A 17-year-old has admitted using a claw hammer to attack a man at a Plymouth bus stop. The teen – who cannot be identified in any way for legal reasons – appeared at Plymouth Youth Court this afternoon following his arrest on Monday, January 6.
The court heard he had got off a bus on Mutley Plain at around 8.45am and saw a man he knew. Prosecutor Gareth Warden said the teen then launched an attack on the man using a claw hammer which he had hidden in a trouser pocket.
The court heard the attack caused “serious injuries” to the man, who is known to the teen, leaving him with a “serious skull fracture”. Mr Warden told the court the man was “still not able to speak” and it was not yet known whether this was due to his condition following surgery or whether it was as a result of is injuries.
The teen pleaded guilty to wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, and being in possession of a weapon – the claw hammer.
Magistrates agreed the matter was so serious that their powers of sentencing were not sufficient and as such the matter would have to go to Plymouth Crown Court before a judge.
The teen was told the offence was “very, very serious” and as such was likely to result in a “long term of custody”.
The 17-year-old was told he would be remanded into custody at Park youth detention centre until the morning of January 28 for sentencing, following the completion of a pre-sentence report by the Probation Service.
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