Malaysian student sentenced to life for hammer attack on students and teacher at UK boarding school

PETALING JAYA: A 17-year-old Malaysian teenager, Thomas Huang Wei, has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 12 years for attempting to murder three people at Blundell’s School in Devon, United Kingdom.

According to BBC, he was found guilty of attacking two roommates, aged 15 and 16, and a housemaster, Henry Roffe-Silvester, with a hammer at the boarding school on June 9, 2023 where the victims were attacked in their sleep.

“You knew the difference between right and wrong and you intended to kill those boys,“ stated Judge Mrs Justice Cutts during sentencing at Exeter Crown Court.

The court rejected Huang’s defense of insanity due to sleepwalking as evidence showed he had collected weapons in preparation for what he called a zombie apocalypse.

Prosecutors stated that his “unhealthy interest in violence and violent films” and struggles with academic and personal stress.

The attack occurred around 1am when Huang attacked his sleeping roommates in their cabin-style beds. When Mr. Roffe-Silvester investigated noises from the boarding house, Huang then strucked him repeatedly with the hammer.

His two roommates suffered severe injuries including skull fractures, damaged internal organs and internal bleeding with one of the student sustained permanent brain damage while Roffe-Silvester, who received six head wounds, has fully recovered.

Huang’s identity was revealed after a High Court judge lifted a publication restriction order.