The key facts

  • The teenager was found guilty of attempted murder after the attack on 11 March at Thorpe St Andrew School near Norwich
  • The teenager was found guilty of attempted murder following the attack on 11 March at Thorpe St Andrew school near Norwich
  • The father says the interest in violence began with a Dexter clip on TikTok, after which the algorithm pushed similar content
  • The father says the interest in violence began with a clip from the series Dexter on TikTok, and the algorithm kept pushing similar content
  • The government points to Prevent (more than 6,000 people since 2015) and fines of up to £18 million under the Online Safety Act

The attack and the verdict

A 16-year-old pupil at Thorpe St Andrew School near Norwich has been found guilty of attempted murder after attacking a 15-year-old schoolgirl on 11 March. As the teenager's father told the BBC, the boy, dressed in black and wearing a mask, stabbed the girl with a kitchen knife with an 18 cm blade. The victim spent a night in hospital but was not seriously injured. The two-week trial at King's Lynn Crown Court ended with the verdict last week; a further hearing is scheduled for December, where, according to the father, the teenager faces a 'lengthy sentence'. Because of their ages, the names of the attacker, the victim and witnesses are not being disclosed.

What investigators found

Police found that the teenager had searched the internet for material about mass shootings and serial killers, including on the night before the attack. Notes with plans for a larger attack were found at his home, listing misanthropy, misogyny, suicide and bullying as motives; the court was told that the teenager had studied Elliot Rodger, described by the prosecution as 'an early influence on incel and manosphere culture'. The father insists that his son never showed misogyny in everyday life and that the family noticed nothing alarming: parental controls on the devices mainly limited screen time.

The father's account and the authorities' response

The father, named in the article as John, does not excuse his son, but believes he was 'radicalised' by online content and a 'culture of violence and horror'. According to him, the interest in extreme violence began after a clip from the series Dexter found on TikTok, after which the algorithm began pushing similar material. He called for tighter regulation of children's access to such content. In response, the government pointed to the Preventprogramme, which, according to an official statement, has diverted more than 6,000 people from violent ideologies since 2015, and to the Online Safety Act, which requires platforms to remove illegal content on pain of fines of up to £18 million. The regulator Ofcom, meanwhile, reminds that responsibility for children's safety lies with technology companies and publishes guidance for parents. The case drew comparisons with the plot of the series Adolescence, after which the then prime minister Keir Starmer pledged to tackle the problem of social media's influence on teenagers.

Limitations of the material

The article is based on an exclusive BBC interview with the father of the convicted teenager; his claim of 'radicalisation' is a personal assessment, not an established court fact: the verdict concerned attempted murder. The family also said that before the attack the teenager, in their view, had mental health problems and had attempted to take his own life. What exactly the court will take into account when sentencing in December is not yet known.

An armed police officer is at a doorway to a classroom. He is wearing all black clothing with a helmet and glasses. He is holding a large black gun, pointed towards the floorImage source, Contributed
Image caption,

Armed police officers were called to Thorpe St Andrew School after a teenage girl was stabbed by another pupil

A modern brick court building stands in a narrow paved street near much older brick buildings.Image source, Shaun Whitmore/BBC
Image caption,

John's son was convicted after a trial at King's Lynn Crown Court

Two marked fluorescent yellow, blue and white police cars. Blue and white police tape has been put across the road to cordon it off. There are police officers at the cordon.Image source, Qays Najm/BBC
Image caption,

Roads around the school were cordoned off following the attack

A kitchen knife with a black handle and silver blade placed on light brown paper. The blade has bits of dirt on it. A set square is placed at the handle end of the knife.Image source, Crown Prosecution Service
Image caption,

The kitchen knife used to stab the victim had a blade measuring 18cm (7in) and a handle measuring 12cm (5in) and was found in a wooded area

A still from Adolescence shows the actors Owen Cooper and Stephen Graham in character as father and son, looking at each other in a police station. The walls are white with a teal-coloured horizontal stripe.Image source, Netflix
Image caption,

John acknowledged parallels with his son's crime and the storyline of award-winning drama Adolescence starring Owen Cooper (left) and Stephen Graham

This image, taken from beneath a desk, shows children gathered in a classroom. A chair is in the foreground and blocks part of the picture. The children's faces have been blurred.Image source, Contributed
Image caption,

Pictures shared with the BBC showed some children hiding underneath their desks after the school was put under lockdown

Police bag evidence at the scene outside Thorpe St Andrew School. One female officer is squatting down with an evidence bag and a camera. In the foreground a male officer, slightly out of focus, is writing on a pad. A third figure, a male, stands between them. Blue and white police tape can also be seen.A police officer wearing black uniform and turquoise gloves takes swabs from a green school gate, which is surrounded by blue and white police tape.An armed police officer is at a doorway to a classroom. He is wearing all black clothing with a helmet and glasses. He is holding a large black gun, pointed towards the floor.