A mom who turned in her own teenage son to the police for murder has revealed that she has no regrets over her agonizing decision.
As reported by the Daily Mail, Joshua Delbono was sentenced to a minimum of 21 years last year after fatally stabbing 16-year-old Charley Bates in the UK’s Somerset region in July 2022.
But it was his own mother – 43-year-old Donna Delbono – who turned her son in to the police, admitting in an interview with the Mail on Sunday that it was “the hardest choice any parent will ever have to make”.
Joshua Delbono will serve a minimum of 21 years in prison. Credit: Avon and Somerset Constabulary
After learning that her son had killed somebody in a pub car park, the mom-of-seven made a call to the police informing them of what she knew.
“I was brought up to know the difference between right and wrong, and to always try to do the right thing in life, no matter how hard it is,” she told the Mail of Sunday. “Even though it was such a tough choice to make, I know I’d do the same again.
“I couldn’t have lived with myself if I’d chosen instead not to call the police.”
Charley Bates was just 16 when he was killed. Credit: Avon and Somerset Constabulary
Donna added that she feels “terrible” that Bates lost his life that night, and shared her sympathies with the teen’s family.
Following a two-week trial at Bristol Crown Court, the 19-year-old bricklayer was sentenced to at least 21 years behind bars after being found guilty.
During the trial, Donna’s call to the police was played in court, in which she was heard saying: “My son’s killed someone. It was at Radstock earlier. He’s just come back and I’ve found out. He’s in my house now but I can’t let him go anywhere.”
The mom revealed that she had learned of her son’s crime after returning home from a night out with friends. Her daughter, Jade, then told her that Joshua had confided in her about what happened in the pub car park.
Joshua, front, seen prior to the stabbing. Credit: Avon and Somerset Constabulary
“Jade said he’d stabbed this boy, who he had never met before, then gone off to bed,” the mom recalled. “I ran straight into his bedroom and turned on the light. Josh was asleep and I was shaking him awake, but when he came to he admitted everything.
“He said he was scared and didn’t know what to do. I said there was only one thing he could do – hand himself in to the police.”
She continued: “But he said he was too terrified, so I said if he wouldn’t call them, I would. He just nodded. So I grabbed my phone and dialed 999.”
During the trial, the court learned that a dispute had occurred between Charley and one of Joshua’s friends about money – leading to a fight breaking out. Delbono then stabbed Bates in the chest.
When passing the sentence, Judge William Hart highlighted the destruction that can be caused as a result of knife crime, saying: “Let me say to all who hear my remarks of the damage that is caused by carrying knives. What happened that day cast a horrible shadow over everyone.”
