad Martin has dedicated the rest of his life to preventing knife crime – and his family have shared the devastating impact of his death in a new documentary.
Yura Varybus, 16, was found guilty of murder after a trial at Brighton crown court and handed a life sentence.
And now the story of Charlie’s murder case going viral will be told in ITV1 series TikTok: Murder Gone Viral.
Sign up for all of the latest stories
Start your day informed with Metro’s News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens.
During the programme, viewers will see Charlie’s younger sister Eloise describe how she and her family found out about the stabbing.
She said: ‘I woke up to the sound of the door being banged on really hard. The police officer tells us she’ll be driving us to the hospital where they’ve taken Charlie.
‘I didn’t have time to put my shoes on. I just ran out in the darkness into the police car.’
Charlie went into cardiac arrest in the ambulance because one of the knife wounds damaged his aorta.
Medics operated in the ambulance and doctors stabilised him in hospital.
However two-and-a-half days after the stabbing, the Cossers agreed to turn off Charlie’s life support on the advice of doctors, after it was found he had suffered irreversible brain damage.
Describing her final moments with Charlie, Eloise said: ‘I can’t even describe how it feels like to watch your brother die.
‘I put my head on his chest and I was listening to his heart beat for the last time.
‘I looked at his face and I could see the colour draining from his face and he became even more pale than he was before.
‘I was told I needed to step back because I was in such a state but I’m refusing because I don’t want to leave his side in his last moments and that’s when I put my head back on his chest and realised his heart was no longer beating.’
Dad Martin said he promised Charlie on his deathbed that he would do everything he could to campaign against knife crime.
His awareness campaign primarily takes place over TikTok, where he posts on Charlie’s account @CharlieCosser17, and his videos have racked up millions of views.
He said: ‘I just held Charlie’s hand and I made him a promise.
‘I promised him justice but the main promise was that I would spend the rest of my life educating people about the dangers and immeasurable impacts of knife crime.
‘I felt so isolated and alone in the immediate aftermath and I just recorded into the phone.’
TikTok: Murder Gone Viral begins on Tuesday, October 21 at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.