Teenager sentenced to life for hammer attack at Devon school

A teenager has been jailed for life with a minimum of 12 years after he tried to kill three people in a hammer attack at a boarding school.

The 17-year-old – who cannot be named for legal reasons – attacked two housemates, then aged 15 and 16, at Blundell’s School in Tiverton in the early hours of June 9, 2023, leaving him with serious injuries.

He also attacked caretaker Henry Roffe-Silvester, who suffered six wounds to the head.

The teenager, who claimed he was sleepwalking during the incident, was sentenced at Exeter Crown Court on Friday after being found guilty of three counts of attempted murder.

Sentencing him, Judge Mrs Justice Cutts said: “They knew the difference between right and wrong and planned to kill these boys.”

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