Massacre at college stopped at last minute

An 18-year-old was stopped at the last minute from carrying out a gun and bomb attack on a college in Newcastle last year, a court has heard.

The “embittered yet highly skilled” teenager had planned to carry out mass murder at his former college after building up a collection of weapons and explosives, a court heard.

Liam Lyburd, 19, pleaded guilty to nine charges relating to making five pipe bombs, two homemade explosives, possessing a 9mm Luger Calibre Glock gun, 94 jacketed hollow point expanding bullets and CS gas.

But he denied eight charges of possessing those items with an intent to endanger life at Newcastle College.

Prosecutor Nick Dry told Newcastle Crown Court that following concern raised about posts he had made on Facebook in November, under the name Felix Burns, police went to the house where he lived with his mother and sister.

His mother took police upstairs where in his room they found a black handgun, along with knives, canisters of CS gas and a number of what appeared to be explosive devices.

Mr Dry said: “He then stated he had intended to carry out a mass murder at Newcastle College that very day and that the officers had saved lives, preventing what would have otherwise been a massacre at the college.

“He repeated to them that it had been his intention to blow up the college and, as he put it, ‘to shoot a bunch of people’, laughing as he was transported to the police station and speculating he would get four years for it.”

The jury heard that after being arrested, while he maintained acquiring the arsenal, he told detectives it had been a fantasy he had no intention of carrying out.

But Mr Dry said investigations by police revealed “a process of weapon, explosive and accessories acquisition over a period of months”.

They found images taken of himself dressed for combat, armed with a Glock and brandishing a knife with Bitch Kill written on the wall.

His YouTube account revealed numerous videos demonstrating how to load and shoot a Glock pistol along with others concerning a rampage killing spree.

Mr Dry said: “Scrutiny of his social media communications revealed a number of conversations pertaining to the acquisition of weapons and a plan to carry out a mass killing.”

A note was also found that said “You people ruined my whole life don’t expect me to show mercy today. No one disrespects me and gets away with it.

“Fantasy will become reality today for sure. Where the mind goes the body will follow and yes people will die.”

Through conversations on Skype with a girl in Iceland, he spoke of his desire to kill and had referenced the Anders Breivik massacre in Norway and the Jaylen Fryberg college attack in the US.

The case continues.