A 15-year-old boy who launched a brutal axe attack on his parents in United Kingdom while they slept has been detained under the Mental Health Act after admitting attempted murder.
The teenager, now 16, attacked his father and mother at their Sussex home in the early hours after spending the night watching television and waiting for them to go to bed. Armed with a large double-handed axe taken from the garage, he struck his father multiple times while he slept, causing at least five skull fractures, a bleed on the brain, and defensive wounds. He then turned on his mother, severing part of her ear and inflicting deep cuts to her face, arm, and thigh.
The boy later told police he had planned the attack for some time, saying he believed the axe would be a “quick” weapon that would only need one blow. He explained that he did not want to go to school, had been severely bullied, and had intended to kill himself. In a diary entry read to Lewes Crown Court, sitting at Brighton, he wrote: “I have to kill my parents tonight. There’s no other way. I’ll never get better, things will never change and I don’t have a choice.”
Both parents survived the attack after being rushed to hospital. His father sustained six axe wounds to his head and face, with part of his skull embedded in his brain, while his mother suffered multiple lacerations and the partial loss of her ear.
The court heard the boy suffers from autism and depressive disorder. During proceedings, he appeared via video link from a secure hospital as his parents, who continue to support him, sat in court with other relatives.
Prosecutor Ryan Richter told the court the teenager had admitted wanting to kill his parents before taking his own life so they would not suffer the trauma of his suicide. He said the boy had been open about his hatred of school and his struggles with bullying.
The Honourable Mrs Justice Justine Thornton KC said she was satisfied that the boy’s actions were the result of serious mental illness and ordered him to remain in a secure hospital for treatment and public protection. She noted the family’s continued love, describing the boy as “a kind, thoughtful and intelligent young man who has experienced significant trauma which led to a breakdown.”
The court also heard that the boy’s parents had sought help for his mental health issues before the incident.
