Felix Winter, 18, has been jailed for six years after wearing a costume to school that included an imitation firearm – his class had been studying the 1999 Columbine massacre
An autistic teenager who became obsessed with the Columbine High School massacre terrified his classmates by wearing a costume to school that included an imitation firearm.
Felix Winter, 18, was jailed for six years after admitting two charges – a breach of the peace and a charge under the Terrorism Act – at the High Court in Glasgow in February. The offences occurred between June 1, 2022 and July 31, 2023 at an Edinburgh high school and elsewhere. The court previously heard the 1999 Colorado massacre had been on the S3 curriculum for modern studies.
In 2023, an investigation was launched after an image of Winter wearing combat gear and wielding an imitation firearm was shared on social media. Later, it emerged that he’d been given the costume as part of a drama class project, in which he’d been cast as a kidnapper. But Police Scotland learned that he’d spoken to other classmates about carrying out a school attack on several occasions.
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Winter, whom the court was earlier told is transgender, accepted it would “cause alarm” when posted on social media, due to the comments he had made in the past professing admiration for the attack that killed 12 students and one teacher.
At the same court on Wednesday, Judge Lord Arthurson jailed Winter for what he branded a “prolonged, deeply disturbing and escalating course of criminal conduct”.
The court heard Winter kept notes about the manufacture of cyanide and handguns, and “relayed a desire to perpetrate a school shooting similar to Columbine, discussed placing bombs in a cafeteria and shooting people as they ran out of school”, and engaged daily with pro-Nazi Discord groups online for more than 1,000 hours.
Winter admitted “uttering remarks” about the Columbine massacre, making comments about “desire and plans to carry out acts of violence involving firearms, explosive devices and poisons against pupils and teachers”, showing images of mass shootings to pupils, as well as making racist and homophobic comments.
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He also admitted making comments about “planning to acquire a 3D printer for the purpose of manufacturing a firearm”, and posting on TikTok showing him “dressed in a manner resembling those responsible for the mass shooting at Columbine High School alongside audio referencing school shootings”.
Winter pleaded guilty to a second charge of, between December 2, 2022 and July 9, 2023, possessing documents or records “containing information likely to be useful to someone committing or preparing an act of terrorism”.
Defending, Shelagh McCall KC said the motive was “revenge for bullying” but she added Winter had “experienced positive changes” since his arrest in July 2023.
She said Winter “was groomed by an online community into believing his violent fantasy was morally justified” following the “loss of a friendship”.
Ms McCall added: “The risk assessor report finds that he felt harm was morally justified to those who harmed him, bullies at school and those who failed to protect him. The risk assessor found he started to express racist views in tandem with the rhetoric of an online community.”
Lord Arthurson said Winter was “immersed” in a pro-Nazi Discord group and was referred to the Prevent counter-terror programme in 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025.
The judge said Winter “increasingly saw yourself as a warrior”, and had created “visceral and graphic plans selecting which pupils and teachers you would kill and spare”.
The court heard the teenager wrote “the school is a virus on the earth and everyone should be looking at me as a god”, and kept a journal about shooting people.
In one video, Winter “dressed in a tactical vest and helmet and imitation firearm” sought to “glamourise” the Columbine massacre, while he also posted a video showing him walking along the school corridor, and watched “gore” videos showing executions and dead bodies, the court heard.
The judge said Winter was a “vulnerable young person”, and added: “It is at least arguable you were progressing towards the brink of committing a mass school shooting and becoming radicalised, the statement of intent could not have been clearer. Your ideation grew in intensity; you took steps to obtain information likely to be of use to committing an act of terrorism.
“Your plans had become a degree more operationalised; you asked a witness to retain a journal and said you lied to police. In February you expressed annoyance you had been caught.”
He said only a “substantial” custodial sentence was appropriate.
Police Scotland Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Houston said: “This was an extremely complex and fast-moving investigation, and I want to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the diligence and hard work of the officers who worked tirelessly to gather the evidence and bring the perpetrator to justice.
“The inquiry also underlines the advantages of working closely in partnership as part of the Prevent programme, which promotes early intervention through tailored, diversionary support to individuals who may be susceptible to supporting or committing terrorism to help keep our communities safe.”