KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 2 – A Malaysian student has reportedly been sentenced to life in prison for attacking two classmates and a teacher with a hammer at a boarding school in Devon, United Kingdom.

BBC reported that Thomas Wei Huang, 17, was ordered to serve a minimum of 12 years after attempting to kill three people at Blundell’s School in Tiverton.

"You knew the difference between right and wrong and you intended to kill those boys,” Judge Justice Cutts reportedly said during sentencing at Exeter Crown Court last month.

The incident occurred in June last year when Huang attacked two male roommates, then aged 15 and 16, as they slept in their dormitory, causing severe injuries.

Huang also assaulted housemaster Henry Roffe-Silvester, inflicting six head wounds.

The judge then lifted an order preventing the identification of Huang, allowing his name to be published.

During the trial, the court heard that Huang claimed he was sleepwalking during the attack and had collected weapons to prepare for a "zombie apocalypse.”

The jury, however, rejected the sleepwalking defence, finding him guilty of three counts of attempted murder.

Both boys suffered serious injuries, including skull fractures and internal organ damage, with one sustaining permanent brain damage.

Mr Roffe-Silvester, who intervened during the attack, recovered fully after sustaining multiple head injuries.