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Teen jailed after leaving boy, 16, disabled following attack with 'Walking Dead' baseball bat

John Callis-Woolsey was jailed for eight years after bludgeoning a 16-year-old with a baseball bat inspired by TV show The Walking Dead. (Pictures: SWNS)
John Callis-Woolsey was jailed for eight years after bludgeoning a 16-year-old with a baseball bat inspired by TV show The Walking Dead. (Pictures: SWNS)

A teenager has been jailed after leaving a 16-year-old disabled by bludgeoning him with a homemade bat inspired by The Walking Dead.

John Callis-Woolsey, 18, smashed the boy’s skull with the baseball bat which had nails protruding from it and was daubed with the word ‘Lucille’ - the same name given to a bat used by a character in the TV series.

His victim was left hospitalised for nine months and now requires full-time care because of a lifelong brain injury, which has left him being only able to walk with the aid of a frame.

After launching the brutal attack in November 2018, Callis-Woolsey celebrated by doing the ‘Floss’ dance from the popular computer game Fortnite.

The victim's scar after surgery. See SWNS story SWMDbat, An 18-year-old has today been jailed for a vicious attack on a boy that left him severely disabled.  On November 13, 2018 we were called to reports that a 16-year-old boy had sustained a serious head injury after being assaulted earlier that evening in Middleton-by-Wirksworth. The teenage boy, who is now 17, remained in hospital for nine months and although he is now at home he requires full-time care and has a lifelong brain injury.  John Callis-Woolsey from Middleton-by-Wirksworth previously pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent and was today sentenced to eight years in jail at Derby Crown Court.
John Callis-Woolsey's victim was hospitalised for nine months and now requires full-time care due to a lifelong brain injury. (Picture: SWNS)

The teenager, from Middleton-by-Wirksworth, was jailed for eight years at Derby Crown Court after previously pleading guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent while co-defendant Kyle Cullan, of Wirksworth, Derbyshire, was jailed for 12 months after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery.

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The case has prompted the victim’s mother to warn against the dangers of violent video games and TV shows.

Her warning comes a year after a study suggested that playing violent video games does not cause teenagers to be aggressive.

She said: “This was a mindless and unprovoked act of extreme violence. I was shocked when I saw the hideous looking weapon that was used.

Callis-Woolsey's co-defendant Kyle Cullan (pictured) was jailed for 12 months after admitting conspiracy to rob. (Picture: SWNS)
Callis-Woolsey's co-defendant Kyle Cullan (pictured) was jailed for 12 months after admitting conspiracy to rob. (Picture: SWNS)

She added: “I would like the producers and creators of such programmes to know the influence the content has on immature minds.

“The assault has changed our lives forever, my son is serving a life sentence and doctors have advised that he will remain disabled for the rest of his life."

Detective Constable Derek Ellis said: “This was an act of extreme violence which was planned, orchestrated and carried out by a teenager for a somewhat trivial matter.

“His actions that night have dramatically altered the course of two young and bright promising lives, one of which was his own.

“The victim and his immediate family have had to come to terms with the consequences of that night.

"Their fight, spirit and support for each other has been nothing short of admirable.”

In The Walking Dead, the character Negan, played by actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan, uses a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire to kill zombies.