Boy stabbed fellow student in the heart during school lunch break, jury told
Richard Thyne KC, prosecuting, told a jury: 'It was just five minutes into the school lunch break, when Harvey Willgoose was stabbed to death.
'It was quarter past 12 in the afternoon on Monday February 3 this year.
'Harvey was standing in the courtyard at All Saints Catholic High School in Sheffield when a knife was thrust into his chest, penetrating his heart.
'In less than a minute he had collapsed onto the ground, where he lost consciousness and died.
'He was 15 years old.'
Opening the case for the prosecution, Mr Thyne said: 'The stab wound that killed Harvey was inflicted with such force that the knife cut the bone of one of his ribs.
'The knife used to cause that wound was a hunting knife with a 13cm, serrated-edged blade.'
Mr Thyne told jurors that the defendant 'admits that he stabbed Harvey causing his death'.
He said: 'He also admits that the stabbing was not carried out in lawful self-defence.'
The jury has heard that the defendant has admitted Harvey's manslaughter, but denies murdering him.
The boy, who cannot be named, has also admitted possession of a knife on school premises.
Police officers outside All Saints Catholic High School, on Granville Road in Sheffield, South Yorkshire (Jacob King/PA)
The defendant sat in the glass-fronted dock, wearing a white shirt with no tie, as Mr Thyne outlined the case against him.
He was flanked by a number of adults, including an intermediary.
Mr Thyne said the two boys had appeared to be 'on good terms' until an incident on Wednesday January 29 – five days before the stabbing – when two members of staff physically intervened in a dispute between two other students.
The prosecutor said Harvey was not in school on that day but CCTV showed that the defendant tried to get involved and 'had to be physically restrained and removed by staff'.
He told the jury that the school went into lockdown after the defendant said he had seen one of the two boys with a knife, but the police who attended did not find a weapon.
The prosecutor said the defendant did not go to school the following two days and a relative contacted the school to say he was 'scared of going to school because of the lockdown'.
He said that Harvey was also not in school and sent a text message to his dad saying 'am not going in that school while people have knives'.
Mr Thyne said this incident led to Harvey and the defendant falling out in a Snapchat group, with each siding with one of the boys involved in the initial dispute, who had been suspended.
He told the jury that one witness will tell them that Harvey was saying things like 'why would you start on my friend' and the defendant was saying 'if you want to have a problem we can have a problem'.
He said that in one message on Saturday February 1, Harvey sent the defendant his address, telling him that if he had a problem 'you got my Addy I'll deal with it simple'.
Mr Thyne said that, on the morning of the fatal incident, the defendant was spoken to by a teacher who reassured him that the police had found no knife after the incident the previous week.
He said the defendant assured that teacher he did not have with him 'anything he shouldn't – such as a weapon'.
The court was played CCTV footage of interactions between Harvey and the defendant in school corridors on the morning of the fatal incident.
Describing one incident, Mr Thyne said: 'The prosecution say that when you watch that CCTV you may think that (the defendant) is physically pushing Harvey at times, and you may want to ask yourselves if (the defendant) appears to be trying to provoke Harvey into reacting.'
Turning to another of the clips, Mr Thyne said that another pupil describes them pushing each other and saying 'come on'.
He said this boy 'thought it was just banter and that they were joking around'.
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Daily Mirror
5 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Schoolboy, 15, 'collapsed in 49 seconds' after fatal stabbing by fellow pupil
Harvey Willgoose, 15, stabbed to death after a 'Snapchat row', collapsed less than a minute after being attacked by a fellow pupil, a Sheffield murder trial has been told Schoolboy Harvey Willgoose took 49 seconds to collapse after being stabbed by a hunting knife, a pathologist told a jury today. The 15-year-old was stabbed twice following a Snapchat row with a fellow pupil, a jury has heard. Harvey was on a school lunch break when a 13cm hunting knife was thrust into his heart. A jury heard today how it took less than a minute for Harvey to collapse to the ground according to a Home Office forensic pathologist giving evidence this morning. A post-mortem examination was carried out by pathologist Dr Philip Lumb, who said he estimated that it took 49 seconds before Harvey went to the ground after being stabbed. He described the knife as being 13 cm long and up to 3cm wide. He said the spine was "serrated'. He said there were 'spurs' on the blood-stained knife which allows only 10cm of the blade to penetrate. The spurs on the knife were described as ones which could be used to open bottles. The court heard six minutes after being called, paramedics arrived at 12.23pm, followed by an air ambulance. The trial has already been told how Harvey's death was a stab wound to his heart. The prosecutor, Mr Richard Thyne KC, told the jury on Tuesday: 'That injury would have required severe force to inflict; the knife had cut the hard bone of Harvey's fifth rib. It had then pierced one of the main pumping chambers of the heart, causing catastrophic internal bleeding and mechanical failure of the heart. "Someone who has received such an injury may, in fact, be capable of purposeful movement for up to a few minutes after it has been inflicted – and you will recall Harvey was able to move for around a minute before he collapsed. There was a second sharp force injury to Harvey's right upper chest which was consistent with a further stabbing motion seen on the CCTV footage. ' Mr Thyne has told the Jury Harvey had previously sent a message to his dad saying: "Am not going in that school while people have knives." Another boy, 15, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is on trial accused of Harvey's murder. A jury was warned before being shown graphic CCTV of the alleged murder in a school courtyard which left pupils fleeing in "fear and panic". The defendant is apparently seen taking a knife out of his pocket and stabbing Harvey twice "in the torso". Harvey at first does not seem to realise and staggers around but collapses to the ground a minute later. Gul Nawaz Hussain KC for the defence said the defendant 'accepts what he did that day, he accepts responsibility for the tragic and lasting consequence of his actions. That is why he has pleaded guilty to manslaughter.' But they said he 'did not set out to kill or seriously hurt anyone, the defence say his actions that day were the end result of a long period of bullying, poor treatment and violence…which built up…until he lost control and did tragically what you have all seen.' Harvey's family have been watching proceedings in tears from the public gallery of Sheffield crown court.
The Sun
20 hours ago
- The Sun
Boy told headmaster ‘I'm not right in the head' after ‘stabbing classmate, 15, to death with hunting knife at school'
A SCHOOLBOY told his teacher "I'm not right in the head" after he stabbed his classmate to death, a jury has been told. He fatally stabbed his fellow pupil, 15, in the heart with a hunting knife at school as his classmates fled in terror. 5 5 5 Sheffield Crown Court was shown "shocking" footage of the stabbing at All Saints Catholic High School in Sheffield on February 3. The incident left 15-year-old Harvey Willgoose dead and other pupils fleeing "in fear and panic". The defendant "had an unhealthy and apparently longstanding interest in weapons", prosecutors told the court on Tuesday. They explained how he had photos on his phone of him posing with different weapons including hunting knives and a machete. Prosecutors also added how a police officer had given the boy advice about the dangers of carrying weapons months before after his mother found an axe in his bag. Richard Thyne KC, prosecuting, told the jury that after the fatal stabbing, the defendant told his headteacher, Sean Pender: "I'm not right in the head. "My mum doesn't look after me right, I've stabbed him." The prosecutor said the boy confirmed to Pender that he was referring to Harvey and that he had stabbed him once or twice. Thyne said: "Whilst waiting for the emergency services to arrive, he also told Mr Pender that he was carrying the knife for protection." He told the jury that the altercation took place in the school courtyard as lunch break was starting before playing CCTV footage to the jurors, telling them: "It is shocking, but it is necessary to play it." The CCTV shows Harvey appearing to put his left hand on the defendant's right arm before the defendant "takes a knife out of his left pocket, passes it across into his right hand, and then stabs twice at Harvey's torso". Thyne then said that the defendant then advances towards Harvey, who backs away across the courtyard, before "the defendant returns towards where the incident began, gesturing towards Harvey with his knife, and appearing to shout at Harvey". The video shows Harvey running towards the defendant, who then advances for a second time "bouncing on his toes, still brandishing the knife", the prosecutor said, adding that then "Harvey backs away". Thyne added that "other pupils fled in fear and panic" as the defendant went into the dining hall still holding the knife. He told the jury that assistant headteacher, Morgan Davis, arrived and "found the defendant still waving the knife around". As Mr Davis told him to hand over the knife, the defendant was saying to him: "You know I can't control it," which Thyne said the teacher took to be a reference to his anger issues, given previous incidents of violent behaviour at school. The prosecutor said: "Mr Davis held his hand out and took the knife from the defendant. "At the same time the headteacher, Mr Pender, placed his arm around his shoulder and took him along the corridor to his office." Earlier on Tuesday, Thyne told the jury Harvey was stabbed in the heart with a hunting knife which had a 13cm, serrated-edged blade. He said: "He also admits that the stabbing was not carried out in lawful self-defence." The jury has heard the defendant has admitted Harvey's manslaughter, but denies murdering him. The boy, who cannot be named, has also admitted possession of a knife on school premises. 5 5 Thyne told the jury about an incident five days before the stabbing, when two members of staff physically intervened in a dispute between two other students. The prosecutor said the defendant tried to get involved and "had to be physically restrained and removed by staff". He told the jury that the school went into lockdown after the defendant said he had seen one of the two boys with a knife, but the police who attended did not find a weapon. The prosecutor said the defendant did not go to school the following two days and a relative contacted the school to say he was "scared of going to school because of the lockdown". He said that Harvey, who was not at school when this incident happened, sent a text message to his dad saying "am not going in that school while people have knives". Thyne said this incident led to Harvey and the defendant falling out in a Snapchat group, with each siding with one of the boys involved in the initial dispute, who had been suspended. He said that in one message on February 1, Harvey sent the defendant his address, telling him that if he had a problem "you got my Addy I'll deal with it simple". Thyne said that the defendant gave police a written statement about what happened in the courtyard on February 3. He said Harvey came up to him and said: "Do you want beef, I'll have you this time." The defendant said in his statement that Harvey refused to shake his hand and "at that point I felt like he was going to attack me". He said: "Obviously, all these threats had been made to me previously and at that moment I thought he was going to use a weapon or knife against me. "Without thinking and instinctively I pulled out the knife I had in my pocket and thrust it towards Harvey. "I did this in self-defence. "It was not my intention to cause him serious harm. "At that moment I felt it was me or him, I had to protect myself." Thyne said the defendant had "had a significant history of becoming angry and using violence at school". The prosecutor said records from his previous school "show a pattern of behaviour ranging from defiance, through to the use of physical violence towards other pupils and property". Thyne said the defendant's phone had photos on it of him posing with weapons and his internet search history included terms like zombie killer knife, dagger, pocket knife, and machete. He told the jurors how, in December 2024, the defendant's mother contacted the school about finding what she described as a sword in his bag, which turned out to be an axe. A police officer visited the defendant's home and gave him advice about the dangers of carrying weapons, the prosecutor said. Addressing the jury, Gul Nawaz Hussain KC, defending, said: "He accepts what he did that day. "He accepts responsibility for the tragic and lasting consequences of his actions. "That is why he's pleaded guilty to manslaughter. "The defendant did not set out to kill or seriously hurt anyone. "The defence say his actions that day were the end result of a long period of bullying, poor treatment and violence - things that built one upon another until he lost control and did tragically what we've all seen."
Metro
21 hours ago
- Metro
Attacker pulls out huge knife and lunges at young woman in London park
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video A party at a London park ended with dozens of screams after an attacker began swinging a large knife at a woman. Snapchat video captured the moment the hooded perpetrator whipped out the blade in Gladstone Park, north London, on Monday. The weapon was inches from slashing the terrified victim, as she backed away while others fled. A man filming the attack can be heard screaming, 'She backed out a shank, are you mad?' meaning she brought out a knife. Police officers descended on the scene just after 10pm after the video went viral on social media, but they could not locate the alleged knife-wielder or weapon, the force told Metro. There were no reported injuries and arrests have been made. Metro revealed that almost half of all murders in the UK over the last two years have been due to stabbings or violent incidents with a blade. Figures show that out of the 898 recorded murders in the UK over the last three years, 443 of these murders were committed using a knife, stabbing, or a sharp instrument. Data gathered from Freedom of Information Requests (FOI) from 38 police forces across the UK between 2022-2024 highlighted the worrying rise. Labour says it will bring 3,000 police officers back on the streets alongside a five-step plan to 'tackle the issue 'take back our streets'. This includes the banning of ninja swords this summer. The sword – which has become a weapon of choice for street killers in the UK – will be banned from August 1. More Trending The move follows tireless campaigning from the family of Ronan Kanda, who was killed on a Wolverhampton street in a case of mistaken identity in 2022. A spokesperson for the Met Police told Metro of the Gladstone Park incident: 'On Monday at 10.30pm, police attended Gladstone Park, Brent, having been made aware of a video on social media of a woman with a knife. 'Officers saw no one who matched the description of the woman in the video. 'No one was injured, no weapons were found and no arrests were made. Enquiries continue.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Google Maps lets you blur your house – here's why you should do it MORE: Man 'dismembered' couple and froze remains before dumping them off bridge MORE: Hottest tube line forecasted where passengers face 32°C carriage hell
