Roberts Buncis: 14-year-old accused of murder was a drug user who took a knife into school, jury told

A 14-year-old boy accused of repeatedly stabbing a 12-year-old in a “brutal” murder was today described to a jury as a drug user who regularly carried a knife.

12-year-old Roberts Buncis' body was found in a wooded area near to a footpath in the village of Fishtoft on the outskirts of the town of Boston,  on the morning of 12 December last year.

A teenage girl, who said she was really close to the defendant, told the jury at Lincoln Crown Court "He always had a knife when he went out". She said that he kept the knife either in a man bag or in his sock.

The girl said "At some point in 2020 he just came into school with a knife. He had this man bag thing. He used to carry a knife with him.

"It was for protection just in case someone wanted to come at him. He told me that because he trusted me.

"It was like a little black one. You have to push the blade up. Like a cardboard knife.

"A week or two before he got kicked out of school he bought a knife in. I don’t know what he got kicked out for."

Under cross-examination from Brendan Kelly QC, representing the defendant, she said she saw the defendant take a knife into school.

The girl described the defendant as a drug user. "He said he suffered from depression and anxiety," she said.

"He took, like, drugs to try and help him. Weed and whatever he could get his hands on.

"He told me one time at school in a maths lesson together he took acid. That’s what he said to me. They (the teachers) didn’t know. He asked me for money a lot so that he could buy weed."

She was asked "How many times did you see him smoking weed?" and replied "daily".

Under cross-examination, she said she knew the defendant wanted to sell drugs and had also asked her, Roberts and another youth to assist.

The girl said Roberts told her he planned to meet the defendant on the night when he died.

“They were going to meet for a drink in the park. That’s where they usually met. Central Park. That was where Roberts used to sneak out of home and meet up with him to drink alcohol.”

She said that on the night she exchanged messages with Roberts for around two hours but then the messages from Roberts suddenly stopped.

“Three hours later everyone was texting to say ‘where is Roberts?’ There was a lot of people. I thought something had happened.”

She said a teenage boy later sent her screenshots of messages in which the defendant made comments such as “This shouldn’t have happened” and “I’ve got blood on me.”

The 14-year-old, who cannot be identified because of a court order, denies the murder of Roberts Buncis.

Mary Loram QC, prosecuting, has told the jury that the defendant lured Roberts out in the middle of the night and then carried out a brutal attack with a knife stabbing Roberts "again and again".

Miss Loram said Roberts was subjected to a brutal and prolonged attack leaving him with stab wounds to his head, back, torso, legs and arms. One of his hands was injured so severely it appeared the defendant had tried to cut it off, she said.

The trial continues.