Thomas Wei Huang: Teen from Malaysia who attacked sleeping students at Blundell's School with hammers named
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He was publicly identified after a High Court judge lifted an order preventing his naming following an application by the PA news agency. Huang, who is from Malysia, was detained for life last month after being convicted of three counts of attempted murder following the incident at Blundell’s School in Devon last year.
During the attack, he reportedly wore only boxer shorts and used weapons he had collected, allegedly in preparation for a “zombie apocalypse.” Huang admitted to assaulting the two boys and housemaster Henry Roffe-Silvester but pleaded not guilty to attempted murder, claiming insanity due to sleepwalking.
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Hide AdA jury at Exeter Crown Court rejected this defence, finding him guilty on all three counts of attempted murder.
At sentencing, Mrs Justice Cutts condemned Huang’s actions, saying that he had planned the attack in advance. “You planned your offences and used hammers you had bought as weapons. You knew full well if you hit the boys multiple times with the hammers they would die,” she said. She added: “I consider that you pose a high level of danger to the public because of the nature of your offences.”


The court heard that Huang had armed himself with three claw hammers and waited until the two boys were asleep before attacking them in their dormitory beds. Shortly before 1am on June 9 last year, he launched his assault, inflicting skull fractures and serious injuries on his classmates, including brain damage, fractured ribs, internal bleeding, and a punctured lung.
Although both boys survived, they continue to live with long-term physical and neurological consequences and have no memory of the attack.
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Hide AdHousemaster Roffe-Silvester, woken by sounds from the boarding house, encountered Huang in the dormitory and was struck repeatedly with a hammer. He suffered six blows to the head but has since made a full recovery. Another student, upon hearing the commotion, called 999, believing there was an intruder.
Mrs Justice Cutts imposed a life sentence with a minimum term of 12 years, expressing that experts could not determine when Huang might no longer be a threat to the public.
Initially, a stay was placed on lifting the reporting restriction, as Huang’s legal team indicated plans to appeal. However, a court official has since confirmed that no appeal will be filed, allowing the public identification of Huang for the first time.