A 19-year-old man who killed his mother and two younger siblings as part of a failed plot to kill 30 children at a primary school and become the worst mass murderer in British history has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 49 years.
Nicholas Prosper admitted murdering Juliana Falcon, 48, Kyle Falcon, 16, and Giselle Falcon, 13, last month.
He also admitted to 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.
Prosper refused to attend Luton crown court on Wednesday but was then ordered to be brought to the sentencing, causing the start of the hearing to be delayed, a court official told reporters.
After hiding for two hours and believing his plan was thwarted as police swarmed the area, Prosper flagged down officers in a marked car who detained him.
On Tuesday, Luton crown court heard how he had shot dead his family at their home in Luton after a violent struggle and how it was part of a wider plan to carry out a mass shooting at his former primary school to gain notoriety as a mass murderer.
His premeditated plan was months in the making. The day before carrying out the murders, Prosper bought a shotgun from an online seller for £650 after he “made a high-quality forgery of a shotgun certificate or licence”.
He had planned to murder his family while they slept on Friday 13 September, a date chosen on purpose, and then leave the home at about 8.30am to travel to St Joseph’s school to carry out the attack.
His plans were disrupted when his family realised that something was wrong. After challenging him, a violent struggle followed.
The court heard that Juliana was killed by a single shotgun shot to her head but her hands and arms had “slash injuries and bruising as if she had been trying to ward off blows from a knife”. Giselle was killed by a single gunshot to her face. Her body was found underneath a dining table “as if she had been trying to hide there”. Kyle died after being shot twice. His body was found with more than 100 knife wounds.
Neighbours called the police after hearing sounds of frantic footsteps, shouting and gunshots. Prosper fled the home before officers arrived, holding a bag containing the shotgun he had used to murder his family. Alongside the gun were 33 cartridges, which he had planned to use at a morning assembly at St Joseph’s.
Maureen Murphy, the headteacher of St Joseph’s, said last month that staff were “very shocked” to learn of the plan.
