A teenager who idolized serial killers and threatened to attack his college has been sentenced to three years and 11 months for possessing explosives and making threats.
Jagger Strang, 17 at the time of the offenses, boasted to fellow pupils about his plans to detonate a pressure cooker bomb at Stafford College. During a Snapchat conversation with a classmate, Strang presented a "bingo card" of mass murderers, displayed homemade weapons, and shared videos of himself experimenting with chemicals and harming cats.
Strang also informed other students that he carried knives and had a plan to bomb the college. Following these statements, three students reported Strang to college authorities, prompting an early closure and police involvement. Strang was arrested later that day.
Upon searching Strang's residence on September 9 of the previous year, officers discovered gunpowder in a coffee jar and a sweet tin. They also found thermite explosives and YouTube instructional videos on bomb-making and detonator construction. Detectives learned that two days prior to his arrest, Strang had researched the Southport killer, Axel Rudakubana, other serial killers, mass school stabbings, and how to construct a pressure cooker bomb.
On the day of his arrest, Strang sent a video to an online contact comparing himself to killers like Rudakubana while posing with a bow and arrow and an axe. Shortly before his apprehension, he messaged another user stating he was "fine tuning my gunpowder" and later accessed a YouTube video on gunpowder creation.
Strang pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing an explosive substance, two counts of possessing terrorist bomb-making videos, threatening to bomb Stafford College, and possession of an offensive weapon. He also admitted to making threats to kill students, though the prosecution accepted he had no intention of building a bomb.
During sentencing, the judge acknowledged Strang as an "isolated young man with problems at home" but emphasized that the severity and number of offenses warranted a custodial sentence. The judge noted that it is increasingly easy to purchase explosives online and that Strang had convinced others of his intent to carry out his threats, even specifying a classroom with many windows as a target.
Strang had told fellow pupils he intended to buy a pressure cooker for bomb construction and showed them videos of homemade weapons and explosives, indicating it was more than just a chemistry interest. Police also found a document titled "manifesto" on his phone, written between July 23 and August 31, which stated, "I am writing this before I do something big, something violent - maybe serial killing, maybe a rampage."
Strang described to classmates the process of making a pressure cooker bomb, including adding shrapnel for increased lethality. He detailed how a particular classroom was an easy target due to its glass windows and that he had timed his escape route. He also shared images and videos related to school massacres and specific killers.
Investigators recovered 120g of gunpowder, ingredients for 1.3kg of thermite and 320g of gunpowder, and a blowpipe from his home. Strang's mother reported a significant change in his behavior after the family moved to Britain from South Africa when he was 13. While she believed he was conducting science experiments, she had made the chemical purchases from Amazon, which Strang claimed to have used while the family slept.
Detective Inspector Dave Rowlands commended the vigilance of college staff and students for helping prevent potential harm. Frank Ferguson of the Crown Prosecution Service Counter-Terrorism Division stated that while the case was not prosecuted on terrorist motivation, Strang's actions posed a serious risk. Strang was sentenced to three years and 11 months in a young offenders' institution.