A teenager tested the tip of a kitchen knife and told two schoolgirls it was "pretty sharp" before launching an attack and almost killing one of them, a jury heard.

Callum Stroomer was told by a judge he will face "substantial time" in jail after a jury convicted him of the attempted murder of two 15-year-old friends at a Bracknell house.

He was just 17 at the time of the knife attack that left the girls with very serious injuries but a Judge sitting at Reading Crown Court said he could be jailed indefinitely.

Stroomer showed no emotion as the jury returned the verdicts after almost eight hours of deliberation after a nine day trial.

After the verdicts were delivered it was revealed Stroomer had also admitted six sex assault on two different girls under the age of 16 including two counts of rape.

Judge John Reddihough said: "You have now been convicted by this jury of two very serious offences. Attempted murder and those you have already pleaded guilty to. You will appreciate that a substantial term of detainment or possibly an indefinite sentence will be appropriate in this case."

Stroomer, of Dee Road, Tilehurst, had admitted causing grievous bodily harm with intent on March 1 this year but denied attempting to murder the pretty friends at a house in Bracknell.

The jury heard a row started when Stroomer would not leave the girls, who cannot be named for legal reasons, alone.

Reading Chronicle:

  • Police at the scene of the stabbing on March 1 this year

The schoolgirl gave evidence from behind a screen in the witness box and said last thing she remembered was smacking the back of her head against a kitchen cabinet and falling to the floor after being pushed by Stroomer.

Her friend was speaking to her boyfriend via Facetime just before the attack and he described how the girls were getting 'freaked out' by Stroomer.

The boyfriend told the jury: "I told Callum 'you are freaking them out, just leave'. Then I saw Callum touching the tip of the knife and say 'this is pretty sharp'."

He described hearing a loud crash like someone getting thrown across the room in the background before Stroomer began walking towards the girl telling her to put the phone down.

He added: "She put the phone down but I could still hear, she was begging him. She was scared and shocked and then the phone went off."

The jury was told Stroomer had an interest in "violent things" and wanted know what it was like to kill someone and had planned to go into the army.

He had claimed he was acting in self defence after being the target of gay taunts from the girls.

Judge John Reddihough told the jury: "The key issue is what was this defendant's intent. Did he intend to kill?

Share article "Have the prosecution made you sure that when he assaulted each girl he intended to kill that girl as opposed to cause serious injury?

Stroomer will be sentenced at Reading Crown Court on October 23.