Hammer attack teenager 'lucky not to be serving life'
A 'dangerous' teenager who carried out a 'horrific' hammer attack on a man at a bus stop has been told by top judges that he is lucky not to be serving a life sentence for murder.
The 17-year-old from Birmingham, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, attacked his victim outside a Tesco store in Bromford, Birmingham, in February last year.
The victim, who was trying to protect his girlfriend from the teenager and his friend, was hit in the side of the head with a claw hammer.
The blow was delivered 'with such force that the hammer became embedded in his skull', London's Appeal Court heard on Friday.
The two teenagers ran off, leaving the 'innocent' victim's stricken girlfriend to prise the hammer out of his head.
The hammer-wielding teenager, 16 at the time of the attack, was handed a six-year detention term, plus a three-year extended licence period, in August last year.
He pleaded guilty to wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm.
His lawyers asked Sir Brian Leveson, Mrs Justice Patterson and Mrs Justice Whipple, at London's Criminal Appeal Court to cut that sentence.
But Sir Brian told the teenager he was fortunate not to be facing life behind bars.
"He was very lucky that the victim didn't die and that he isn't facing life for murder," the judge observed.
The teenager's appeal was refused.
