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A surgeon has been convicted of the attempted murder of a fellow doctor, after he broke into his house, doused the ground floor in petrol and stabbed his victim, whom he wanted “out of the way”.
The plastic surgeon Jonathan Peter Brooks, 61, known as Peter, was convicted of two counts of attempted murder, attempted arson with intent to endanger life and possession of a knife in a public place after the attack on his former colleague Graeme Perks in the early hours of 14 January 2021.
Brooks was “voluntarily absent” from his month-long trial because he was on hunger strike, it can now be revealed, having said he would “rather be dead than incarcerated”. He also sacked his legal team before the trial and was unrepresented in the case.
Jurors at Loughborough crown court deliberated for more than 12 hours before finding Brooks guilty of all the charges against him.
The court heard how the surgeon, who specialised in burns and plastics, cycled through the snow to Perks’ home in Halam, near Southwell in Nottinghamshire, in the early hours of the morning during a Covid lockdown, dressed in camouflage gear and armed with a crowbar, petrol, matches and a knife.
The court heard that 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.
Tracy Ayling KC, prosecuting, told the court it was “clear that the defendant hated Graeme Perks” and wanted him “out of the way”. The court heard that Perks, who was 65 at the time and had retired the month before the attack, suffered “extremely life-threatening” injuries to his liver, intestines and pancreas, and was given a 95% chance of death.
He had woken up when Brooks smashed through his conservatory, and when he went downstairs, his feet “felt a bit damp” from the petrol before he felt a “blow to his body”, the jury heard.
The jury was told that Brooks had also thrown petrol up the stair walls while his victim’s wife and youngest son were asleep upstairs.
Brooks was found asleep on a garden bench later that morning, and was arrested after he was taken to hospital for injuries to his hand.
The convictions followed four years of legal hearings, which included a mistrial and seven other aborted trial dates. His first trial, in July 2022, was adjourned because he was suffering from a medical complication of radiotherapy, which required surgery.
Brooks had put forward numerous possible defences, including self-defence and lack of intent, but never gave evidence directly to a jury.
The defendant could be seen lying on the floor during a court appearance, because he said sitting in his wheelchair made him “feel unwell”.
“I would rather be dead than in prison so I continued with my hunger strike. I have had enough of being in prison,” he said. “I don’t particularly want to die but if my choice is between incarceration and death, I would rather be dead than incarcerated.”
The judge, Mr Justice Pepperall, ruled that Brooks had on “no fewer than eight occasions” since 2021 “used hunger strikes or the threat of some other self-harm to achieve some advantage”.
The judge thanked jurors for their service in “particularly unusual circumstances” and excused them from jury service for five years.
Manjeet Shehmar, the medical director at Nottingham University hospitals NHS trust, said after the verdicts: “We have been following the case of Mr Brooks closely and respect the decision made in court today.
“We would like to offer our sympathies to those who were affected by Mr Brooks’ actions, including Mr Perks and his family, and other colleagues from within the trust.”
