A 15-year-old boy, who has now turned 16, has been detained under the Mental Health Act after admitting to the attempted murder of his parents in their Sussex home. The teenager, suffering from autism and depressive disorder, attacked his mother and father with a double-handed axe while they slept.
The court heard that the boy had spent the night watching television, waiting for his parents to go to bed. He then retrieved a large axe from the garage and struck his father multiple times, causing at least five skull fractures and a brain bleed. He then turned the axe on his mother, severing part of her ear and inflicting deep cuts to her face, arm, and thigh. Both parents survived the brutal assault and were rushed to the hospital. The father sustained six axe wounds to his head, and a part of his skull was embedded in his brain.
During the court proceedings, it was revealed that the boy had planned the attack for some time. In a diary entry, he wrote, “I have to kill my parents tonight. There’s no other way.” He told police he had been severely bullied at school and had intended to take his own life after the attack, so his parents would not have to suffer the trauma of his suicide. The parents, who sat in court in support of their son, had reportedly sought help for his mental health issues prior to the incident.
The Honorable Mrs Justice Justine Thornton KC ruled that the boy’s actions were the result of a serious mental illness. She ordered him to remain in a secure hospital for treatment and public protection. The judge described the boy as “a kind, thoughtful and intelligent young man who has experienced significant trauma which led to a breakdown.”
Source: Zambian Observer