Plastic surgeon guilty of trying to kill colleague

A plastic surgeon has been found guilty of attempting to murder a colleague he wanted "out of the way" because he was a witness against him in disciplinary proceedings.

Jonathan Peter Brooks "hated" Graeme Perks, a court in Loughborough heard, due to the proceedings, which had begun three days before the stabbing on 14 January 2021.

Brooks went to Mr Perks's home in Halam, Nottinghamshire, wearing camouflage gear in the early hours and broke in armed with a crowbar, cans of petrol, matches and a knife.

Jurors deliberated for more than 12 hours before finding Brooks guilty of stabbing Mr Perks and dousing the ground floor of the house with petrol with intent to set it on fire.

Brooks was convicted of two counts of attempted murder, one of attempted arson with intent to endanger life and one count of possession of a bladed article.

He is due to be sentenced on 3 June.

It can now be reported that Brooks was "voluntarily absent" from the trial, because he was on hunger strike.

He also sacked his lawyers before the trial and was unrepresented in the case.

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 judge also read out in open court a ruling he had made on Wednesday, when he detailed the background to the case and Brooks's efforts "to disrupt and manipulate rather than to participate in his trial".

He said the jury was "entitled" to hear it from him, rather than read it in the media once reporting restrictions were lifted, and noted the absence of a defendant and lawyers on his behalf "probably added to the weight" of their duties.

Adjourning the case for sentencing, the judge said he would also write to the governor of HMP Norwich to request that Brooks attends his sentencing in person.

"In view of Dr Brooks's track record, there is every reason to think he will not attend his hearing voluntarily," he said.

When opening the prosecution's case, Tracy Ayling KC had told the jury it was "clear that the defendant hated Graeme Perks" and wanted him "out of the way".

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust said Brooks, who specialised in burns and plastics, was first suspended in 2014, but his contract was terminated in January 2021, and during that time there were some periods when the suspension was removed but Brooks was not on active duty as a doctor.

Mr Perks - a consultant plastic surgeon who had recently retired - was woken by the defendant breaking in through the conservatory and was stabbed in the abdomen after he initially mistook the defendant for his son.

The victim's wife Beverley and son Henry raised the alarm after being woken, and Mr Perks was transferred to hospital where he underwent surgery and was not discharged for more than a month.

Mr Perks had a "95% chance of dying", and only survived because of "quick action and amazing surgical skill", the court heard.

Giving evidence at the trial, Mr Perks said: "My recollection is that all I felt was guts sticking out.

"Sadly I'm experienced enough to recognise that it was intestine."

Nottinghamshire Police said Brooks was linked to the scene by a blood deposit in the conservatory, and on a crowbar he had used to force entry.

His blood was also found on the handle of the knife used in the attack.

Detectives also used CCTV footage to track Brooks's movements.

Inside his garage, they also found his blood, a container of petrol in his bicycle pannier, matches and a lighter.

Brooks's first trial was adjourned in August 2022 because he was suffering from a medical complication of radiotherapy, which required surgery.

His hunger strike could not be reported throughout the trial and the jury were told not to speculate about his absence from the dock.

He appeared in court via video-link for the first time in the trial from HMP Norwich on 1 April, in the absence of the jury, and told the judge he wanted to defend himself, that he did not have "sufficient time to prepare" for the trial, and wanted a four-week adjournment.

Brooks, who could be seen lying on the floor during his court appearance because sitting in his wheelchair made him "feel unwell", said: "I would rather be dead than in prison so I continued with my hunger strike. I have had enough of being in prison.

"I don't particularly want to die but if my choice is between incarceration and death, I would rather be dead than incarcerated."

Following the verdict, Rachel Dean from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said Brooks "committed an act of extreme violence" through "a planned, calculated attack".

"Since committing these atrocious acts, [he] has sought to evade responsibility by any means," she said.

"Today, justice has caught up with him and he must now face the consequences of his criminal actions."

Det Insp Matt Scott, of Nottinghamshire Police, added: "Our contention has always been that Brooks set off that morning with a very clear intention in mind - to fatally injure his victim.

"Over the last four years he and his family have been through an extremely distressing ordeal and I would like to thank them for the enormous courage and dignity they have shown throughout this process."

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