'Bored' teenager stabbed girl, 10

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/devon/6434821.stm

Version 0 of 1.

A teenager who stabbed a 10-year-old girl in her room because he was "bored" has been sent to a psychiatric hospital by Exeter Crown Court.

Alexander Bower, 18, had earlier pleaded guilty to attempting to murder the girl.

The attack took place at Bower's home in Allercombe, Rockbeare, east Devon last March.

The girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was in intensive care for a week with stab wounds.

It is quite uncertain how long you will remain the risk you clearly present at the moment Judge Graham Cottle

The prosecutor told the court Bower had suffered from cerebral palsy which affected his physical development and contributed to his social difficulties.

The court heard Bower attacked the girl with a large kitchen knife with a serrated blade. Asked later why he got the knife, he said: "It is easier than strangling."

Bower later told police: "I stabbed her once, I tried to stab her again but hit my own hand. I struck with all the force I could."

Bower fled and the girl was taken to hospital suffering from deep injuries including a punctured lung and intestinal injuries.

When police arrived, Bower appeared and struck their vehicle with a shovel, saying: "I have hacked her up. I was bored."

'Terrifying ordeal'

Judge Graham Cottle told Bower, who was 17 at the time of the attack: "There is no doubt at all you intended to kill her and tried to do so.

"It must have been a terrifying ordeal for her," said the judge, who told Bower he had "deep-seated problems from an early age".

The judge said it warranted Bower's detention in hospital in the interests of his own health and the safety and protection of others.

The order restricted Bower's discharge until such time as those responsible for his care considered it would be safe to release him.

"It is quite uncertain how long you will remain the risk you clearly present at the moment," the judge added.