Primary school ‘devastated’ by Nicholas Prosper shooting plan

A primary school has said it was “devastated” to learn it was the target of former pupil Nicholas Prosper for a mass shooting.

Prosper, 19, from Luton, Bedfordshire was jailed for life with a minimum term of 49 years after killing three members of his family at their flat on September 13 last year.

He had also been planning to shoot at least 30 young children and two teachers at St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School in Luton, driven by a desire for notoriety and to cause “the biggest massacre in the 21st century”.

Following his sentencing on Wednesday, the school’s headteacher Maureen Murphy said: “We were extremely shocked and devastated to learn that there was a plan to target children and staff at our school, in particular the early years classes.

“We would like to reassure our parents and carers that the safety of children is of paramount importance and this will never be compromised.

“Over the past weeks we have reviewed our safeguarding systems including examining our procedures such as lockdown and safety processes to ensure they are as robust as possible. And Luton Council has also supported us to review the security of our site.

“We fully appreciate that the details revealed in the sentencing hearing may be upsetting and distressful for staff, parents, carers and children therefore in liaison with the council’s education service, a range of support is available to those who may need it over the coming days.

“The Prosper family were a cherished part of our school community and at this time our thoughts and prayers are with their relatives, friends and the wider community.”

She said: “We are aware that this incident could have happened anywhere in the country, and hope that it serves as a catalyst for a national conversation around school security, access to firearms and internet site regulation.”

Ms Simmons said the council was supporting the school with the availability of counsellors for any pupil, family member of staff in need, as well as providing wider support in the community.

The councillor added: “As troubling and concerning as these revelations are, it is important to remember that this individual was not able to cause any harm to the school and there are robust systems in place to keep children safe at school at all times.”

Prosper shot his mother Juliana Falcon, 48, and siblings Giselle Prosper, 13, and Kyle Prosper, 16, at the flat the family shared in Luton before stabbing his brother more than 100 times.

The court heard there had been no concerns about Prosper throughout secondary school up to the end of year 11, as he was described by teachers as a quiet and geeky boy with a small group of friends who were into computers.

But something changed when he started sixth form and he stopped engaging with other people or doing his school work, leading to him leaving the school in March 2023.

Cardinal Newman Catholic School in Luton, which was attended by Kyle Prosper and previously Nicholas Prosper, said in a statement on its website: “Firstly, it is important to acknowledge that Juliana, Kyle and Giselle are foremost in our thoughts.

“We always knew that Kyle was a much-loved student who was known for his kindness and for simply being ‘a brilliant friend’.”

The school said its immediate actions were to “help each other through the coming days and weeks” and said the details given in Nicholas Prosper’s case were “difficult to hear, and even harder to comprehend”.

It added: “While we believe we exhausted the avenues open to us to support this family, after such a tragedy we would not be human if we did not reflect on whether there was anything we collectively could have done differently.

“We would welcome being part of any review process that may take place in the future.”