A teenager with a fixation on serial killers has been found guilty of attempted murder after stabbing a schoolgirl in an apparently unprovoked attack.
The boy, who was 15 at the time, had also expressed disturbing thoughts about his “hatred for women”. Wearing a mask, he approached the unsuspecting girl in a school corridor before driving a knife into her back.
He fled immediately after the assault, prompting a frantic search. A teacher pursued him as he ran from the building and climbed over a gate to escape.
Thorpe St Andrew School, near Norwich in Norfolk, was placed under lockdown for several hours. Armed officers eventually found and arrested the suspect, who cannot be identified because of his age. Concerned parents gathered outside the school after news of the stabbing spread online.
Police investigating the attack uncovered what was described as a “dangerous interest in killers and killing”. The teenager had used an app to produce disturbing videos, including one depicting serial killers Ed Kemper and Ted Bundy “dancing over a still image of the globe”.
Notes recovered during the investigation appeared to indicate his possible motives. They included the words “misanthropy, misogyny, suicide, bullying”.
Armed officers arrest the teenager after the knife attack at Thorpe St Andrew School near Norwich
The teenager had admitted causing grievous bodily harm with intent and possessing a bladed weapon, but he denied the charge of attempted murder.
After a two-week trial at King’s Lynn Crown Court, jurors began considering their decision yesterday. They reached a unanimous verdict in less than four hours, returning to court this morning to convict him.
Dressed in a grey sweatshirt, the teenager showed no visible emotion as he sat in the glass-fronted dock between two security guards. A female intermediary, who had supported him throughout the trial, was also beside him.
The verdict was met with silence in the public gallery, where members of the teenager’s family and other observers were seated.
The victim, who had attended court with relatives, was seen crying as she left the building after the verdict.
Earlier, Mr Justice Lickley KC had instructed everyone in the gallery to respond without emotion and to treat the court’s decision with respect.
Police search a classroom after the school was placed under lockdown
The judge postponed sentencing until December 18 at King’s Lynn Crown Court, allowing time for reports to be completed.
Mr Justice Lickley said a pre-sentence report would be commissioned and that the court would consider whether the teenager posed a continuing danger.
Speaking to the teenager, the judge said the jury had convicted him of attempted murder and that he would understand the seriousness of the offence.
The judge explained that sentencing would take place on December 18, once the necessary reports were available. He added that the teenager should expect a custodial sentence and warned that it would be substantial in length.
The disturbing videos made using apps including CapCut also featured Paul Spector, the fictional killer from the BBC crime drama The Fall.
Another video featured Dexter Morgan, the serial-killer vigilante from the long-running American series Dexter, appearing to “dance” above a map of Florida alongside a list of victims’ names.
Worried families waited outside after hearing about the incident
Suffolk Strangler Steve Wright, who killed five prostitutes from Ipswich in 2006, was also referenced.
The court heard the boy had also written that he had ‘seen killers being admired, I want admiration, gratification. I’ve wanted this for years. I don’t care who I hurt. Not anymore’.
Other notes found at his bedroom described how ‘the idea of violence or possibly even murder sparks something in me’.
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One appeared to outline a plan for multiple murders. It said: ‘I really want to do it, really bad. I hate having to wait… but I have to wait. I need a plan…
‘I want at least two, maybe three. I’d be proud of five.’
And a suicide note found pinned to his wall said bleakly: ‘My barren world. Hello to all readers out there in the UK and perhaps the world. If you’re reading this, I’m either dead or in custody.’
Teachers barricaded doors while officers hunted for the teenager
Officers look for evidence following the attack on May 11 this year
The defendant, who is now 16, continued: ‘My resentment for myself and others has only grown throughout my existence. I thought it got better. I tried to make it better.
‘But I see it in people’s eyes. The disgust. Perhaps it’s reflection of me? No. My reflection is what fuels their hatred. Ever since the failure of a relationship, my hatred for women has fuelled.
‘A girl I’ve never met before said something degrading to me the other day. I wanted to cut that ugly bitch’s throat. And her retarded little slut friend.
‘They’re nothing but fools that know nothing about life or feelings. Am I evil for that? Probably. Am I an incel? A misogynist? No. I just have good judgement.’
School CCTV footage played in court during the trial showed the defendant approach his 15-year-old victim on May 11 and strike her in the left of her back near her shoulder blade with the knife.
He then ran away, pursued by the brave teacher, leaving behind a glove.
The victim, also aged 15, was treated at hospital for an injury to her shoulder but was discharged the following day
When he was arrested by police shortly afterwards, his backpack is said to have contained the other glove, the mask and a black woollen hat. He directed officers to the knife he used.
His victim escaped with minor injuries by ‘sheer luck’, prosecutor Chris Paxton KC said, and was released from hospital the following day.
In a recorded interview, she described how she thought he had punched her at first and began walking away, only starting to sprint when a teacher ‘screamed’ at her.
Giving evidence in court, she added she didn’t know her attacker and had never even seen him before.
The trial heard the defendant had a kitchen knife from home in November last year and later went to his mother to confess he was ‘feeling down and had intended to hurt himself but he chickened out’.
This followed a personal issue he was dealing with and help was sought from his school. He also agreed to have counselling.
In his opening speech, prosecutor Mr Paxton said the schoolboy – who ‘remained silent’ during his police interview – had ‘an intention to kill’.
‘That is why he had a knife, that is why he approached her from behind, that is why he stabbed her in the back, bringing the knife up and back before striking it into her,’ he said.
‘Further, we say his intention is made plain not just by those moments of the stabbing but by his notes, and his obsession with killing, and being fuelled by hatred.’
Following the conviction, Detective Inspector Kerrie Atkin said: ‘This was a deeply shocking and deliberate attack which caused significant distress to the victim, her family, fellow pupils and the wider school community.’
Mr Paxton today said victim impact statements would be prepared for the sentencing, along with a report on the ‘wider impact on the school community’.
