A public school kid attacked two sleeping students and a teacher with a hammer He can be described as a wealthy Malaysian student studying at a boarding school.

Thomas Wei Huang, who turns 18 in January, was a boarder at Blundell’s School in Tiverton, Devon.

During his trial at Exeter Crown Court, jurors were told he bought and bought. I collected the three clawed hammer and in June last year he used his claw tips to smash the heads of his peers, then aged 15 and 16.

He then used DIY tools as weapons to attack landlord Henry Roffe-Silvester, who heard the disturbance and rushed into the room to find a “bloodbath”.

Huang, who was 16 at the time of the attacks, claimed that he was sleepwalking while carrying out the violent attacks and could not be criminally responsible for his actions.

Following an eight-week trial, the jury deliberated for nearly 40 hours before convicting the teenager of three counts of attempted murder against fellow students and the 39-year-old maths and sports teacher. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 12 years.

‘It kills anger’

Prosecutor James Dawes KC said the teenager carried out the attacks in a “murderous rage” after researching serial killers and the different ways they kill.

In the month before the attacks in June 2023, the teenager had sought information about child serial killers and whether they were respected in prison.

He would listen to dance music and watch a horror show on TV for minutes before going upstairs and striking students sleeping in cabin-style beds.

The jury was told Huang fell out with the youngest victim because he thought she was belittling him by laughing at him during science class.

There was also tension between him and the young victim over the attentions of a 15-year-old girl at the co-educational school.

Defense lawyer Kerim Fuad KC said the boy was a “sleep-deprived and extremely stressed wreck” at the time due to upcoming exams and being blackmailed by a woman in a sexual abuse case.

The boy was afraid that if he did not pay the money, he would send the nude photos he sent to all his contacts.

Giving evidence, the boy said he had the hammers to protect against the zombie apocalypse, which he believed was real.

Huang joined Blundell’s School in 2020 and was one of many international students to join the Devon school as a full-time boarder.

‘Immature’ child

During his testimony, Huang told the jury: “I wanted to come to England to study at a boarding school. I knew I had to live in school seven days a week. “I was excited to do this.”

Huang’s brother, who is two years older than him, also went to Blundell’s. During the semester break, the brothers would spend time at the family’s home in Battersea, London, rather than returning to Malaysia.

After the attack, his wealthy family flew from Malaysia to England to explain what happened.

Huang was supported by his family and aunt when he first took the stand at Exeter magistrates’ court.

The family would spend longer holidays in Malaysia, London or Europe.

When asked if he was happy at school, Huang replied: “Yes, I was. I liked my friends, my teachers, and the academic side of things. I didn’t like sports or food at school.”

Huang said he enjoys maths and will take GCSEs early in the subject.

Principal Bert Wielenga wrote a letter to parents at the school during Huang’s sentencing last month.

He wrote: “You stood by each other and I felt no anger, resentment or resentment. “In all matters you have acted with an admirable spirit of optimism and grace.”

He added: “I made it very clear to the students that this is not something we should whisper about or be ashamed of. This is part of our narrative, our common story. “We are allowed to talk about this openly and express our feelings safely.”

Before naming him, the court heard defense arguments that the “immature” boy was the victim of a sex crime (sextortion) and had the right to lifelong anonymity, and his family argued that “naming and shaming” him would affect his mental health and “could crush him” .

‘We retreated into the online world’

The judge accepted he was a “victim of fraud” in the blackmail case, but the jury rejected the suggestion that he was sleepwalking.

At the sentencing hearing two weeks ago, the judge accepted the boy was under stress at the time but added: “You knew the difference between right and wrong and you had planned to kill those children and had a hammer as a weapon.”

He said his autistic disorder meant he became increasingly isolated and “withdrawn into the online world” while living and studying at school.

Mrs Justice Cutts said he posed a high level of danger to the public due to exposure to further violence and it was not known whether he would cease to be a threat.

He said he must spend at least 12 years behind bars before he can apply for parole.

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