THE man being blamed for a killing spree in California described growing up in Sussex in a message he sent out before the tragedy.

Elliot Rodger described attending an all-boys private school in the Sussex countryside as part of a long message he sent out before six people were killed on Friday and he was later found dead.

The account of the 22-year-old’s life was sent to Santa Barbara television news station NewsChannel 3.

It gave details of his life before going on to outline plans for a killing spree as revenge for being rejected by women.

It states that shortly after he was born his parents moved from London to The Old Rectory, which he describes as: “a large house made of red brick in the county of Sussex, with vast green fields surrounding it”.

He says: “The memories I have of this period are only memories of happiness and bliss.”

He was then enrolled in preschool at “an upscale all-boys private school in the countryside, near where we lived” called ‘Dorsett House’.

In the message he states: “I didn’t like school at Dorsett House very much. I found the rules to be too strict. My least favourite part of it was the football sessions.”

Last night it was not clear if he was referring to Dorset House, a preparatory school in Pulborough, West Sussex. At the time of going to press the school was unavailable for comment.

The message described being taught to fly a kite by his father Peter Rodger at the top of a range of hills and says that he cried as his parents drove him away from the house to start a new life in America in 1996.

His father is the film director Peter Rodger, assistant director of The Hunger Games.

It is being reported that his son emailed the message to his parents, which led them to see a video he had posted on website Youtube called “Retribution” in which he repeated the threats.

CNN has said that his parents called the police and were desperately trying to find him at the time he carried out the killings.

He is alleged to have stabbed three men to death in his apartment before embarking on a drive-by shooting spree in his BMW, fatally shooting three people before turning the gun on himself.