Father of Norfolk School Attacker Says Son Was Radicalised Online
The father of a 16-year-old found guilty of trying to murder a fellow pupil has said he believes his son was drawn in by extreme material online. He called for tighter controls on what children can access.
The boy was convicted of attempted murder last week over a knife attack at Thorpe St Andrew School, near Norwich, on 11 March. He cannot be named because of his age. His father, whom the BBC calls John, spoke to the broadcaster and apologised to the 15-year-old girl who was hurt. "We're so very sorry for what happened," he said.
What the trial heard
A two-week trial at King's Lynn Crown Court was told that the boy dressed in black and wore a face mask when he stabbed the girl with a kitchen knife. He hated women, was fascinated by serial killers and had planned to target other people. The girl spent a night in hospital but was not seriously injured.
Police who searched the family home found notes in which the boy had planned a wider attack. They listed misanthropy, misogyny, suicide and bullying as motives. John said reading them made him feel "physically sick". Officers also found that he had searched online for mass shootings and serial killers, including on the night before the attack.
John said he knew nothing about those searches. Parental controls on his son's devices were mostly there to limit screen time, he said, and nothing had suggested anything sinister. Asked whether parents should know more about a phone's contents, he said few go through their children's browsing history regularly.
A father's account
He described his son as shy but with a group of friends, and kind and thoughtful at home. As a teenager the boy spent more time alone. According to John, the boy later said his interest in extreme violence began with a TikTok clip from the drama Dexter, and that the algorithm then fed him more of the same.
The family also believed the boy had been struggling with his mental health in the months before the attack. John said the boy had wanted to self-harm and had tried to take his own life.
John said he did not want to absolve his son. He called for ways to block or monitor such content and asked whether enough money was being spent on the problem. He also urged other parents not to be afraid of being "a bit intrusive".
Response
A government spokesman said ministers were committed to keeping children safe from radicalisation and online threats. He pointed to the Prevent scheme, which he said has moved more than 6,000 people away from violent ideologies since 2015, and to the Online Safety Act, under which platforms face penalties of up to £18m. Ofcom said tech firms are responsible for children's safety online.
The boy returns to court in December. John acknowledged that his son was "looking at a long sentence".
Source: BBC News