A disturbing trend of escalating threats and behaviour has come to light with the sentencing of 18-year-old Jagger Strang to three years and 11 months in custody for possessing explosive substances and making bomb threats against his college. This shocking case raises questions about the warning signs that may have been missed, and whether more could be done to prevent such incidents.
Strang's interest in violence and serial killers, including the perpetrator of the Sandy Hook school shooting, was evident during the court proceedings. A safeguarding officer at Stafford College had previously raised concerns when Strang told classmates he possessed numerous weapons and detailed plans to blow up a classroom. This information came to light after a classmate shared their fears with the college authorities.
Police discovered explosive substances upon searching Strang's home in Stafford, along with internet searches and videos related to serial killers on his mobile phone. He had also shared images of Norwegian domestic terrorist Anders Breivik and the individual responsible for a massacre in Crimea on Snapchat, according to prosecutor Matthew Brook KC.
The court heard how Strang had previously lived in South Africa, where he was described as a "nice kid," but had "completely changed" since moving to the UK three and a half years prior. In a disturbing incident, Strang reportedly asked fellow students during a break from his woodwork class on 9th September how to acquire a pressure cooker to "blow up college" and boasted about timing exit routes for his escape.
Police subsequently searched Strang's home, uncovering documents he had written earlier in the year outlining plans for "something big, something violent." A manifesto penned by Strang expressed his desire to emulate infamous serial killers and detailed a hatred for "everything," even considering a knife attack at a hospital where his father was receiving treatment. He also sent three Snapchat videos to a fellow student, showing himself lighting substances in his garden, and another 18-second video where he compared himself to various killers.
Prosecutors stated that Strang had accessed numerous online videos containing "accurate and viable" instructions for creating explosives. A video created just minutes before police arrived at his home on 10th September showed him fine-tuning gunpowder, using chemicals purchased by his mother, who believed they were for a science experiment.