Nottingham Uni Hospital Trust surgeon stabbed colleague and tried to burn down his house

A Nottingham University Hospital Trust surgeon stabbed his colleague and tried to burn down his house.

Peter Brookes, a plastic surgeon, stabbed his “hated” colleague Graeme Perks in his £1m house after trying to burn it down.

Brookes has denied two counts of attempted murder, attempted arson with intent to endanger life, and having a bladed article.

Brookes, 61, went to Mr Perks’ house wearing camouflage and carrying 20 litres of petrol. He was also armed with matches,  a crowbar and a kitchen knife.

He then broke into the property, dousing it with fuel in an attempt to kill fellow plastic surgeon, Mr Perks. However, when the victim woke up and went downstairs, the defendant stabbed him.

Loughborough Crown Court heard how this was an attempt to “get him out of the way” due to Mr Perks providing statements in disciplinary proceedings against the 61-year-old at work.

Mr Perks, 65, was found by his wife and children, and taken to hospital, where it was found he’d lost six litres of blood. He was soon put into a coma, and jurors were told that it was thanks to “quick action and amazing surgical skill” that he survived the 8cm deep wound to his abdomen.

It was also heard how he needed 40 units of blood within three hours of arriving at the hospital, where he and the defendant worked.

Mr Perks required two operations and was discharged from hospital around a month later.

Peter Brooks via YouTube

Prosecuting, Tracy Ayling KC, said the attack allegedly took place during Covid restrictions, on the “cold and snowy morning” of 14th January 2021.

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The Daily Mail reported that at that time Brooks was facing disciplinary proceedings at work, which included statements from Mr Perks. The proceedings had been going on for six years, and it was heard that he could have been fired from the trust.

Jurors were told how a meeting about the proceedings had taken place three days before the attack, with Ms Ayling saying Brooks was “clearly frustrated” by the situation. However, she noted that the defendant “had enough” and allegedly “made a conscious decision to take the law into his own hands”.

She said: “The prosecution does not have to prove a motive for any crime; however, it is clear that the defendant hated Graeme Perks and you can conclude on the evidence you will hear, that he wanted him out of the way.”

The court heard how Brooks cycled to the victim’s house in the early morning of 14th January, supposedly with the intention of killing Mr Perks.

“His intention was, say the Crown, to break into Mr Perks’ house, set fire to it and if necessary, stab Mr Perks. In short, he intended to kill Mr Perks by either or both those means. The use of fire, or the use of a knife,” the prosecutor said.

She explained how Brooks broke into the home by reportedly breaking a window in the conservatory, allegedly cutting his hands in the process.

Jurors were then told how he’d put the petrol in “bags for life” which would allowed it to be easily poured. Petrol was later found by investigators at the bottom of the staircase, with Ms Ayling saying: “The purpose must have been to kill those in the property and to make sure to stop them escaping down the staircase.”

However, before the fire could start, Mr Perks woke up.

“He got out of bed – he sleeps naked – and ran down the stairs and into the drawing room,” she said, adding that her client said he’d seen a figure who he initially thought was his 29-year-old son, Henry.

Mr Perks then said in a recorded interview that he noticed the assailant was wearing a balaclava and a torch but was blinded by the light.

“The next thing he knew he felt a blow to his body. He put his hands to his abdomen where it was warm and sticky and felt something poking out of his abdomen. He decided he must have been stabbed. He didn’t remember anything after that,” the prosecutor continued.

Ms Ayling said that after the attack, Brooks cycled back to his home, where he had left a trail of blood, before leaving again to sleep on a bench in a garden.

He was later arrested but made no comments to police.

According to the prosecution, his DNA was found on the knife. Fragments of glass from Mr Perks’ conservatory were also found on his clothes.

Brooks has chosen not to be represented by lawyers and has not attended the trial.

The trial continues.

Featured image via Facebook