A 19-year-old man who shot dead his mother and two younger siblings had planned to kill 30 children at a primary school, a court has heard. Nicholas Prosper, from Luton, Bedfordshire, wanted to carry out the attack at his former primary school to gain notoriety as a mass murderer, and had been planning it for months.
Luton Crown Court heard details of the plot and how he murdered his mother, Juliana Falcon, 48, brother Kyle Prosper, 16, and sister Giselle Prosper, 13, at the family home in Luton on 13 September last year. Prosper admitted their murders at an earlier hearing, as well as buying a shotgun without a certificate, possession of a shotgun with intent to endanger life and possession of a kitchen knife in a public place.
The court also heard how he had planned to kill 30 early-year pupils and two teachers at St Joseph's Catholic primary school in Luton before killing himself. Prosecutor Timothy Cray KC said: 'The defendant’s main wish was to achieve lasting notoriety as a mass killer. Specifically, he wanted to imitate and even surpass other mass killers around the world.' Prosper said he wanted to outdo the death toll of the Virginia Tech shooting, which remains the deadliest school shooting in the US, leaving 33 dead.
His premeditated plan was months in the making. The day before the murders, Prosper bought a shotgun from an online seller for £650 after forging a shotgun certificate. He planned to shoot his family while they slept and then travel to St Joseph's school at about 8.30am. His plans were disrupted when his family realised something was wrong in the early hours, leading to a violent struggle.
The court heard that Juliana was killed by a single shotgun shot to her head, with slash injuries to her hands and arms. Giselle was killed with a single gunshot to her face, her body found under a dining table. Kyle died after being shot twice, with more than 100 knife wounds. Forensic teams found blood throughout the flat. Neighbours alerted police after hearing gunfire and a struggle. CCTV showed Prosper leaving the flats at 5.33am with a bag containing a shotgun and 30 cartridges.
After hiding for two hours, believing his plan was thwarted as police swarmed the area, he flagged down officers and was detained. A knife was found in his pocket, and he directed officers to the bush where the shotgun was hidden. While in custody, Prosper whispered to a medical practitioner: 'I wish I had killed more,' and said he specifically wanted to kill four-year-olds at the school. He also said he wanted to cause 'the biggest massacre in British history'.
