A SEVENTEEN-year-old sixth form student had a kitchen knife embedded in his skull after a 14 year-old boy threw it at him during an argument, a court heard.

A SEVENTEEN-year-old sixth form student had a kitchen knife embedded in his skull after a 14 year-old boy threw it at him during an argument, a court heard.

The victim of the alleged attack was taken to Ipswich Hospital still conscious and with the knife protruding from the back of his head, Ipswich Crown Court was told.

The nine-inch knife was later removed by a surgeon at Addenbrokes Hospital, Cambridge, while the youth was under a general anaesthetic, said Lindsay Cox, prosecuting.

Before the court is a 14-year-old boy from the Ipswich area who cannot be named because of his age. He has denied wounding the 17-year-old with intent to cause him grievous bodily harm and the less serious alternative charge of unlawfully wounding him.

Mr Cox told the court the 14-year-old had become upset after his mother refused to give him a lift to a friend's house at Capel St Mary.

The boy had then become involved in an argument with the 17-year-old boy and the boys had had a physical fight.

Shortly afterwards the 14-year-old had picked up a monkey wrench and hit the older boy with it on the arm causing a slight cut.

Within minutes, the defendent who was shouting, "I'm going to get you and kill you" picked up a kitchen knife and threw it at the 17 year-old.

"It hit him in the back of the head with such force that it was embedded in his skull and didn't fall out," said Mr Cox.

The court heard the knife just penetrated the inside of the skull but had not caused any brain damage. The 17-year-old was discharged from hospital the day after surgery and was expected to make a full recovery.

Yesterday, psychologist Carole Grandin told the court that following the incident tests showed the 14-year-old boy was suffering from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

She said the defendant was a highly intelligent young man and was in the top 14% of his age group.

She said she found that he was capable of thinking through situations and knew the difference between right and wrong.

Mrs Grandin explained that ADHD was caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain which led to poor impulse control, poor concentration, restlessness and hyperactivity.

Cross-examined by defence counsel Andrew Shaw, Mrs Grandin agreed that at the time of the alleged offence the 14-year-old was suffering from an untreated mental illness.

The court heard that the boy had no previous convictions and told police he had intended to threaten the other boy with the knife.

He claimed he did not have a clear view of the 17-year-old when he threw the knife and had not deliberately thrown it at him.

The trial continues today .