Teenage boy jailed for brutal murder of friend, 12, who he lured to woods and stabbed 70 times

A teenager has been locked up for a minimum of 16 years and 36 days for murdering his 12-year-old friend after luring him to woodland and attempting to decapitate him.

The 15-year-old boy, who can now be named as Marcel Grzeszcz, repeatedly stabbed Roberts Buncis on ground off Alcorn Green in Fishtoft, near Boston, Lincolnshire, on 12 December last year, just two days before his 13th birthday.

The teenager’s trial at Lincoln Crown Court was told he stabbed Roberts “in excess of 70 times”, with a wound to the neck that was “consistent with a decapitation attempt”.

He had gone to the woodland armed with a large knife and latex gloves.

The youth admitted manslaughter midway through his trial but denied murder.

The defendant claimed the victim had taken the knife to the scene and he “lost control” when the youngster attempted to stab him, but jurors dismissed his argument and concluded he was “motivated by anger”.

Roberts was found dead in a common area at the rear of the street. He had suffered fatal stab wounds to his neck, chest and abdomen.

On the 13 December, Grzeszcz, who was 14 years old at the time, was arrested and charged with the murder of Roberts the following day.

The trial previously heard that Grzeszcz was forced to leave a primary school after bringing a knife on to the premises, and was sent to a pupil referral unit.

The defendant then moved to another school, where he stayed for around three years, but was excluded for selling drugs both in and out of school.

Grzeszcz was then sent to a pupil referral unit where he started the day before Roberts was found dead.

‘No father should ever have to bury their son’

Sentencing the youth on Monday, Mr Justice Jeremy Baker told him: “Although it is less easy to discern the precise motive for your actions that night, if indeed they extended beyond the excitement which the infliction of violence had caused you to experience in the past, it would appear that you viewed the deceased as something of a liability.

“There was a significant degree of planning and premeditation, including luring the deceased to the scene and taking the knife with you when you met up with him.

“When the two of you met up in the wooded area, I’m satisfied while the deceased was unarmed and unaware of what was to take place, you came armed with a large knife and with latex gloves intending at that time, at the very least, to cause him serious bodily harm.

“I should make clear that, although when you commenced the attack upon the deceased you may not have intended to kill him, as opposed to intending him to suffer really serious bodily injury, I am sure that as the attack progressed, given the number and nature of the injuries which you inflicted upon the deceased, there came a time when you did intend to kill him and proceeded to do so.”

In submissions made to the court by the prosecutor, Mary Loram QC, the judge was told the attack was “more than a simple stabbing”.

Ms Loram said: “This was a deliberate and planned attack on a young boy who was deceived to get to the place where he was killed.”

In a short victim impact statement read to the court on behalf of Roberts’s father, Edgars Buncis, he said: “How do I put into words how I feel?

“This is all wrong. No father should ever have to bury their son.

“Nothing is a reason for this. I have lost my destination and my purpose.

“My life is in a cemetery. I feel empty and nothing will change this.”

‘The act was utterly senseless and the consequences, devastating’

After the sentencing Lincolnshire Police said the case was a “chilling lesson” on the consequences of knife crime.

Detective Chief Inspector Richard Myszczyszyn, of the East Midlands Special Operations Unit, said: “This is an utterly tragic case. I would like to pay tribute to the people who loved Roberts, and had to deal with losing him in such brutal and horrific circumstances. Their support for our investigation has been unwavering, and their bravery has been an inspiration. Nothing could bring Roberts back, but our commitment was to try to find some semblance of justice for a grieving family and community.

“The act was utterly senseless and the consequences, devastating. It will be remembered by Officers and Staff as one of the worst and saddest cases we have ever dealt with. The level of violence, and that it involved children, makes it almost incomprehensible.

“The diligence and dedication displayed by the team who responded and investigated was a credit to our Force and hopefully of some reassurance to the community as they continue to come to terms with this distressing and disturbing incident.

“Roberts’s future was stolen and that is an injustice that cannot be undone. We hope today’s sentence might at least offer some closure to those affected.

“It’s a stark and chilling lesson on the potential devastation of knife crime. If you, as a parent or a child, have any concerns about knives, please talk to us. We can all play a part in building a future free of such desperately sad and unnecessary loss of life. We will educate and engage on knife crime and we will continue to relentlessly pursue justice for victims; as we do so, we will remember Roberts.”

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