A plastic surgeon has been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 22 years after stabbing his former boss and trying to set his house on fire.
Peter Brooks, 61, was found guilty of two counts of attempted murder, attempted arson, and possession of a bladed article in April.
He cycled to the home of Graeme Perks in Halam, near Southwell, Nottinghamshire, while wearing camouflage gear and armed with a crowbar, petrol, matches and a knife in the early hours of 14 January 2021.
The 61-year-old then doused the ground floor of the property with petrol before stabbing fellow plastic surgeon Mr Perks because he wanted him “out of the way”, his trial in Loughborough heard.
The victim’s wife and children were sleeping at the time of the attack, which took place during a COVID lockdown, the jury was told.
Jailing him at Leicester Crown Court, sitting in Loughborough, on Monday, Judge Mr Justice Pepperall said Brooks had committed “appalling” crimes after setting off from his home on a “murderous expedition”.
Brooks was “voluntarily absent” from his month-long trial because he was on a hunger strike and said he would “rather be dead than incarcerated”.
Mr Justice Pepperall previously told the court that on “no fewer than eight occasions” since 2021 Brooks, formerly of Landseer Road, Southwell, had “used hunger strikes or the threat of some other self-harm to achieve some advantage”.
Because he has already served more than four years in custody so far, he will serve 17 years in prison to complete his minimum term.
He did not appear in person for his sentencing hearing today because he refused to leave his cell.
Stephen Leslie KC, defending, said Brooks had said he was too unwell to make the journey to court and instead listened to proceedings via video link from HMP Norwich.
Brooks’ convictions followed a four-year series of legal hearings, including a mistrial and seven other aborted trial dates.
One of his attempted murder convictions was for the intended use of fire, while the other was for the stabbing of Mr Perks.
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