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.
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'.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Leader Live
5 hours ago
- Leader Live
Boy's sentence for killing 80-year-old Bhim Kohli to be reviewed
Bhim Kohli called out for help when he was attacked in Franklin Park, Braunstone Town, near Leicester, on September 1 last year. He died the next day with a spinal cord injury and fractured ribs. Last month, Mr Justice Turner sentenced a boy, aged 15, who punched and kicked Mr Kohli, to seven years in custody, and a 13-year-old girl, who encouraged the attack by filming parts of it while laughing, to a three-year youth rehabilitation order. Both children, who cannot be named because of their age, denied their crimes but were convicted by a jury at Leicester Crown Court. A spokesperson for the Attorney General's Office said the case will be reviewed under the unduly lenient sentence scheme. The spokesperson said in a statement: 'The Solicitor General, Lucy Rigby KC MP, was appalled by this violent, cowardly attack on an innocent man. 'She wishes to express her deepest sympathies to Bhim Kohli's friends and family at this difficult time. 'After undertaking a detailed review of the case, the Solicitor General concluded the sentence of the 15-year-old boy could be referred to the Court of Appeal. 'The court will determine if the sentence is increased or not.' Mr Kohli's daughter spoke of feeling 'angry and disappointed', adding that she believes their sentences do not 'reflect the severity of the crime they committed'. In a statement after the sentencing hearing, Susan Kohli said: 'When they are released, they still have their full lives ahead of them. They can rebuild their lives. We can't.' Mid Leicestershire MP Peter Bedford and the MP for South Leicestershire, Alberto Costa, wrote to the AGO last month asking for the sentences to be reviewed. It is understood the sentence of the 13-year-old girl will not be referred to the Court of Appeal as the threshold had not been met. A six-week trial heard that Mr Kohli's children found him lying on the ground in agony when he told his daughter that he had been called a 'P***' during the attack. The boy said in his evidence he had a 'tussle' with Mr Kohli over his slider shoe before he slapped the elderly man with it out of 'instinct', which caused the pensioner to fall to his knees, but denied kicking or punching him. In a letter written by the boy to a woman who had worked with him at the residential unit where he was being looked after, he wrote: 'I f****** hate what I did. I regret it so much. 'I have flashbacks of that day and it just upsets me. I kinda just needed anger etc releasing.' The girl had filmed a series of video clips in which the elderly man was hit with the shoe by the balaclava-clad boy and another where Mr Kohli lay motionless on the ground. She was heard laughing in the video clips which she kept in a passcode protected Snapchat folder. In his sentencing remarks last month, Mr Justice Turner said: 'I am sure Mr Kohli did nothing at all to deserve what you did. What you did was wicked. 'You made a cowardly and violent attack on an elderly man.'
South Wales Guardian
7 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
Boy's sentence for killing 80-year-old Bhim Kohli to be reviewed
Bhim Kohli called out for help when he was attacked in Franklin Park, Braunstone Town, near Leicester, on September 1 last year. He died the next day with a spinal cord injury and fractured ribs. Last month, Mr Justice Turner sentenced a boy, aged 15, who punched and kicked Mr Kohli, to seven years in custody, and a 13-year-old girl, who encouraged the attack by filming parts of it while laughing, to a three-year youth rehabilitation order. Both children, who cannot be named because of their age, denied their crimes but were convicted by a jury at Leicester Crown Court. A spokesperson for the Attorney General's Office said the case will be reviewed under the unduly lenient sentence scheme. The spokesperson said in a statement: 'The Solicitor General, Lucy Rigby KC MP, was appalled by this violent, cowardly attack on an innocent man. 'She wishes to express her deepest sympathies to Bhim Kohli's friends and family at this difficult time. 'After undertaking a detailed review of the case, the Solicitor General concluded the sentence of the 15-year-old boy could be referred to the Court of Appeal. 'The court will determine if the sentence is increased or not.' Mr Kohli's daughter spoke of feeling 'angry and disappointed', adding that she believes their sentences do not 'reflect the severity of the crime they committed'. In a statement after the sentencing hearing, Susan Kohli said: 'When they are released, they still have their full lives ahead of them. They can rebuild their lives. We can't.' Mid Leicestershire MP Peter Bedford and the MP for South Leicestershire, Alberto Costa, wrote to the AGO last month asking for the sentences to be reviewed. It is understood the sentence of the 13-year-old girl will not be referred to the Court of Appeal as the threshold had not been met. A six-week trial heard that Mr Kohli's children found him lying on the ground in agony when he told his daughter that he had been called a 'P***' during the attack. The boy said in his evidence he had a 'tussle' with Mr Kohli over his slider shoe before he slapped the elderly man with it out of 'instinct', which caused the pensioner to fall to his knees, but denied kicking or punching him. In a letter written by the boy to a woman who had worked with him at the residential unit where he was being looked after, he wrote: 'I f****** hate what I did. I regret it so much. 'I have flashbacks of that day and it just upsets me. I kinda just needed anger etc releasing.' The girl had filmed a series of video clips in which the elderly man was hit with the shoe by the balaclava-clad boy and another where Mr Kohli lay motionless on the ground. She was heard laughing in the video clips which she kept in a passcode protected Snapchat folder. In his sentencing remarks last month, Mr Justice Turner said: 'I am sure Mr Kohli did nothing at all to deserve what you did. What you did was wicked. 'You made a cowardly and violent attack on an elderly man.'
Rhyl Journal
7 hours ago
- Rhyl Journal
Boy's sentence for killing 80-year-old Bhim Kohli to be reviewed
Bhim Kohli called out for help when he was attacked in Franklin Park, Braunstone Town, near Leicester, on September 1 last year. He died the next day with a spinal cord injury and fractured ribs. Last month, Mr Justice Turner sentenced a boy, aged 15, who punched and kicked Mr Kohli, to seven years in custody, and a 13-year-old girl, who encouraged the attack by filming parts of it while laughing, to a three-year youth rehabilitation order. Both children, who cannot be named because of their age, denied their crimes but were convicted by a jury at Leicester Crown Court. A spokesperson for the Attorney General's Office said the case will be reviewed under the unduly lenient sentence scheme. The spokesperson said in a statement: 'The Solicitor General, Lucy Rigby KC MP, was appalled by this violent, cowardly attack on an innocent man. 'She wishes to express her deepest sympathies to Bhim Kohli's friends and family at this difficult time. 'After undertaking a detailed review of the case, the Solicitor General concluded the sentence of the 15-year-old boy could be referred to the Court of Appeal. 'The court will determine if the sentence is increased or not.' Mr Kohli's daughter spoke of feeling 'angry and disappointed', adding that she believes their sentences do not 'reflect the severity of the crime they committed'. In a statement after the sentencing hearing, Susan Kohli said: 'When they are released, they still have their full lives ahead of them. They can rebuild their lives. We can't.' Mid Leicestershire MP Peter Bedford and the MP for South Leicestershire, Alberto Costa, wrote to the AGO last month asking for the sentences to be reviewed. It is understood the sentence of the 13-year-old girl will not be referred to the Court of Appeal as the threshold had not been met. A six-week trial heard that Mr Kohli's children found him lying on the ground in agony when he told his daughter that he had been called a 'P***' during the attack. The boy said in his evidence he had a 'tussle' with Mr Kohli over his slider shoe before he slapped the elderly man with it out of 'instinct', which caused the pensioner to fall to his knees, but denied kicking or punching him. In a letter written by the boy to a woman who had worked with him at the residential unit where he was being looked after, he wrote: 'I f****** hate what I did. I regret it so much. 'I have flashbacks of that day and it just upsets me. I kinda just needed anger etc releasing.' The girl had filmed a series of video clips in which the elderly man was hit with the shoe by the balaclava-clad boy and another where Mr Kohli lay motionless on the ground. She was heard laughing in the video clips which she kept in a passcode protected Snapchat folder. In his sentencing remarks last month, Mr Justice Turner said: 'I am sure Mr Kohli did nothing at all to deserve what you did. What you did was wicked. 'You made a cowardly and violent attack on an elderly man.'
