A 14-year-old boy has appeared in court, charged with plotting
his own murder. John, 14, used multiple personalities on the internet to
convince Mark, 16, to stab him when they met up in Greater
Manchester last June. The boys’ real names have not been
disclosed to the press. John used a number of different
characters on the internet and became friends with Mark after
meeting him in chat rooms. One of John’s false personas
– a 42 year-old woman claiming to work for MI5 – told
Mark he had to murder his friend. He was told to say, “I
love you bro” as he carried out the attack and was promised
sexual favours and money if he was successful. After the stabbing
John was left critically ill in hospital, although he has now
recovered. He is said to have been having difficulties in school
and was unsure about his sexuality. Both boys have been put under
supervision orders.ARCHIVE: 5th week TT 2004
Teenager arranges his own murder on net
