Matthew Brook KC, instructed by CPS Counter Terrorism Division, recently prosecuted Jagger Strang, an 18-year-old student at Stafford College, who possessed explosives and threatened to blow up his college.
During the televised sentencing hearing at Birmingham Crown Court before Mr Justice Wall, the Court heard how South African born Strang had become obsessed with serial killers and terrorists. The Court was shown a video which the Defendant had made, which showed images of a masked Strang next to images of various murderers.
Using ingredients bought from the internet, Strang made gunpowder and thermite. He told fellow students at Stafford College of his plans to set off a pressure cooker bomb in their classroom.
Strang pleaded guilty on the morning of his trial. When passing a sentence of 3 years 11 months, Mr Justice Wall stressed that had Strang been a mature adult at the time of his offending, the sentence would have been much longer.
The case attracted widespread national publicity.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp8l7de068jo
https://www.cps.gov.uk/national-news/news/teenager-who-threatened-kill-classmates-jailed
