Teenager who murdered family and was plotting school shooting to be sentenced

A 19-year-old who murdered his mother and two siblings, and was plotting a primary school shooting, is due to be sentenced.

Nicholas Prosper, from Luton, Bedfordshire, admitted killing his mother Juliana Falcon, 48, and his siblings Giselle Prosper, 13, and Kyle Prosper, 16, at a previous hearing.

He also pleaded guilty to purchasing a shotgun without a certificate, possession of a shotgun with intent to endanger life and possession of a kitchen knife in a public place.

He is due to appear at Luton Crown Court on Tuesday for a sentencing hearing that is expected to last into Wednesday.

Prosper shot his mother, brother and sister at the flat the family shared in Leabank, off Wauluds Bank Drive, Luton, on September 13 last year.

Two hours after the killings, he flagged down two police officers in nearby Bramingham Road and led them to where he had hidden the shotgun as well as a bag of 33 cartridges.

The teenager had been on his way to carry out a shooting at his former primary school, which he and his siblings had all attended.

Headteacher at St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School Maureen Murphy said after Prosper’s guilty plea that staff were “very shocked” to learn of the plot, but that there was no ongoing threat to the school.

Detective Chief Inspector Sam Khanna, from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit, said: “In all my years working on murder investigations, I have never known a case quite like this.

“Not only were three innocent lives taken in such brutal circumstances, but we then learnt of Prosper’s plans to carry out a shooting at a school, something which left our whole investigation team in shock and disbelief.

“We cannot ever begin to comprehend why someone would plan to kill innocent children and are so grateful to those arresting officers who helped prevent this from taking place.”

Councillor Hazel Simmons, leader of Luton Council, said: “The revelation that the perpetrator had plans to cause further harm in one of our schools is extremely shocking, distressing and upsetting; and we don’t underestimate the emotional difficulty this news will have on children, staff, parents and carers across our school community.

“Our schools have robust systems in place to keep children safe and security is constantly reviewed and monitored.”