The young addict had delusions of people living inside the walls of his house and he slept with a tennis racket fearing their presence.

The 16-year-old has served his term in prison and has undergone several surgeries after the incident. (Photo: Pixabay/Representational)

London: A 16-year-old Brighton boy attacked his mother with a knife and cut off his genitals later in a drug-induced fit.

The boy was high on cannabis, a high-strength drug, and had gone to bed with a knife fearing people who he imagined living inside the walls of his room. As reported by the Mail Online, the teenager woke up in the middle of the night and stabbed his mother. The psychotic fit was brought to an end only after the boy had severed his penis.

Nick, the teenager’s father, spoke about the episode on BBC 5 Live, to spread awareness about the ills of cannabis. The boy used to be a cheerful, rugby-playing person until he was introduced to the drug which he initially stored only for dealers, the father said.

After a while, he was hit by acute paranoia and turned into a depressing ‘waste of space’, Nick added. The high-strength drug would give him delusions. The 16-year-old once told his parents that mermaids and people lived in the walls of their house; he slept with a tennis racket dreading their presence, the father further said.

The boy’s father and mother are divorced and the latter has completely recovered from the attack. The young boy has served his term in prison but has no memory of the episode. He has had several successful surgeries to reattach his penis and needs to undergo more operations.

The report quoted Nick’s father commenting on his son’s current state, 'He's drug free and alcohol free. He's actually in really good form. He's got his wit back. He's the first to have a bit of black comedy as far as this is concerned. I feel like I've got my son back.'