June 15, 2021 2.02 pm This story is over 32 months old

Trial details savage murder of Roberts Buncis, 12

A knife was found lodged in Roberts’ skull

A 14-year-old schoolboy murdered a 12-year-old during a “brutal” knife attack after luring his victim out of his home in the early hours, a jury was told on Tuesday.

Victim Roberts Buncis, 12, suffered stab wounds all over his body including a serious injury to his neck.

A jury at Lincoln Crown Court heard he was struck with such force that the tip of the knife was left embedded in his skull.

And it appeared that the 14 year old had also tried to cut off one of Roberts’ hands during what was described as a prolonged attack, the court was told.

Tributes left for Roberts Buncis, 12, near Alcorn Green in Fishtoft, where his body was found. | Photo: John Aron

Roberts’ body was found in a wooded area near to a footpath in the village of Fishtoft on the outskirts of the town of Boston, Lincs, on the morning of December 12, 2020.

Mary Loram QC, prosecuting, 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.

“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.”

Police cordoned off an area near Alcorn Green in Fishtoft. | Photo: The Lincolnite

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.

Ballons being released as the funeral possession of Roberts Buncis travelled through the streets of Boston. | Photo: John Aron

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.”

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 14 year old, who cannot be identified because of a court order, denies the murder of Roberts Buncis on December 12, 2020.

The trial continues with Miss Loram due to continue opening the case to the jury this afternoon.