Bodyworn footage shown at Loughborough court as Southwell plastic surgeon Dr Peter Brooks’ attempted murder trial begins

An trial has begun for a plastic surgeon accused of the attempted murder of his colleague by stabbing and arson.

Dr Peter Brooks, formerly of Landseer Road, Southwell, is accused of two counts of attempted murder against his Nottingham University Hospitals colleague, consultant Graeme Perks, following an incident at Mr Perks’ Halam Hill home in 2021.

Dr Brooks’ trial is taking place at Loughborough Magistrates’ Court on behalf of Nottingham Crown Court, overseen by The Honourable Mr Justice Pepperall.

The charges he faces are two counts of attempted murder — by stabbing and arson — one count of arson with intent to endanger life, and one count of possession of a bladed article.

Mr Brooks is not in attendance, and has chosen not to be represented by a lawyer at his trial.

Addressing the jury, who were sworn in today (March 10), Mr Pepperall said his absence is “not evidence against him” and that they “must not speculate” as to why he is not present. However, no evidence is therefore expected to be provided for the defence.

Outlining the crown’s case, the prosecution explained that in the early hours of January 14, 2021, during the third national lockdown of the covid-19 pandemic, consultant plastic surgeon Dr Brooks cycled from his Southwell home, leaving at around 2.55am, to Mr Perks’ Halam home, armed with a knife, crowbar, cannisters of petrol and mixed fuel, a lighter, and matches, dressed in full camouflage and wearing a headtorch.

There, the crown says he “intended to kill” Mr Perks’ — either by setting alight his home or stabbing him. The prosecution say he broke into the house via the rear conservatory doors, smashing them to gain entry, before dousing the ground floor and staircase of the home in the extremely flammable mixed fuel, part of which is not commercially available. Fuel cannisters were found left in a bag in the Perks’ home.

Magazines on the stairs had also been doused in a different fuel, remains of which have never been recovered.

The crown said Mr Perks heard the sound of the break in, woke up and came downstairs, and was stabbed in the abdomen at around 4am, before Dr Brooks escaped, and Mr Perks’ wife and son subsequently awoke and raised the alarm by calling 999 — audio footage of which shows Mr Perk’s son explaining his father had been stabbed and that there was an intruder in the house.

Dr Brooks is said to have subsequently cycled back to his home before leaving again on foot. His departures and arrivals were captured on CCTV from a nearby property.

Later in the same morning, police received a call from another Southwell resident, at 8.07am, who had found Dr Brooks on his garden bench with injuries to his hands and claiming he was “not well” and was going to lose his job. He was subsequently taken to Kings Mill Hospital for treatment of hypothermia and cuts to his hand.

A further call was received from Dr Brooks’ wife later that day, at 11.28am, reporting her husband missing. Police attended and found Dr Brooks’ blood in the family’s garage, alongside his bike and matches which had the defendant’s blood on the box.

The prosecution suggested this showed he “was close to lighting the matches” after breaking in to the house and injuring himself on the glass. Glass fragments were also found in Dr Brooks’ clothing.

Dr Brooks was traced to Kings Mill Hospital and arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, to which he said nothing, and later responded only with ‘no comment’ in his interview, the court heard.

At the time Dr Brooks was subject to disciplinary procedures at work, which had been ongoing for six years and were in their final stages — with one potential outcome being his dismissal. Evidence given by Mr Perks was used in the disciplinary procedure.

The prosecution stated Dr Brooks had “had enough” of the disciplinary action, “took the conscious decision to take the law into his own hands”, and added it was clear he “hated” Mr Perks and “wanted him out the way”.

Shortly after the incident, Mr Perks was taken to Queen’s Medical Centre by ambulance and there had three surgeries and remained an inpatient until February 15, with some of that time spent in a medically induced coma.

From the wound under his right rib, he had lost in excess of six litres of blood and part of his small intestine was outside of his body. Damage had been caused to multiple organs, all the way through his body to his back.

Body worn video footage from responding officer PC Haddon Smith was shown as part of the first day of evidence. It showed the PC in the hallway of the Halam home with paramedics tending to Mr Perks, after he had arrived with other officers and entered through the smashed conservatory door which had blood on both the inside and outside — which was later matched to Dr Brooks.

PC Haddon Smith described an “overpowering smell of petrol”, and a knife covered in blood in the living room of the home. Dr Brooks’ DNA was also found on the handle of the knife.

The PC had passed his camera over to a paramedic inside the ambulance, and Mr Perks is filmed saying: “I heard a broken window, went downstairs and someone stabbed me. They ran out of the conservatory, they were wearing a headtorch.”

Mr Perks initially explains he mistook the intruder for his son as he was the only other male supposed to be in the house, but also acknowledged to be confused as a result of the injury and blood loss, as well as unable to clearly see the intruder due to his headtorch and the darkness.

The trial has been subject to years of delays, having first been set for January 2022 and subsequently adjourned on multiple occasions.

The trial continues.