School hammer attack: Boy researched 'hammer bludgeon', court told

Police found internet searches by the accused about hammer attacks the court was told

A teenager accused of trying to kill two students and a teacher had been searching "hammer bludgeon" on the internet, a court heard.

The pupil from Blundell's boarding school in Tiverton, Devon, used hammers in the attacks in June 2023, Exeter Crown Court was told.

The 17-year-old denies three counts of attempted murder.

Both students were left with life-changing injuries, the jury has heard. The trial continues.

The accused teenager had fallen out with one of the young victims, the court heard

The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons and was 16 at the time, launched the attacks at the private school shortly before 01:00 BST on 9 June 2023, the court has been told.

James Dawes KC, prosecuting, said police had discovered the defendant had carried out internet searches on hammers, such as "hammer bludgeon", "murder with hammer" and "can a hammer kill?"

He also searched for "What would happen if I hit someone on the head with a hammer. Would he lose consciousness?"

The defendant also carried out searches about serial killers and what weapons they used, as well as prison sentences for serial killers.

Mr Dawes said the teenager also searched for "killer kills victims while sleeping" and searched Wikipedia about killer Arthur Hutchinson, whose name he used in online profiles.

"You may think from these undated internet searches this was something the defendant had been thinking about in advance and in some detail, and thinking through the consequences for himself if he were to do it," Mr Dawes told the jury.

The court heard the defendant became friends with one of his alleged victims upon joining the school, but became "hostile" towards him in the months before the attack.

Police were called to the school after the attack in June 2023

Mr Dawes said the defendant had "no respect" for the boy's possessions.

"He would randomly smash up the boy's folders with his hammers, and he had a staple gun and he would staple his stuff and not respect his possessions," he said.

The court heard that the accused had armed himself with three claw hammers and waited for the two boys to be asleep before allegedly attacking them.

The jury has previously heard the two boys were asleep in cabin-style beds in one of the school's boarding houses when the defendant attacked them.

Housemaster Henry Roffe-Silvester, who was asleep in his own quarters, was awoken by noises coming from the boarding house and went to investigate.

When he entered the bedroom where the attack had happened, he saw a silhouetted figure standing in the room who turned towards him and repeatedly struck him over the head with a hammer, the court heard.