Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Good afternoon. I am Detective Superintendent James Dowler.
00:04Today, a 17-year-old boy was sentenced to 12 years in prison for what can only be described as a truly horrific incident.
00:12The offender attacked two schoolboys with a hammer as they slept in their beds in a completely unprovoked assault.
00:18These assaults were brutal and savage.
00:21The offender hammered down repeated blows on each victim's head, causing life-threatening injuries.
00:26I have no doubt that his intent was to kill his fellow pupils.
00:30After being arrested, the offender denied having any conscious knowledge of the attack and at court, claimed that he was sleepwalking.
00:38This was a defence which the jury found not to be true.
00:42Officers from Devon & Cornwall's Major Crime Investigation Team meticulously investigated this matter
00:47and uncovered evidence which showed the offender had indeed been fully conscious during the attack, which had been months in the planning.
00:54The incident has had a lasting effect, not only on the victims and their families, but on the whole school community and all those who were present that night.
01:03I would like to take this opportunity to thank the victims and their families for their continuous support throughout this trial
01:09and also to those who were present on the night of the attack and offered life-saving assistance.
01:14The outcome would have been far worse had the victims not received such effective and efficient first aid from those first on the scene and later on at the hospital.
01:22I hope that the conclusion of this case allows the victims and their families the space to move on in their young lives as they work to put the horrific events behind them.
01:31I would also like to extend my sincere thanks to the investigation and prosecution teams for their dedication in this case and for bringing this dangerous individual to justice.