Luton teenager who shot and killed mum and two siblings jailed for a minimum of 48 years

A teenager is facing the next 48 years in prison for the murders of his mother, sister and brother at their home in Luton.

Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb sentenced Nicholas Prosper to life behind bars, to serve a minimum of 48 years.

It can now be reported that Nicholas Prosper, who was 18 years old at the time, had spent over a year plotting an evil plan to, in his own words, "cause the biggest massacre of the 21st century and be more famous than Sandy Hook", a school in Connecticut, United States, in which a man shot and murdered 20 children and six adults.

Prosper was arrested by police before he could carry out the attack on a school.

Sentencing him, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said he intended to commit a “murder spree with the sole purpose of glorifying the name of the perpetrator”.

"You wanted to cause the biggest massacre of the 21st century as there had not been one."

She went on to say that upon arrest, he was "inappropriately cheerful" and even "asked if the local schools were locked down."

Horror unfolded at the family flat at around 5am on September 13 last year, when Prosper shot his family members after a violent and prolonged struggle, during which he stabbed his brother more than 100 times.

Luton Crown Court heard he had carried out a test shot into a teddy bear in his bedroom before launching the attack.

The teenager was able to buy a shotgun and 100 cartridges from a legitimate dealer using a fake firearms licence that he made himself, and pretended to be interested in clay pigeon shooting.

There were no concerns about him up until the end of year 11 in school, when he was described as a quiet but geeky boy with a small group of friends who were into computers.

The court heard a statement from his father Raymond Prosper, read by Prosecutor Timothy Cray KC, who said that "part of my soul died" on the day of the killings, and that it is "a lose-lose situation for us all, and we have lost four family members".

A significant degree of premeditation

The case, investigated by the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit, uncovered extensive evidence of premeditation, including firearms research, a falsified document, and detailed plans.

The court today heard the murders of his mother Juliana Falcon, 48, brother Kyle Prosper, 16, and sister Giselle Prosper, 13, were always part of his plans.

Prosper was however stopped by Police before he could commit the school shooting.

Detective Chief Inspector Sam Khanna told Greatest Hits Radio that Prosper, who has been vocal in prison, was interrupted by his mother in the early hours of that morning of September 13, which led him to murdering her, along with his brother and sister, earlier than he had planned.

DCI Khanna said: "He's told us that his mother disturbed him in his sibling's bedroom, which meant that he had to act at that point and potentially bring forward his plans.

"We believe that he would have looked to murder his family later in the day so nearer the morning so that he could go from that point to the school and commit the atrocity he had planned, but because his mother interrupted him and potentially saw the weapon, he knew that he wouldn't have the opportunity as the alarm would be raised, so decided to to start on his plan with his family at that point."

After carrying out the murders, the defendant left the property and later planned to take his own life.

Police were first alerted when a downstairs neighbour called emergency services at approximately 5.30am. He was later found, having left the weapon behind, and was taken into custody.

Planning and firearm acquisition

Investigations revealed that the defendant had been considering his plans for more than a year before the murders.

He researched firearms extensively, looking into ways to acquire one and methods to falsify a firearm licence.

In August 2024, he attempted to purchase a gun for the first time, but failed.

On the morning of 12 September 2024, the day before he murdered his mother and two siblings, and had plans to commit a mass shooting, he successfully obtained a shotgun.

CCTV footage showed the moment Prosper left the family home to purchase the weapon, with a large empty bag, a transaction between a legitimate seller and Prosper, and his return home with the same bag over his shoulder which appeared to conceal a large item.

Details which have emerged from court include the price at which the shotgun was purchased.

Prosper offered the seller £600, £150 above the price at which it was listed, as long as they included additional cartridges.

The seller was unknowingly presented with a forged certificate.

Online searches

During the investigation, police recovered a significant amount of digital evidence, including internet searches relating to mass shootings and videos of extreme violence.

Prosper's research showed a particular interest in attacks on early-years school pupils.

Alarmingly, an extensive amount of content of extreme violence was accessed and viewed by Prosper on the surface web.

He is also said to have been particularly drawn to violent video games.

Police additionally found he had access to the dark web, but were unable to access a history of searches.

Part of the surface web browser history they were however able to retrieve showed searches relating to St Joseph Catholic Primary School, his former school, and detailed plans for an attack.

He had looked up term times and opening times.

Police believe his interest in that particular school was down to prior knowledge of the inside of the premises.

Documents found in his prison cell outlined his intentions, including maps of his flat and notes about his actions.

Psychological profile and motivation

The defendant had not been referred to any Prevent or police monitoring programmes.

At school, he was considered quiet, with no major concerns raised about his behaviour.

However, in the summer of 2022, his teachers noticed a change, with reports that he had become withdrawn and disengaged.

The school raised concerns about his mental health, but he refused to seek help and declined to see a GP. He left school in March 2023.

Psychiatric evaluations conducted after his arrest indicated he displayed traits of autism, but experts concluded this did not influence his actions.

His autism spectrum disorder meant he could not stay in mainstream education or hold down a job, and he became increasingly isolated, spending more time online and becoming obsessed with school shootings.

Defending, David Bentley KC said he had gone down "an internet wormhole".

His motivation was however described by Prosecutor Timothy Cray KC as a desire for infamy, with comparisons drawn to well-known mass shootings.

He told the court: "He had been preparing these killings for months. His planning was cold, deliberate and without sympathy or emotion towards the actual victims or potential victims."

Documents found in his prison cell suggested he wanted to be remembered as one of the most notorious mass killers of the 21st century.

The distinctive black and yellow clothing he wore on the day was part of his evil plan, which police put down to his desire of becoming a prolific killer.

DCI Khanna said: "He knew he wanted to use a day to commit these atrocities on a day when there was nothing else in history that was a bigger event so he could be known as the person on 13th of September that committed horrific murders of his family and a school shooting."

Authorities reviewed whether the case met the legal definition of terrorism but concluded that there was no evidence of an ideological or political motive.

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