A public schoolboy who attacked two sleeping students and a teacher with hammers at a boarding school in Devon was sleepwalking at the time, according to a court defense. The 16-year-old suspect wore only boxer shorts when he attacked two boys and a housemaster at Blundell’s School in Tiverton.
The defendant, whose identity is protected for legal reasons, had three claw hammers in his possession during the incident. The prosecution claims that the teenager struck the victims in a calculated attack, while the defense argues he was not conscious at the time.
Exeter Crown Court heard that the attacks occurred around 1 am on June 9 last year. The two boys were asleep in cabin-style beds in one of the school’s boarding houses when the defendant climbed up and began hitting them with a hammer.
Housemaster Henry Roffe-Silvester, who was sleeping in his own quarters, was awakened by the commotion and went to investigate. When he entered the dormitory, he saw a silhouetted figure standing in the room. The suspect then turned and struck him repeatedly over the head with a hammer.
Kerim Fuad KC, representing the defense, told the jury that the defendant’s actions were not premeditated and that he was sleepwalking during the attacks. “The defendant had no reason nor intention to kill them,” Mr. Fuad stated.
The defense maintains that the teenager’s lack of consciousness negates any criminal liability, as one must be fully conscious to commit a crime. Mr. Fuad explained that the defendant could not control his actions while sleepwalking.
The jury was told that the suspect was being blackmailed online and was facing demands to pay £400 shortly before the incident. This, the defense argues, could have contributed to his mental state at the time.
James Dawes KC, prosecuting, previously indicated that an examination of the defendant’s iPad showed he had been listening to music on Spotify just before the attacks. The investigation also revealed an unhealthy obsession with one of the boys, with hammers as weapons, and with killing and killers, suggesting a deliberate and premeditated act.
Concluding the opening of the prosecution’s case, Mr. Dawes said: “These are deliberate actions, and he rained blows down on their unprotected sleeping heads with heavy hammers. These violent actions were repeated again and again.” He highlighted that the hammers used were purchased months in advance, reinforcing the theory that the attacks were premeditated.
The defendant, now 17, denies three charges of attempted murder. The trial has been adjourned until Wednesday.
