Boy in alleged school hammer attack researched child killers, court hears

Teenager charged with attempted murder of two fellow pupils and staff member at Devon boarding school

A teenager who attacked two fellow pupils with a hammer while they were asleep at a private school boarding house had researched serial killers and what happened to children found guilty of murders, a jury has been told.

The boy, who was 16 at the time, sent one of his alleged victims an image of a character from the horror film The Texas Chainsaw Massacre holding a hammer, Exeter crown court heard on Monday.