Boy told headmaster ‘I'm not right in the head' after ‘stabbing classmate, 15, to death with hunting knife at school'

The Sun

20 hours ago

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."