British teen gets life in prison for attacking Hong Kong roommate, 2 others with hammer
Jury finds boy, 17, guilty of three counts of attempted murder for attack on roommates, teacher at Blundell’s School in southwest England
A British student has been sentenced to life in prison for attacking a Hong Kong pupil and two others with a hammer at a boarding school in southwest England.
A jury found the 17-year-old boy, who could not be named for legal reasons, guilty of three counts of attempted murder. He denied responsibility and claimed he had been sleepwalking.
The Exeter Crown Court on Friday sentenced the teenager to life in prison, with the chance to apply for parole after 12 years.
The defendant attempted to kill his two roommates, who were aged 15 and 16 at the time and included a Hongkonger, on June 9 of last year as they slept in their room at Blundell’s School in Tiverton, before attacking his housemaster.
According to Devon and Cornwall Police, the court heard the defendant attacked the first victim, causing serious head injuries and damage to his ribs, lungs and spleen.
The second roommate sustained multiple skull fractures in the incident, before maths teacher and housemaster Henry Roffe-Silvester intervened and tried to disarm the attacker.
While the two boys survived, one of them remained in hospital for several months, underwent significant rehabilitation and still suffered from “life-changing cognitive impairment”, the court heard.
