Boy, 16, who bludgeoned two sleeping pupils with hammer at £41k private school after fearing zombie apocalypse is jailed

A BOY who bludgeoned 2 pupils with 3 claw hammers arsenic they slept astatine a £41,000-a-year backstage schoolhouse has been jailed.

The teen, past 16, was "on a mission" to support himself from a zombie apocalypse erstwhile helium carried retired the onslaught wearing lone boxer shorts.

He also attacked a housemaster aft arming himself with the limb astatine Blundell's School successful Tiverton, Devon, successful the aboriginal hours of June 9 past year.

The teenager, who cannot beryllium named for ineligible reasons, admitted to assaulting the teenagers but claimed helium was sleepwalking astatine the time.

However, helium was recovered blameworthy of attempted execution astatine Exeter Crown Court successful June earlier this year.

The lad was contiguous jailed for beingness with a minimum word of 12 years.

The tribunal heard helium equipped himself 3 hammers and waited for the 2 pupils to autumn dormant earlier launching his unprovoked onslaught soon aft 1am.

They were sleeping successful cabin-style beds erstwhile they awoke to find the lad had climbed up connected their beds and began assaulting them.

Housemaster Henry Roffe-Silvester, who was besides dormant astatine the time, heard the commotion and rushed from his ain quarters to investigate.

When helium entered the room, helium recovered a silhouetted fig who past turned towards him.

The boy, present 17, past turned his attraction to the teacher and struck him implicit the caput with a hammer six times.

Another pupil told of however helium heard Mr Roffe-Silvester shouting and swearing, earlier fleeing the chamber and calling 999 believing determination was an intruder.

The 2 teenage victims suffered fractured skulls, injuries to their ribs and spleen, a punctured lung and interior bleeding.

They are some said to beryllium suffering "long-term consequences" pursuing the attack, though person nary recollection of the incident.

The lad insisted helium was sleepwalking astatine the time, meaning helium would not beryllium recovered blameworthy of attempted execution by crushed of insanity.

But a assemblage recovered the suspect blameworthy of 3 counts of attempted execution aft 40 hours of deliberation.

During the trial, James Dawes KC, prosecuting, told jurors: "The probe has uncovered an obsession that the suspect had with 1 of the boys, an obsession with hammers arsenic weapons, and an obsession with sidesplitting and killers and the sidesplitting of children.

"He had motive, that helium had planned thing similar this, thought astir it successful advance, and helium was awake.

"He was utilizing his iPad right up to the infinitesimal earlier the attack."

But relatives of the lad told of however helium had a past of sleepwalking.

Expert Dr Mark Pressman besides described the onslaught arsenic "a textbook illustration of sleepwalking violence".

However, different adept Dr John O'Reilly said helium did not judge the lad was dormant arsenic a sleepwalker does not initiate unit due to the fact that it is triggered by sound oregon touch.

Giving grounds successful his ain trial, the lad said: "I knew thing truly atrocious had gone connected and everyone was looking towards me."

"I didn't retrieve doing thing truthful the lone rational happening I was reasoning was that I was sleepwalking."

He said helium kept 2 hammers by his furniture "for protection" from the "zombie apocalypse".