This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/berkshire/6465783.stm
The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Man guilty of murdering teenagers | Man guilty of murdering teenagers |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| A man obsessed with violent horror movies who repeatedly used cannabis, has been found guilty of murdering his two friends in a frenzied knife attack. | |
| Thomas Palmer was 18 when he stabbed Steven Bayliss, 16, and Nuttawut Meechao, 14, to death in Finchampstead, Berkshire, in September 2005. | Thomas Palmer was 18 when he stabbed Steven Bayliss, 16, and Nuttawut Meechao, 14, to death in Finchampstead, Berkshire, in September 2005. |
| Palmer, 20, of Blagrove Drive, Wokingham, admitted manslaughter but denied two counts of murder. | Palmer, 20, of Blagrove Drive, Wokingham, admitted manslaughter but denied two counts of murder. |
| He was jailed for life at Reading Crown Court and was sentenced to 20 years. | He was jailed for life at Reading Crown Court and was sentenced to 20 years. |
| Palmer now will serve at least 18 years - he has already served two years on remand since the killings. | Palmer now will serve at least 18 years - he has already served two years on remand since the killings. |
| In a statement to BBC News, Sumintra Nadauld, mother of Nuttawut (known as T.Wood), said of Palmer: "This man is bad. I have no words for him. | In a statement to BBC News, Sumintra Nadauld, mother of Nuttawut (known as T.Wood), said of Palmer: "This man is bad. I have no words for him. |
| No-one laughs any more. We go into Steven's room and expect him to be there Janet Bayliss | No-one laughs any more. We go into Steven's room and expect him to be there Janet Bayliss |
| "I'm unhappy about it taking so long to go to court. | "I'm unhappy about it taking so long to go to court. |
| "But now I am a little bit stronger and can listen to what goes on around me so I will know what happens to this monster that sneaks into my home and pretends to be my son's friend and then kills him when they go out to play. | "But now I am a little bit stronger and can listen to what goes on around me so I will know what happens to this monster that sneaks into my home and pretends to be my son's friend and then kills him when they go out to play. |
| "T.Wood's family in the UK will try to do something in his name and maybe I will join them when I'm stronger because I worry all those young innocent children out there don't know what life is about. | "T.Wood's family in the UK will try to do something in his name and maybe I will join them when I'm stronger because I worry all those young innocent children out there don't know what life is about. |
| "They need to learn when they are very young that danger can stand right beside them; they need to understand how to stay safe, they need to know what to look for." | "They need to learn when they are very young that danger can stand right beside them; they need to understand how to stay safe, they need to know what to look for." |
| Steven Bayliss and Nuttawut Meechao died in 2005 | Steven Bayliss and Nuttawut Meechao died in 2005 |
| In a victim impact statement, Steven's mother Janet Bayliss said she still had not changed the sheets on her son's bed. | In a victim impact statement, Steven's mother Janet Bayliss said she still had not changed the sheets on her son's bed. |
| "It's our only connection to him," she said in her statement, which was read to the court after the verdicts. | "It's our only connection to him," she said in her statement, which was read to the court after the verdicts. |
| She said: "Steven was so noisy and full of life, rushing around, laughing and playing loud music. | She said: "Steven was so noisy and full of life, rushing around, laughing and playing loud music. |
| "No-one laughs any more. No-one wants to be here any more. We go into Steven's room and expect him to be there. | "No-one laughs any more. No-one wants to be here any more. We go into Steven's room and expect him to be there. |
| "We feel we failed our son by only telling him to beware of strangers, not people he trusted." | "We feel we failed our son by only telling him to beware of strangers, not people he trusted." |
| Tom is not mad, he is bad Gerry Pontet, Nuttawut's guardian | Tom is not mad, he is bad Gerry Pontet, Nuttawut's guardian |
| Police found the two schoolboys' bloodied bodies in woods. They had been repeatedly stabbed. | Police found the two schoolboys' bloodied bodies in woods. They had been repeatedly stabbed. |
| Palmer later told officers he carried out the attack after the two boys mocked him about his odd eating habits and his parents' divorce. | Palmer later told officers he carried out the attack after the two boys mocked him about his odd eating habits and his parents' divorce. |
| The court heard that Palmer had a fascination with knives, buying the one he killed the boys with from a local sports shop. | The court heard that Palmer had a fascination with knives, buying the one he killed the boys with from a local sports shop. |
| His girlfriend, Ruth Cunningham told police he watched only horror films and one in particular - a movie about a serial killer - became a favourite shortly before the killings. | His girlfriend, Ruth Cunningham told police he watched only horror films and one in particular - a movie about a serial killer - became a favourite shortly before the killings. |
| During the trial, the court heard how his repeated use of cannabis probably worsened his mental state. | During the trial, the court heard how his repeated use of cannabis probably worsened his mental state. |
| Thomas Palmer used a knife in the frenzied attack | Thomas Palmer used a knife in the frenzied attack |
| He told doctors after the killings that in the months before he attacked his two friends with a hunting knife he had started seeing and hearing things. | He told doctors after the killings that in the months before he attacked his two friends with a hunting knife he had started seeing and hearing things. |
| Medical experts for the defence told the jury that Palmer was in the first stages of schizophrenia but had not yet developed the full-blown disease. | Medical experts for the defence told the jury that Palmer was in the first stages of schizophrenia but had not yet developed the full-blown disease. |
| Gerry Pontet, T.Wood's guardian, said: "There are some people who are just naturally bad. Unfortunately, we didn't realise it until it was too late." | Gerry Pontet, T.Wood's guardian, said: "There are some people who are just naturally bad. Unfortunately, we didn't realise it until it was too late." |