The 16-year-old was convicted of attempted murder after claiming he was sleepwalking during the brutal assault.

A 16-year-old schoolboy who attacked two students and a teacher with a hammer while they slept at Blundell’s School in Devon has been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 12 years. The teenager, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was found guilty of attempted murder after assaulting the two boys and the housemaster in June of last year.

The court heard that the teenager claimed to have been sleepwalking at the time of the attack and believed he was on a mission to protect himself from a zombie apocalypse. He had waited for the two boys to fall asleep before launching his assault just before 1 a.m. on June 9. Housemaster Henry Roffe-Silvester was woken by sounds coming from the dormitory and went to investigate, only to be struck over the head multiple times with a hammer by the teenager.

The two victims, who were later discovered with severe injuries including skull fractures and internal bleeding, have no memory of the attack and are now living with the long-term consequences. Roffe-Silvester, who was struck six times in the head, managed to escape and alert authorities.

During the trial, prosecutor James Dawes KC highlighted the teenager’s obsession with one of the boys, as well as his fixation on hammers as weapons. Evidence also showed that he had planned the attack in advance, using his iPad shortly before carrying out the assault. Despite his claims of sleepwalking, the court determined that he was fully aware of his actions.

The teenager maintained he was sleepwalking, citing a history of sleepwalking in his family, and argued that he was not guilty due to his mental state. However, the judge ruled that he knew right from wrong and had planned the attack. Mrs Justice Cutts described the defendant as “dangerous,” stating that only a life sentence could protect the public from further harm, as experts could not determine how long he would pose a risk.

In her sentencing, Justice Cutts noted that the teenager’s actions were premeditated, and he had acquired the hammers with the intent to kill. She acknowledged that life in prison would be challenging for him but emphasised the significant risk of reoffending.