A schoolboy who stabbed another pupil to death on their lunch break has been found guilty of murder.
Harvey Willgoose, 15, was stabbed in the heart in front of horrified children by another 15-year-old boy who had brought a hunting knife to school.
Sheffield Crown Court heard how other pupils fled “in fear and panic,” with some locking themselves in a school cupboard, after the fatal attack at All Saints Catholic High School in Sheffield on February 3.
The defendant, who cannot be named because of his age, admitted manslaughter but denied murder, saying he “snapped” after a long period of bullying and does not remember what happened.
But prosecutors said he “wanted to show he was hard” and “knew exactly what he was doing”.
On Friday a jury found him guilty of murder by a majority of 11 to one after deliberating for more than 14 hours, and he is expected to be sentenced in October, when the judge will also consider an application to lift his anonymity.
He pleaded guilty to possession of a knife on school premises at an earlier hearing.
Harvey’s mother, Caroline Willgoose, burst into tears, alongside other members of her family, and held her husband Mark’s hand and said “yes”, but there was no reaction from the defendant.
Sheffield Crown Court heard the stabbing was probably an “act of retribution, to “get back at Harvey for something”.
The trial heard the two boys fell out several days before Harvey’s death after taking opposite sides in a dispute between two other boys.
Prosecutors said the defendant had an “unhealthy” interest in weapons and had photos on his phone of him posing with other hunting-style knives and a machete.
The court heard he also “had a significant history of becoming angry and using violence at school”.
Prosecutor Richard Thyne KC said the defendant had researched rage rooms and, just over a week before the fatal stabbing, searched “waiting for someone to swing so I can let out my anger”.
He told jurors that on the day of the stabbing, CCTV footage showed him trying to provoke Harvey, who remained “peaceful”.
The court heard Harvey told his friends that the defendant had been “acting like he had a knife” under his jumper in their science lesson that morning, but thought he was bluffing.
Jurors were told Harvey was happily talking to his friends in a courtyard as lunch break started, when the defendant approached him.
One teenage witness said there was an altercation and the defendant punched and pushed Harvey, causing him to stumble backwards, before pulling out a knife and stabbing him.
Another girl who gave evidence said: “We went inside to go and tell a teacher, but the teacher was frozen as well. She didn’t know what to do.”
She said: “People were running, screaming everywhere. It was, like, chaos.”
The defendant told the trial that suffering racist bullying and taunts about a medical condition meant he got angry quickly and “couldn’t control it”.
The boy told the jury his mother had mental health problems and his father, who hit him, was often not there.
He told the court he took the knife to school because he thought he was going to get hurt that day.
He said Harvey looked angry when he brought up a previous dispute, and had one hand in his trousers, which made him think the schoolboy had a knife.
Gul Nawaz Hussain KC, defending, told jurors: “Tragically, Harvey was a combination of being the final straw that broke (the defendant) and the unintended face of a series of threats of violence and bullying he had suffered in recent months.
“We say he suffered a loss of control which resulted in horrific and tragic consequences.”
Reading a family statement outside court, Harvey’s sister Sophie Willgoose said: “On February 3 we did not just lose Harvey – we lost a part of ourselves.
“Harvey was full of life, warm, funny and caring with a unique ability to bring people together.
“He was deeply loved by his family, cherished by his friends, and respected by all who knew him.”
She went on to say: “This tragedy has not only devastated our family, but has rippled across the country. People everywhere continue to grieve the loss of our beautiful boy.
“We know many have been traumatised, some witnessed the unthinkable, others held Harvey as he took his last breath. To them, we send our deepest love and strength.
“In Harvey’s memory, we will continue to speak out, we will raise awareness about the devastating impacts of knife crime and campaign for safer schools, stronger communities and a better, safer future for not just our children, but all.”
Chris Hartley of the Crown Prosecution Service said: “Very sadly knife crime continues to be an awful blight on local communities leaving people completely devastated by the senseless loss of young lives.
“We hope that these guilty verdicts bring some comfort to the Willgoose family that justice has been served here today.
“We remind teenagers that there can be horrendous and serious consequences of carrying knives. It has been proven that if you carry these weapons, you are more likely to use them or be a victim of knife crime. You are putting yourself, other people and your future at risk.”
Detective Inspector Joe Hackworthy, deputy senior investigating officer on the case, said: “This trial has been a heartbreaking reminder of the devastation knife crime causes in our communities.
“It tears lives and families apart – and that has never been more evident than in this tragic case.
“Tonight, one boy’s family will be spending another night grieving the unimaginable loss of their beloved son, while another boy’s family will be living with the reality that their son faces a life sentence behind bars for murder.
“Our thoughts today are with all those who knew and loved Harvey – especially his family, who have had to endure a lengthy trial because of his murderer’s refusal to admit the full extent of what he did on that tragic day in February.
“They have shown immense courage throughout the court process – and I want to thank them for it.
“The boy who has been found guilty of Harvey’s murder thought carrying a knife would offer him protection and change the way his peers looked at him. He might even have wanted them to fear him.
“But the painful reality is that his decision led to him taking an innocent life, tearing the lives of two families apart, and is about to land him in prison.”
Louise Haigh, MP for Sheffield Heeley, said an independent review would now take place into the circumstances that led to Harvey’s death, adding: “It is absolutely essential that all questions are answered and that any and all lessons must be learned.”
