logo
Plastic surgeon who attempted to murder fellow doctor is jailed for life

Plastic surgeon who attempted to murder fellow doctor is jailed for life

Independent2 days ago

A plastic surgeon who stabbed a fellow doctor after trying to set fire to his house because he wanted him 'out of the way' has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 22 years.
Peter Brooks, 61, knifed Graeme Perks and doused the ground floor of his house with petrol with intent to set it on fire after cycling to the property in Halam, near Southwell, Nottinghamshire, in the early hours of January 14 2021.
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, who was 'voluntarily absent' from his month-long trial because he was on hunger strike and said he would 'rather be dead than incarcerated', did not appear in person for the sentencing hearing on Monday after refusing 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.
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'.
Brooks' convictions followed a four-year series of legal hearings, including a mistrial and seven other aborted trial dates.
The consultant, specialising in burns and plastics, was convicted in April of two counts of attempted murder, one for the intended use of fire and the other for the stabbing, attempted arson with intent to endanger life, and possession of a knife in a public place.
The trial was told Brooks had cycled in the snow to Mr Perks' home during a Covid lockdown wearing camouflage gear and armed with a crowbar, petrol, matches and a knife.
Mr Perks, a consultant plastic surgeon, had provided evidence in disciplinary proceedings against Brooks, who faced potentially losing his job with Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, the jury heard.
When opening the prosecution's case, Tracy Ayling KC had told the trial it was 'clear that the defendant hated Graeme Perks' and wanted him 'out of the way'.
Mr Perks, who was 65 at the time, had retired the month before the attack but suffered 'extremely life-threatening' injuries to his liver, intestines and pancreas, and was given a 95% chance of death.
The victim woke up when Brooks smashed through his conservatory, and went downstairs where his feet 'felt a bit damp' from the petrol before he felt a 'blow to his body'.
The court was told Brooks had also thrown petrol up the stair walls while Mr Perks' wife Bev and youngest son Henry were sleeping upstairs.
The defendant was found asleep on a garden bench later that morning when he was taken to hospital for injuries to his hand, and was arrested.
In a victim impact statement read to the court by Ms Ayling, Mr Perks said the incident had been an 'unimaginable catastrophe' for him and his family.
He said: 'This has been a nightmare for my wife and son who must have wondered if I was going to survive.
'This has been beyond every struggle in our lives so far.'
He added: 'I have no ill-feelings, hatred or bitterness towards my ex-colleague and derive no satisfaction from the guilty conviction.
'It is just another interesting chapter in life, and I wish his family well.
'I remain eternally grateful that it was me, not Bev or Henry who were stabbed, and reflect how ironic that a burns surgeon should wish to immolate our family.'
Henry Perks, Mr Perks' son, described Brooks as a 'highly dangerous and remorseless individual' and 'nothing more than a bully', adding: 'He simply has no morals, sees no wrong in his actions and will stop at nothing to hurt those he perceives to have wronged him.
'I have no doubt his failure to silence my father will consume his mind and make him dangerous in the years after his release.'
Ms Ayling said Brooks was 'manipulative' and had shown no remorse for what he had done.
She said: 'He believes himself to be not guilty of the offences. He believes he has been unlawfully tried.
'He has a history of being manipulative.'
Mitigating, Mr Leslie said it was a 'single act of violence' and that there was no pre-planning beyond the day of the attack.
He said Brooks had petrol in his garage because he was a motorbike enthusiast and that he is 'beginning to show remorse' for what he had done.
He told the court: 'He has done a lot of good in the world for many people. He should be provided with a chance to reform himself. There is still good in him.
'He is now 61, he must have the opportunity of coming out in his lifetime to return to society and be given the opportunity to carry out the good work he has demonstrated.'
Mr Justice Pepperall said Brooks must serve a minimum of 22 years, with time spent in prison already taking that to 17 years and 223 days, for the two counts of attempted murder.
A sentence of six years for arson and 18 months for possessing a knife are to run concurrently.
The judge said Brooks, who specialised in treating burns, would have known the significant damage setting a fire would have caused as well as how badly Mr Perks would have been injured when he plunged a knife into him.
He said Brooks was 'fixated' on employment difficulties he was facing and blamed Mr Perks for his troubles, with his 'sense of grievance developing into deep anger' as he faced losing his career and his home.
Mr Justice Pepperall said he could not be sure whether Brooks had spent more than a few hours before breaking into Mr Perks' house planning the 'murderous expedition' and despite Brooks' claims he had acted in self-defence when confronted by Mr Perks, the judge said he was sure that the defendant was the 'sole aggressor'.
He also said he could not detect any remorse for what he had done, and instead that Brooks felt 'self-pity for the situation you find yourself in'.
In a statement after Brooks was sentenced, Sam Shallow from the Crown Prosecution Service said: 'Peter Brooks committed an act of extreme violence, attempting to murder a highly respected colleague.
'This was a planned, calculated attack, in which Brooks showed he was determined to kill his former colleague.
'Since committing these atrocious acts, Brooks has sought to evade responsibility. He has requested late adjournments, dispensed with his legal team, and used his health to avoid proper progress of the court proceedings.
'On each of the nine occasions the case has been listed at court, the prosecution team has been ready.
'Justice has now caught up with Brooks.
'His victim was fortunate to escape with his life and his whole family were in danger from Brooks's inexplicable actions.
'Despite the physical and emotional trauma they have endured, they have come to court to tell their story on two separate occasions.
'This has been a long process for them, but I hope that finally seeing these proceedings coming to a close will help them in their recovery from this ordeal.'

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Sick robbers who broke into war veteran's home and threatened him with a knife before taking off with his MEDALS are jailed
Sick robbers who broke into war veteran's home and threatened him with a knife before taking off with his MEDALS are jailed

Daily Mail​

time33 minutes ago

  • Daily Mail​

Sick robbers who broke into war veteran's home and threatened him with a knife before taking off with his MEDALS are jailed

A pair of robbers who broke into the home of a vulnerable war veteran and threatened him with a knife before stealing his medals have been jailed. Peter Ratcliffe, 48, and Ann Marie Simpson, 38, broke into the pensioner's accommodation in South Shields in July 2023. They pushed the elderly man to the floor and threatened him with a knife before stealing his prized possessions including his bank cards, his passport and his wedding ring. The robbers also made off with the veteran's war medals. The victim was not left with any serious injuries but was extremely shaken and traumatised from the robbery, a court heard. Ratcliffe and Simpson were identified by CCTV and were arrested just hours later. Officers found clothing which matched the outfits being warn by the robbers on the CCTV footage, Chronicle Live reported. They were both charged with robbery and remanded into custody the following day. Earlier this year, both pleaded guilty at Newcastle Crown Court. Ann Marie Simpson, 38, was sentenced to five years and four months imprisonment after pleading guilty to robbery and witness intimidation Simpson also admitted one count of witness intimidation after she sent a letter to the victim telling him to drop the charges against them. On Friday, both were both jailed at a sentencing hearing at Newcastle Crown Court. Ratcliffe, of Trinity Walk, South Shields, was sentenced to seven years and four months behind bars. Simpson, of Johnson Street, also South Shields, was sentenced to five years and four months imprisonment. Both were given a ten-year restraining order, preventing them from contacting the victim. Sergeant Kimberley Ball, of Northumbria Police said: 'This was a cruel and targeted attack on an elderly man in his own home – because of his vulnerabilities. 'I want to thank the victim for his patience and courage throughout this entire process, which I know has been extremely difficult. 'I have no doubt the streets of South Tyneside are safer now these two criminals are behind bars where they belong.'

Six members of ­Russian spy ring to have ‘too lenient' jail sentences reviewed
Six members of ­Russian spy ring to have ‘too lenient' jail sentences reviewed

The Sun

timean hour ago

  • The Sun

Six members of ­Russian spy ring to have ‘too lenient' jail sentences reviewed

SIX members of a ­Russian spy ring are to have their jail sentences reviewed for being too lenient, we can reveal. The Bulgarians — who lived and worked in ­the UK — plotted sex stings, and targeted Russian ­dissidents and journalists critical of President Vladimir Putin 's war effort against Ukraine. 7 7 The ring included lab worker Katrin Ivanova, 33, and beauty shop owner Vanya Gaberova, 30 — dubbed 'killer sexy brunettes' by cell leaders. Ivanova got nine years and eight months and Gaberova eight years. They were both found guilty in March of breaching the Official Secrets Act by conspiring to provide information useful to an enemy between August 2020 and February 2023. Ivanova also got a concurrent sentence of 15 months for forged ID documents. All six got a total of more than 50 years last month. The Attorney General's Office has been asked to consider the sentences under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme. The ULS scheme allows anyone to ask for a Crown Court sentence to be assessed by the Attorney General's office if they think it is too lenient. Law officers have 28 days from sentencing to make a decision. 7 7 7 7 7

Sheku Bayoh: Hearing to decide whether chair should resign begins
Sheku Bayoh: Hearing to decide whether chair should resign begins

BBC News

timean hour ago

  • BBC News

Sheku Bayoh: Hearing to decide whether chair should resign begins

A former judge who is chairing a £50m public inquiry into the death of a man in police custody will hear arguments on Thursday on whether he should step down or see the job Scottish Police Federation has accused Lord Bracadale of holding "secret" meetings with the family of Sheku Bayoh, who died after being restrained by police in Kirkcaldy in organisation which represents rank and file officers believes the five meetings could lead to "perceived bias" and has called for him to "recuse" Bracadale has been leading the inquiry since 2020 and ordered the hearing to allow core participants to make submissions on his conduct. If Lord Bracadale decides to stay in post, the federation has said it will seek a judicial departure and the search for a last minute replacement after five years of work would delay the inquiry's findings by many has already cost the public purse £24.8m, with an additional £24.3m spent by Police Scotland, including £17.3m of legal stage is now set for a robust exchange of legal arguments between senior lawyers. Roddy Dunlop KC, dean of the Faculty of Advocates, will represent the police federation and two of the officers involved in the incident which ended with Mr Bayoh's police federation has said that none of the other core participants were made aware that Lord Bracadale was meeting the family and the details of what was said have not been federation's general secretary David Kennedy has said it has lost confidence in the inquiry because not all core participants were being treated Bayoh family's solicitor Aamer Anwar has described the federation's actions as "a pathetic and desperate attempt to sabotage the inquiry" at the 11th claimed the hearing could cost taxpayers "in excess of a million pounds" in fees for "police lawyers." Competing arguments One of England's top barristers, Jason Beer KC, has been brought in as senior counsel for the inquiry is expected to argue that Lord Bracadale's actions were procedurally appropriate because of the importance of maintaining the family's prosecution service, the Crown Office, will state its position, along with Police Scotland, the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner and the Commission for Racial Equality and representing other police officers involved in the case will also have the opportunity to have their hearing is scheduled to last two days, with Lord Bracadale issuing his decision at a later inquiry has been examining what happened before and during the death of Sheku Bayou, who died in police custody. It has been looking at how the police dealt with the aftermath, the investigation into Mr Bayoh's death and whether race was a of the public called the police after Mr Bayoh was spotted carrying a knife and behaving erratically in the streets of Kirkcaldy on May 3, wasn't carrying the knife when officers arrived at the scene but a violent confrontation followed, with up to six officers restraining the 31-year-old on the father-of-two lost consciousness and later died in hospital.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store