Blundell’s hammer attack on the school lasted minutes, the court heard

A hammer attack on two sleeping boarding school students in Devon would not have taken long, a jury has heard.

Consultant forensic pathologist Dr. Ashley Fegan-Earl told Exeter Crown Court it was “entirely plausible” the attack only lasted “a minute or two”.

Dr. Fegan-Earl said it was not possible to say whether the pupils at Blundell’s School in Tiverton were attacked with one or two hammers.

The defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons and is now 17 years old, denies three charges of attempted murder.

Dr. Fegan-Earl, appearing on behalf of the defense, said he could not say which boy was attacked first on June 9, 2023.

He said the students’ injuries were not widespread, suggesting the attack was short-lived.

“All the injuries I have seen are completely consistent with blunt force trauma,” said Dr. Fegan Earl.

The prosecution witness, Dr. Richard Wellings, a consultant radiologist, previously told the jury that the 15-year-old victim suffered “at least 15 wounds to the scalp”.

A second student, then 16, suffered brain damage when he was also attacked in his dorm shortly before 1am BST.

Caretaker Henry Roffe-Silvester was also injured when he was struck six times with a hammer as he went to investigate.

The jury was told that although the defendant accepted the attacks, he was not guilty of attempted murder because he was sleepwalking.