Boy, 15, found guilty of 'brutal, sustained and gratuitous' murder of 12-year-old Roberts Buncis

A fifteen year old boy has been found guilty of the "brutal, sustained and gratuitous" murder of Roberts Buncis - who died just two days before his 13th birthday.

Roberts' body was found on ground off Alcorn Green in Fishtoft, near Boston, on December 12th. He had suffered fatal stab wounds to his neck, chest and abdomen.

A trial at Lincoln Crown Court heard that the defendant - who cannot be named - "intended at the very least to inflict serious violence" on his young victim because "he was a snitch".

The teenager claimed Roberts had taken the knife to the scene and he "lost control" when the youngster attempted to stab him.

But jurors dismissed the defendant's account after under two hours of deliberations, and instead concluded he was "motivated by anger and tried to punish the deceased rather than losing self-control".

The youth admitted manslaughter mid way through his trial but denied murder. A date has yet to be fixed for sentencing.

The teenager's trial was told he stabbed Roberts "in excess of 70 times" with a wound to the neck that was "consistent with a decapitation attempt."

Jurors were told the defendant "lured" his victim to the area after the pair exchanged Facebook messages.

The youth also sent messages to other friends after the attack saying: "It wasn't meant to go down like this."

The judge, who excused the jurors from further jury service for the next five years, said he would consider an application to lift reporting restrictions in the case at the sentencing hearing.

Acting on behalf of the youth, defence QC Brendan Kelly admitted the violence was "extraordinary" but submitted it indicated a "loss of control" from the defendant.

Addressing the jury during the trial, the prosecution told the jury the murder was "brutal", "sustained" and "gratuitous".

Following the verdict, Detective Chief Inspector Richard Myszczyszyn, of EastMidlands Special Operations Unit, said: "Roberts should have had his life ahead of him but his future was stolen in the most brutal way.

"The future of all who loved Roberts will now be tainted with grief and sorrow and we send our deepest sympathy. Their bravery, and their support for our investigation, under such horrific circumstances, has been incredible. This was an utterly senseless act with devastating consequences."