A British plastic surgeon who treated others with burn scars, stabbed his colleague, and tried to burn his house down, will now spend over two decades behind bars.
A Leicester crown court judge sentenced 61-year-old Jonathan Peter Brooks to life in prison with the possibility of parole for the stabbing of his colleague, then 65-year-old Graeme Perks. After a four-week trial, Brooks was found guilty and 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.
According to Sky News, during the early hours of Jan. 14, 2021, the defendant cycled while dressed in a camouflage outfit to Perk’s home in Halam, near Southwell, Nottinghamshire. Upon arrival at the residence and gaining a forced entry, Brooks doused the ground floor with gasoline in an attempt to burn the home shared by the victim and his family.
Rattled by the noise downstairs, Perks came downstairs, with his feet damp from the gasoline, and felt a stab to his abdomen, causing extreme life-threatening injuries to his liver, intestine, and pancreas. Officers later found Brooks asleep on a garden bench before he was taken to hospital for injuries to his hand and arrested.
Later, authorities believed the motive for the violent incident stemmed from Perks, who had retired but was a witness in a disciplinary hearing against Brooks. At the time, the defendant faced the potential loss of his job with Nottingham University Hospitals.
“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. 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 (Wife) or Henry (Son), who was stabbed,” said Perks, who survived the ordeal, reported The Guardian.
Brooks was sentenced to an additional 6 months for the arson charge and 18 months for the possession of a bladed knife. The defendant was ordered to serve both sentences concurrently with the life sentence. Brooks will be eligible for parole after serving 22 years.
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