Public schoolboy whose M3 firebombs cost the economy £40million
‘He does not regret the incident’
A PUBLIC schoolboy caused around £40million of damage to the economy when he rained firebombs on to a motorway.
Nicholas Elger, 17, admitted wanting to kill with the crude home-made devices – one of which left motorists stuck on the M3 for 12 hours.
Yesterday, a judge ordered that Elger, a former boarder at prestigious Winchester College, be detained in a psychiatric hospital while he considered whether he should be jailed.
Because of the impact of his crimes, the judge took the unusual step of lifting an order which would have prevented the arsonist’s identity being revealed.
The court heart Elger, the son of an investment banker, may be suffering from a serious mental illness which has caused his life to spiral out of control.
In an extraordinary series of events, he repeatedly burgled his school, taking computer equipment worth tens of thousands of pounds.
He then attempted to extort £20,000 in the untraceable web currency Bitcoin from his headmaster to make the raids stop. But staff at the £38,000-a-year school recognised his handwriting and he was reported to police and expelled.
Winchester Crown Court heard Elger made the Molotov cocktails after stealing the ingredients from Tesco.
The first attack took place on September 16 last year when he threw glass bottles containing white spirit on to the M3 shortly after midnight. A lorry driver saw the flaming devices fall in front of him and was able to pull over. A week later, Elger tried again, this time using pet- rol and two pillowcases which he filled with firelighters. One motorist saw flames and stopped across two lanes to try to prevent other vehicles passing. The flames died after about 30 seconds but a lorry contin- ued in the third lane, reigniting them. The motorway had to be closed for at least ten hours.
Prosecutor rob Welling said the schoolboy claimed to have heard a voice encouraging him to throw the firebombs. ‘He does not regret the incident – he does regret not doing them differently and successfully and killing someone,’ he added. ‘The damage to the local economy is £40million. We know many people were left stranded on the M3 for many hours.’ Mr Welling said Elger changed the type of incendiary device ‘because he was not satisfied with what took place on the first occasion’. He added: ‘By November 22, he confided to others that he was responsible. He had been having violent thoughts for months, maybe years.’ to Elger, blackmail of Winchester, the headmaster also tried at Winchester last june, demanding ten Bitcoin, worth around £20,000. He was responsible for a series of break-ins, which began in August 2016, in which laptops, iPads and other computer hardware was taken, costing around £37,000.
His lawyer robert Morris said: ‘These offences coincided with problems in the family home. Those problems, though significant, cannot possibly explain the change from a kind, pleasant boy to this awful risk-taking person.’
judge Keith Cutler imposed an interim hospital order meaning Elger will continue with psychiatric treatment.
He told the teenager: ‘You are a dangerous young man. I am very concerned about you, your thoughts, and what is going on within your mind.’
Elger, who admitted arson, burglary, blackmail and theft, will be sentenced in May.