A plastic surgeon who broke into a colleague’s house and stabbed him because he wanted him “out of the way” has been convicted of attempted murder.
Jonathan Peter Brooks, 61, was found guilty of two counts of attempted murder, one of attempted arson with intent to endanger life and one count of possession of a bladed article.
A trial at a court in Loughborough was told Brooks “hated” Mr Perks, who was a witness in disciplinary hearings against him.
Brooks was convicted more than four years after the stabbing, in Halam, Nottinghamshire, in the early hours of 14 January 2021.
Jurors deliberated for more than 12 hours before finding Brooks guilty of all the charges against him.
It can now be reported that Brooks was “voluntarily absent” from the trial, because he was on hunger strike.
Judge Edward Pepperall, addressing the jury, said: “You have listened very carefully to this evidence – you have scrutinised it with care, and you have not thought for one moment that because Dr Brooks was not here he was guilty.
“That was the right approach, and I thank you for it.”
The court heard Brooks got on his bike armed with a crowbar, cans of petrol, matches and a knife.
Mr Perks – who had recently retired – was woken by the defendant breaking in through the conservatory and was stabbed after he initially mistook the defendant for his son Henry.
A surgeon who treated Mr Perks said he had “a 95% chance of dying” when he arrived at the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham for treatment.
Mr Perks lived “because of quick action and amazing surgical skill”, the court heard.
Source link
