This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/nov/06/newcastle-man-court-charged-planning-attack-college
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 1 | Version 2 |
---|---|
Newcastle teenager appears in court charged with planning attack on college | Newcastle teenager appears in court charged with planning attack on college |
(about 4 hours later) | |
A teenager has appeared in court accused of plotting an attack on his old college, armed with pipe bombs, a pistol and expanding bullets. | |
Liam Lyburd, 18, appeared before North Tyneside magistrates’ court on Thursday charged with possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life, possessing ammunition with intent to endanger life, and five counts of possessing an explosive substance, namely a pipe bomb, with intent to endanger life. | |
The firearm charge related to alleged possession of a Glock pistol and the ammunition charge involved alleged possession of a number of hollow-point expanding bullets. | |
Lyburd, from Newcastle, smiled at waiting photographers as he was escorted into the court from a prison van. During the hearing he spoke only to confirm his address and date of birth. | |
No pleas were entered and he was remanded in custody to appear before Newcastle crown court on 20 November. | |
The teenager was arrested on Monday at the terraced home he shares with his mother and sister near St James’ Park, Newcastle United’s football ground. Police had been called after a member of the public raised concerns about posts on social media. | |
Fifty neighbouring residents were evacuated from their homes while the army bomb disposal team searched Lyburd’s house. Some residents were not allowed to return to their homes until Tuesday morning and had to sleep in Westgate community college overnight. On Thursday morning, police boarded up the ground-floor windows and door of Lyburd’s property. | |
Police said later that serious harm was intended to be caused at Newcastle college, a large further education institution in the city with over 18,000 students. “We are confident that we have prevented the incident from taking place,” said Northumbria police in a statement. | |
The college confirmed that Lyburd had “briefly” been enrolled as a student for around a month in September 2012. He was supposed to do a general access course, which is designed for those with no other qualifications. | |
On Thursday the college principal, Carole Kitching, sent an email to all staff insisting “the safety of everyone on campus has been paramount to us and the college remains a safe place to study”. | |
She said: “Our security staff are on duty 24 hours a day and monitor the campus through an extensive network of CCTV cameras in key areas inside buildings and across the campus. And of course all staff, students and visitors should be wearing visible ID badges to help keep everyone safe.” | |
Student Kelly Craig, 18, said: “It’s surreal. I can’t believe something like that would happen here.” Fellow pupil Chelsea Anderson, 17, said: “I think it’s pathetic, to think that someone would want to bomb a place where young people are just trying to get an education.” | |
Georgia Christie, 19, said she heard on Facebook rather than through teachers or lecturers. “Nobody here told us anything. They should have told us what was going on,” she said. “It’s quite scary. I remember hearing about that bomb threat at the university in the summer and didn’t think it could happen here.” | |
Last month, a Russian student at Newcastle University was jailed after making explosives in his room on campus, sparking a major security scare. | |
Vladimir Aust, 19, was arrested after a highly explosive chemical was found in his room in June, prompting the campus to be evacuated. | |