A plastic surgeon who tried to kill a former colleague after he broke into their home has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 22 years, after refusing to attend court in person.

Peter Brooks, 61, stabbed his victim when he was found pouring petrol across the ground floor of the property in Halam, near Southwell, Nottinghamshire during the early hours of January 14, 2021.

The victim, Graeme Perks - who was 65 at the time - had retired the month before the attack and suffered “extremely life-threatening” injuries to his liver, intestines and pancreas.

It was only because of the medical staff who treated Perks that he survived. His injuries were so severe that 95 per cent of people in a similar condition would be expected to die.

In April, Brooks was found guilty of two counts of attempted murder, arson with intent to endanger life, and possession of a bladed article.

Brooks, a consultant specialising in burns and plastics since 1987 and a former "Plastic Surgeon of the Year" for Nottinghamshire, was motivated to commit the attack by an ongoing work dispute in which the victim was a key witness.

Sentencing Brooks, Mr Justice Pepperall said: “You must’ve had substantial professional experience of those who have suffered appalling burns.

“You were a trained surgeon and yet you plunged a knife into your colleagues body.

“Your crimes have robbed Graeme and Beverley Perks of the care free retirement that they deserved.”

Describing the case, he added: “You were fixated on your employment difficulties, and you blamed Mr Perks for your troubles.

“Your key demands were that Mr Perks should leave the trust, upon that evidence and extreme actions, I am sure your simmering sense of grievance developed into deep anger.

“When you went into your garage, you set about loading your bicycle with everything you would need to break into his home and murder him by burning his house down.

“You were intent on murder.”

When opening the prosecution’s case at trial, Tracy Ayling KC had told the jury it was “clear that the defendant hated Graeme Perks” and wanted him “out of the way”.

He declined to attend his sentencing hearing in person, defying the lawful order given to him, stating healthcare reasons and that the journey from HMP Norwich would make him “ill”.

After being passed fit for court by a medical team, he appeared via video link, but was seen regularly getting up from his chair and walking around the room provided to him for the hearing.

The surgeon was “voluntarily absent” from his month-long trial because he was on hunger strike and said he would “rather be dead than incarcerated”.

Before the trial he had sacked his lawyers and was unrepresented in the case. He had representation at sentencing.

In a victim personal statement from Graeme Perks, the court heard how he suffered from “distressing hallucinations” about house fires and being able to reach his family. The sentencing also heard about the £74,000 of renovations needed to the family home due to fuel contamination.