Teenager's school shooting plan 'extremely shocking'

A teenager's plan to carry out a school shooting after killing three members of his family was "extremely shocking, distressing and upsetting", a council leader said.

Nicholas Prosper shot dead his mother Juliana Falcon, 48, his brother Kyle, 16, and 13-year-old sister Giselle at their home in Luton in September.

The 19-year-old intended to carry out an attack at his former primary school - and a loaded shotgun with more than 30 cartridges was found in a bush after his arrest, police said.

Hazel Simmons, the Labour leader of Luton Council, said the authority "does not underestimate the emotional difficulty this news will have on children, staff, parents and carers across our school community".

Bedfordshire Police said it had learned Prosper had planned to commit a shooting at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, in the town.

He was "apprehended before he could cause any further harm", it added.

Speaking on BBC Breakfast on Tuesday, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper described it as a "truly appalling, devastating case".

Prosper pleaded guilty to three counts of murder at Luton Crown Court on Monday.

As well as admitting the killings, he pleaded guilty to purchasing or acquiring a shotgun without a certificate, possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life and possessing an article with a blade or point.

He is due to be sentenced on 5 March.

Ms Simmons said: "The revelation that the perpetrator had plans to cause further harm in one of our schools is extremely shocking, distressing and upsetting.

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

She said the council had recently asked schools to conduct a security review following a fatal knife attack at a school in Sheffield - but said all of them would be asked to conduct a further review.

"We know this case will be unsettling for parents which is why the council is working with schools to put support in place in our schools to anyone who needs it," she added.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said action needed to be taken "on this growing obsession of violence among some of our teenagers".

She said an inquiry into the Southport knife attacks and measures being investigated by the UK's independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, Jonathan Hall KC, would "look more widely at some the issues" and responses involving policing, children's and mental health services, the internet and early intervention.

She said the government was publishing legislation about Youth Diversion Orders, "which are about being able to take action early where young people seem to be being radicalised or being engaged in terrorism, to be able to take stronger measures".

Maureen Murphy, the headteacher of St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, said it was "devastated to learn of the tragic death of our former students Kyle and Giselle and their mother Julianna".

"We were very shocked to learn that St Joseph's was an intended target in this incident," she added.

"However we would like to reassure our parents and carers that there is no threat to the school."

She said there were robust systems in place to keep children safe which includes "having clear procedures in place such as lockdown and safety processes which are regularly practised at the school".

"We are proud to be a multi-cultural Catholic community where the safety of children will always be our number one priority and this will never be compromised," she added.

A range of support had been put in place for "any parent or pupil who needs it at this time."

Officers were called to the family flat in Leabank, off Wauluds Bank Drive, at about 05:30 BST on 13 September after a concerned neighbour said they heard a disturbance.

An inquest at Bedford Coroner's Court in October was told that all three of the victims died from gunshot wounds to the head.

Speaking previously Det Supt Rob Hall, from the region's major crime unit, said officers who arrived at the scene were "met with such awful circumstances".

Prosper was arrested shortly after and the firearm was found in the bushes during a search of the surrounding area.

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