Roberts Buncis, 12, (pictured with his dad) was found dead in Fishtoft on December 12, 2020.
A 14-year-old schoolboy used such force to stab a 12-year-old that the tip of the knife blade was left embedded in his victim’s skull, a murder trial jury was told today.
The older boy is alleged to have lured the 12-year-old out of his home in the early hours and then carried out a sustained “brutal” and “savage” attack.
Roberts Buncis suffered stab wounds all over his body including a serious injury to his neck, the jury at Lincoln Crown Court was told.
Tributes left for Roberts Buncis, 12, near Alcorn Green in Fishtoft, where his body was found. | Photo: John Aron
The jury heard that Roberts was stabbed “again and again” and it appeared that the 14-year-old had also tried to cut off one of Roberts’ hands during a prolonged attack.
Mary Loram QC, prosecuting, said that the two boys had apparently been friends and were part of the same Facebook Messenger group.
Flowers have been placed in honour of Roberts. | Photo: John Aron
Earlier the defendant appeared to be encouraging Roberts to sell drugs for him, she said.
The defendant, she said, had also discussed whether Roberts would snitch.
Roberts’ body was found in a wooded area near to a footpath in the village of Fishtoft on the morning of December 12, 2020.
People gathered on the streets for Roberts’ funeral. | Photo: John Aron
Miss Loram said: “He (Roberts) had been subjected to a brutal and prolonged attack with a knife.
“In short he was stabbed to the head, to the back, neck, torso, legs and arms and those injuries inevitably led to his death.
“You will not be asked to look at any photographs, but you will be looking at a detailed re-creation of them so you can see for yourself the savagery and the extent of the attack upon him.
“We can see repeated injuries caused by a knife to the back. It is difficult to see how these could ever have been caused in self defence.
“The wound to the neck speaks for itself. The injuries to one of the hands was such that it looked as if, in the attack, the defendant had tried to cut it off.
“When the knife was found the tip was missing. The tip of the knife was found still lodged in his (Roberts) skull. He had been struck with such force as to break the tip of that knife.
“This was no instant reaction. To cause these amount of injuries must have taken time. It was truly a sustained attack and could never sensibly have been suggested to have been done in self defence.
“The person accused of killing Roberts is this defendant who is 14-years-old. He also lived in Boston and it seems was a friend of Roberts or at least seemed to be.
“This was a planned attack on Roberts. Maybe he (the defendant) didn’t intend to take it as far as he did. Maybe he did need to. However, we say it was planned by the defendant and Roberts was lured out of his house to be attacked.”
| Photo: John Aron
Miss Loram said that afterwards the defendant messaged another 14-year-old saying “Things went wrong” and “This wasn’t supposed to go down like this”.
Messages found on Roberts’ phone led to the defendant being identified as a prime suspect once the body was discovered.
As a result the home and garden where the defendant lived were searched.
Miss Loram said “In that garden under a pot was a knife. On that knife was the blood of Roberts and also of the defendant.
“A Nike top had been partially burned. There were some latex gloves. These had (the defendant’s) blood on them. That must have been as a result of a significant cut he had to his hand. There was also Roberts’ DNA on those gloves.”
Police identified the victim as Roberts Buncis, 12.
Miss Loram told the jury that the defendant himself had cuts to his hand and following his arrest he was taken to hospital for treatment. When he was interviewed he made no comment to questions put to him.
The prosecutor told the jury that the defendant and another teenager had previously discussed attacking another boy who was accused of being a snitch. The lad involved was subsequently attacked as he waited at a bus stop in an incident five days before Roberts’ death.
Miss Loram said that messages exchanged at the time showed that the defendant “has a tendency towards gratuitous violence with no significant trigger”.
The other boy involved in that attack messaged the defendant saying: “Let’s hope Rob doesn’t snitch”.
The defendant responded “Rob’s a liability” which was met with the response “If he snitch – smack time”.
| Photo: John Aron
Later the other boy messaged the defendant saying “Rob’s dead. Countdown seven days, one hour eight minutes, 12 seconds,” with the countdown ending at midnight on December 13.
Miss Loram told the jury that just days after the concern was raised that Roberts was a snitch he was killed by the defendant.
She added that the defendant also appeared to be encouraging Roberts to sell drugs for him.
In a message exchange the defendant said “We are getting 3.5 to sell in a week. See if you can handle it” to which Roberts replied: “Alright that sounds easy”.
The 14 year old denies the murder of Roberts Buncis on 12 December 2020.
The trial continues Wednesday.
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Phase two of the Lincoln Cornhill paving works at Speakers’ Corner are now complete and the area has been re-opened to the public.
The project began in September 2020 when the tourist information kiosk was demolished to make way for a “more appropriate space for events.”
New seating was placed around the existing London Plane tree, which was preserved during the construction works, and that area opened to the public in December.
The new seated area around the London Plane tree has been in place since December. | Photo: Stuart Wilde for CoLC
Phase two was funded with £1 million from the government’s Towns Deal Fund, and saw the existing paving significantly improved, as well as street furniture installed and associated drainage works.
The revamp of the area is now complete. | Photo: Stuart Wilde for CoLC
The project was done to match the aesthetic of the revamped Cornhill Quarter, and to create a public space for events, pop-ups, or just a nice place to sit for passers-by in the city centre.
Additional seating and street furniture have been added. | Photo: Stuart Wilde for CoLC
Works were officially completed and construction teams cleared the site for opening on Thursday, August 5, with benches either side of the paving and a wide open area for future events.
The space has been spruced up by the new paving works and kiosk demolition. | Photo: Stuart Wilde for CoLC
Mark Leason, Contracts Manager at Lindum said: “It’s great to see the work completed. It’s another piece in the jigsaw of improvements that Lindum has carried out around the Cornhill.
“It’s not been an easy job as the site is in the centre of the city. We’ve worked day shifts and night shifts to get it completed with the minimum amount of interruption.
“The shops nearby have been fantastic. They helped us come up with a phasing plan for the work and their staff have been really patient.”
A thank you was in order for the businesses that may have been affected by the works. | Photo: Stuart Wilde for CoLC
Cllr Neil Murray, Portfolio Holder for Economic Growth at City of Lincoln Council, said: “I am very pleased to see the completion of improvement works at this important part of the city centre.
“The area is much improved and now compliments and connects better with the high quality standard of the Sincil Street/Cornhill quarter.”
Exciting plans are in the pipeline for the future of the area. | Photo: Stuart Wilde for CoLC
The preservation of the existing London Plane tree adds to the aesthetic of the area. | Photo: Stuart Wilde for CoLC
A 39-year-old man has been jailed for two years after a street attack in Newark left another man with a fractured skull and eye socket, and bleeds on the brain.
The victim fell to the floor and hit his head on the road after he was punched to the face by Stephen Chilvers in a violent attack. It happened in Chatham Court in Newark shortly before 11pm on May 2, 2019, following a heated argument between the two men.
Chilvers then continued to punch the man in the face and kicked him in the head before leaving.
Police officers called to the incident provided first aid and stopped the bleeding to the victim’s head by applying several bandages.
The victim was taken to hospital for treatment, which included an operation to attach metal plates to his jaw bone after he sustained a broken jaw.
Following enquiries, police attended an address on Stoke Avenue in Newark during the early hours of the next morning to arrest Chilvers. He was aggressive towards officers and resisted before he was arrested.
Chilvers, of Pierson Street in Newark, was charged on August 3 this year. He then appeared at Nottingham Crown Court for sentencing after pleading guilty to causing grievous bodily harm.
Inspector Charlotte Allardice, District Commander for Newark and Sherwood, said: “This was a vicious and prolonged attack which left the victim with serious head injuries. Chilvers continued to attack him while he was lying prone on the floor, landing more punches and kicking him to the head.
“This kind of violent behaviour is totally unacceptable. Nottinghamshire Police takes such reports extremely seriously and will always investigate and look to take robust action against those found to have committed such offences.”
Nottinghamshire Police added that the latest national statistics revealed offences of violence with injury in the county fell by 25% in the 12 months to April 2021.
A singer from Grantham has released her new single with huge acclaim and celebrity backing, as it was co-written by the lead singer of The 1975 and made BBC Radio 1’s Hottest Record in the World.
Holly Humberstone brought out her new single Please Don’t Leave Just Yet on Wednesday evening, as well as announcing her new six-track EP The Walls Are Way Too Thin, which will be released on November 5.
The project will include title track The Walls Are Way Too Thin, and has songs co-written by singer-songwriter Rob Milton and The 1975’s lead singer, Matty Healy.
Please Don’t Leave Just Yet was selected as Radio 1’s Hottest Record in the World on Wednesday, gaining national exposure for a local star that continues to soar in popularity.
Holly Humberstone was selected for Radio 1’s Hottest Record with her new single. | Photo: BBC Radio 1
Holly said she remembered the songwriting process for her new single and how she turned ‘loneliness into something beautiful’, saying she was ‘so proud of it’.
Posting on social media, she said: “Thank you for writing this special song with me Rob Milton and Matty Healy, it was such a dream. I hope you love Please Don’t Leave Just Yet as much as I do.”
Matty Healy – a man with four number one albums to his name as part of serial hit makers The 1975 – posted to his Instagram account to congratulate Holly on the release, and called her ‘very wonderful’.
Holly’s stock has continually grown in prominence over the past year or so, after an appearance on James Corden’s Late Late Show and Later… with Jools Holland, and long awaited festival appearances at Tramlines and Latitude.
The 21-year-old signed a record deal with Interscope and Polydor Records in 2021, as well as a publishing deal with Universal Music Publishing Group, and this will be her second EP after Falling Asleep At The Wheel was released independently in August 2020.
She will be kicking off a national tour with four sold out shows at Omeara in London, from August 15 to August 18, before hitting the road again across the UK in October and November.
You can listen to Please Don’t Go Just Yet on all streaming services, and you can preorder The Walls Are Way Too Thin EP by visiting her website.
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