Teen Who Murdered Family, Planned School Shooting Gets Court of Appeal to Review Housekeeping Sentence
The case of Nicholas Prosper, who was 19 when he was given a life sentence for killing his mother, brother and sister and plotting a mass school shooting in Luton, has been referred to the Court of Appeal. The referral is to assess whether Prosper should have been given the whole life order, the maximum available sentence in the UK, meaning he would be never be freed.
Grisly Triple Murder in Luton
Juliana Falcon, 48, and her children Kyle Prosper, 16, and Giselle Prosper, 13, were found dead in their flat in the Leabank Court tower block in September last year. Prosper carried out the attack with a shotgun and a knife. Neighbors heard the struggle and alerted police, interrupting his plans to continue the killing spree at his now former primary school.
Investigators determined Prosper had plans to target teachers and four-year-old children because he hoped to be “the world’s most famous school shooter of the 21st century.” But after the killings at his house, he abandoned the plan and turned himself in to police the same morning.
Sentence Referred to the Court of Appeal by the Government
Prosper was sentenced to a life term with a 49-year minimum but the government’s solicitor general has referred the case to the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme. The review was requested among others by Conservative MP Kieran Mullan, who said the severity of the crimes warranted a whole life order.
A spokesman for the attorney general’s office confirmed:
“The solicitor general has referred Nicholas Prosper’s sentence to the Court of Appeal. Prosper should have gotten a whole-life order, the claim will say. Now, it is up to the court to determine whether to lengthen the sentence.”
Whole Life Orders: The UK’s most severe penalty
Whole life orders are reserved for only the most grave offenses, including multiple murders with the highest degree of premeditation, or the murder of a child in similar circumstances. It was previously not available for offenders 21 and younger, but changes to the law in 2022 made it available to 18–20-year-olds in cases where their crimes are deemed “exceptionally high” in seriousness.
If the appeal is successful and a whole life order is imposed, Prosper will be the youngest person in the UK to receive such a sentence.
The Court’s Ruling and the Mitigation Arguments
Mrs. Justice Cheema-Grubb emphasised the tragic impact Prosper’s crimes had on the victims but also recognised the positive: ’Your vile actions may well have saved the lives of numerous children who would have died in a school shooting had your plans come to fruition.’ She decided against an order for a whole life sentence, taking into account the defendant’s age, no previous convictions and the possible impact of an undiagnosed neurological condition linked to autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
But the judge stressed:
Your mental condition did not prevent you from being able to understand the wrongfulness of your conduct or from exercising self-control or rational judgment when you chose to commit violent offenses.
She went on to say that Prosper is a very dangerous person who may never see freedom.
Inspiring Change Through Com[PASSION]
The murders have haunted the community in Luton, and the judge thanked the victims for inadvertently preventing the “further tragedy”. If the appeal finds that the original sentence was unduly lenient, a whole life order will be imposed.
