(UK) — The fate of Liam Lyburd, 19, a deranged teen hacker accused of planning a mass murder at his former college in Newcastle, is now in the hands of a jury.
The crypto teen pleaded guilty to nine charges related to making five pipe bombs, two home-made explosive devices, possessing a handgun, bullets and CS gas. He denies eight charges of possessing those items with an intent to endanger life at Newcastle College.
Bitcoin Made Purchase Easy
Lyburd, a talented hacker, used the digital currency Bitcoin to buy the 9mm Glock gun on the Deepweb – a dark and secret part of the internet not visited by normal law abiding citizens. Yesterday, during his trial, the defendant, who claims to be an internet troll, stated:
“Buying a gun was just like buying a bar of chocolate. I didn’t see it as a big deal at the time. I never thought I would get arrested, I thought I would keep it in my bedroom. No one would ever know.”
Police were alerted by an online friend of the teenager who grew concerned about his Facebook posts. The crazed computer nerd allegedly laughed when he initially told officers his plans for getting revenge on his former college classmates.
Officers discovered this picture of the teenager pointing a gun while wearing a balaclava.
“I wanted people to panic a little bit,” he said. “I wanted people to be tearing their hair out, thinking I was going to do it.”
Fully Stocked ‘Kill Bag’
Officers found a ‘kill bag’ stocked with an array of homemade bombs and a Glock handgun, which prosecutors said he planned to use in carrying out a brutal revenge attack. In a note, he wrote how he intended to ‘teach you people a little lesson on respect’ with his bullets, the court also heard. The jury is expected to deliver its verdict this week.
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