A 16-year-old student attacked two sleeping students and a teacher with hammers at a private school … he’s now found guilty of attempted murder.
The schoolboy was wearing just his boxer shorts and was allegedly ‘on a mission’ to protect himself from a zombie apocalypse when he carried out the attack.
HIS CONFESSION
The teenager, who is now 17, admitted assaulting the two boys and the housemaster at Blundell’s School in Tiverton, Devon, but claimed he was sleepwalking.
Two of the victims, aged 16 and 15 at the time, were taken to hospital in life-threatening conditions and will never fully recover, the court heard.
The adult victim Henry Roffe-Silvester, 38, who was a member of staff at the school and the housemaster of the dorm, was also taken to hospital and was discharged later.
COURT HEARD
Exeter Crown Court heard that the schoolboy, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, had armed himself with three claw hammers and waited for the two boys to be asleep before attacking them.
DETAILS OF THE ATTACK
The two pupils were asleep in cabin-style beds in one of the co-ed school’s boarding houses when the defendant climbed up and attacked them shortly before 1am on June 9 last year.
Housemaster Henry Roffe-Silvester, who was asleep in his own quarters, was awoken by noises coming from the boarding house and went to investigate.
When he entered the bedroom where the attack had happened, he saw a silhouetted figure standing in the room, who then turned towards him and repeatedly struck him over the head with a hammer.
Another student heard Mr Roffe-Silvester shouting and swearing as he fled the bedroom and dialled 999 – believing there was an intruder.
The two boys were discovered in their beds a few minutes later.
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THE INJURIES THEY SUFFERED
They had suffered skull fractures, as well as injuries to their ribs, spleen, a punctured lung and internal bleeding.
Both are living with the ‘long-term consequences’ of the attack but have no memory of the incident.
Mr Roffe-Silvester suffered six blows to his head.
COURT JUDGEMENT
The jury found the defendant guilty of three counts of attempted murder after 40 hours of deliberation.
Trial judge Mrs Justice Cutts said she would adjourn sentencing for the preparation of pre-sentence reports, including a psychiatric report, and would pass sentence on October 18.
