‘Love you, little man, just got a beautiful tattoo of you but it’s just not the same as seeing you. We all miss you so, so much.’
The parents of a teenager stabbed to death at an end-of-term party have revealed they still send him messages on WhatsApp every day.
Charlie Cosser, also known as ‘Cheeks’, was stabbed multiple times in July at a party in the grounds of a £1.5 million country mansion farmhouse in the village of Warnham, West Sussex.
The talented footballer who was described by his mum Tara and dad Martin as ‘thoughtful and gentle’, was critically injured and died a few days later.
His alleged killer, a 17-year-old who cannot be named for legal reasons, was said to have suffered amnesia because he had drunk so much alcohol.
He has pleaded not guilty to murder and is due to go on trial on May 13 next year.
Now, his parents have said they still send him messages on WhatsApp as they cannot bear the idea of his name disappearing from the list of recent chats.
His mum Tara, 47, told the Sunday Times: ‘I don’t want to be scrolling down to find him, ever.’
Charlie’s dad Martin said he also texts him regularly, telling him about his life since he passed away – and also writing about a tattoo of his son that he has gotten since.
The 48-year-old said he and his wife generally do not show each other the messages they send to their late son’s number, but said they usually include heart emojis and texts such as ‘I love you’ and ‘I miss you’.
In one message, Martin wrote: ‘Love you, little man, just got a beautiful tattoo of you but it’s just not the same as seeing you. We all miss you so, so much.’
He said: ‘Generally it’s just ‘I love you’ … hearts and everything else. I send him loads of stuff, I do voice recordings, one of the messages I put is, ‘God I miss you so much Cheeks, love you.’
The teen’s heartbroken mum said since Charlie died she continued to carry on the tradition of leaving the bathroom light on and the back door unlocked, as she did when he was alive.
Following Charlie’s death in July, his family put out a statement through Sussex Police. It said: ‘Our lives have been destroyed by the tragic and unnecessary loss of our son.
‘Despite courageously battling right till the very end of his young and innocent life, his injuries were too severe and he tragically passed away on the evening of Tuesday 25 July.
‘He was the most caring, cheeky, loving son and brother we could have ever wished for, and we cannot imagine a life without him.
‘Charlie’s wider family are deeply shocked and saddened by the sudden loss. His grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins are struggling to come to terms with this tragic event.
‘Tributes have been pouring in from Charlie’s wide circle of friends which we would like to acknowledge have brought us huge comfort in our darkest hours.
‘We would also like to thank on our and Charlie’s behalf, all of the efforts of the emergency services who treated him on the scene, as well as the whole of the critical care team at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton, who did absolutely everything they could to save our precious boy, with the utmost compassion, empathy, sympathy and care.
‘His ridiculously silly sense of humour will be deeply missed by everyone who knew and loved him.’
Charlie battled for three days but his injuries were too severe and he died in hospital.
His funeral at Charterhouse School Memorial Chapel was attended by 700 people with mourners being asked to wear a ‘touch of blue’.
Donations made in Charlie’s memory have reached nearly £6,000 after Martin set up a fundraising page with a £10,000 target.
He wrote about the ‘evil crime’ on the JustGiving website saying if it ‘can happen to Charlie it can happen to anyone’.
Martin wrote: ‘Charlie had never been in a fight, was always the first to walk away from trouble.
‘He was a kind, gentle soul. Many people have messaged us to let us know how much Charlie meant to them, how much he helped them, how much he made them laugh, how he lit up a room, how he did not to deserve to die the way he did.’
Now his parents are dedicating their lives to teaching young people about the dangers of knives and are setting up a charity called Charlie’s Promise.
They are due to go to Downing Street next year to meet Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, who is also their MP, and Justice Secretary Alex Chalk about the laws surrounding knives.
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