London: A British teenager who planned a gun and bomb massacre at his former college has been jailed for life with a minimum of eight years, the media reported.
Liam Lyburd, 19, held a grudge against Newcastle College after he was expelled for bad behaviour just a month into a general access course, The Guardian reported.
He retreated into a reclusive online world, rarely leaving his bedroom, and amassed a “kill bag” and formidable weapons including pipe bombs, a pistol and 94 hollow-tipped expanding bullets.
He was sentenced on Friday at Newcastle crown court having admitted possessing the items and being found guilty of having them with intent to endanger life.
Judge Paul Sloan said he was in no doubt Lyburd would have carried out his planned attack had he not been caught.
“His emotional coldness and detachment and your lack of empathy to others was self-evident,” Judge Sloan told the court.
Police were alerted in November 2014 by a member of the public who was concerned about Facebook posts Lyburd made talking about launching a murderous attack. In his room they found the cache of weapons, the bag containing his overalls, mask, boots and pipe bombs, and incriminating evidence on his laptop.
A deleted file was later recovered from Lyburd’s computer in which he wrote about getting vengeance on the college which had kicked him out two years before.
“You people ruined my whole life, don’t expect me to show mercy today. No one disrespects me and gets away with it. I’ll teach you people a little lesson on respect with my 9mm jacketed hollow points,” he wrote.
Police also found webcam pictures he took of himself dressed for combat, armed with a Glock and brandishing a knife.
—IANS