A 15-year-old schoolboy fatally stabbed a fellow pupil with a five-inch hunting knife before telling a teacher ‘I’m not right in the head’, a court has heard.
Harvey Willgoose, also 15, collapsed less than a minute after he was knifed in the heart at All Saints Catholic High School in Sheffield on February 3.
Shocking CCTV footage of the attack was played to a jury as the teenager accused of murdering Harvey went on trial at Sheffield Crown Court today.
Harvey’s relatives wept and covered their eyes as the video showed the boys squaring up, before the defendant produced a knife and lunged at him twice.
The Sheffield United fan could be seen running away before collapsing nearby while the defendant waved the knife in the air.
The teenager, who cannot be named, is expected to argue his actions were a loss of control following a long period of bullying, poor treatment and violence.
He has admitted Harvey’s manslaughter, but denies murder. He has also admitted possession of a bladed article.
Richard Thyne KC, opening the case for the prosecution today, said the stab wound that killed Harvey ‘was inflicted with such force that the knife cut the bone of one of his ribs’.
He added: ‘It was just five minutes into the school lunch break when Harvey Willgoose was stabbed to death. It was quarter past twelve in the afternoon on Monday, February 3 this year.
Harvey Willgoose, also 15, collapsed less than a minute after he was knifed in the heart at All Saints Catholic High School in Sheffield on February 3
Harvey’s mother, Caroline, was among those to attend court on the first day of the trial
Both pupils attended the same school and the stabbing took place just minutes after their lunch break had begun
Harvey’s relatives wept and covered their eyes as the video showed the boys squaring up, before the defendant produced a knife and lunged at him twice.
‘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 on to the ground, where he lost consciousness and died. He was 15 years old.’
After being stabbed and retreating, Harvey was seen attempting to run at the defendant, but again backed away when the pupil moved forward with the knife for a second time.
Teachers rushed to the scene and told him to hand over the weapon. One heard him say ‘you know I can’t control it’, which he took to be a reference to his anger issues given the pupil’s history of violent behaviour at school.
The defendant then handed the knife over and told a teacher: ‘I’m not right in the head. My mum doesn’t look after me right. I’ve stabbed him.’
It was claimed he had brought the knife to school ‘for protection’ because he was ‘followed over the weekend’ and scared of being ‘jumped outside school’, the prosecutor said.
But Mr Thyne revealed the defendant’s phone had photos of him posing with weapons and his internet search history included terms such as ‘zombie killer knife’, ‘dagger, pocket knife’, and ‘machete’.
He also told the jurors how, in December 2024, the boy’s mother contacted the school about finding what she described as a sword in his bag, which turned out to be an axe. Police then visited his home and gave him advice about the dangers of carrying weapons.
Harvey and the accused were said to have become embroiled in a dispute on the weekend before the attack, relating to a row between pupils including the defendant on January 29.
On that occasion, he insisted he saw another boy in possession of a knife and the school was put into lockdown. The police were called but no blade was found.
The defendant was said to be ‘scared of going to school’ because of the lockdown. Harvey had not regularly attended school at the time – showing up for only 20 days since the start of term.
On the morning of the fatal attack, they exchanged Snapchat messages in which Harvey asked if there was ‘beef’ between them.
The defendant replied at 7.51am: ‘Nah but if u (want) beef we can hav it.’
Assistant headteacher Morgan Davis that morning spoke to the defendant about the confrontation the previous week and ‘specifically asked’ if he had brought a weapon to school. He said he had not.
CCTV footage was then played to the court of the boys passing each other outside Mr Davis’s room, which the prosecutor said showed the defendant ‘physically pushing’ Harvey, who kept his hands behind his back.
The boys were later in the same science lesson and squared up to each other, with teacher Sophie Heath-Whyte recalling them saying: ‘Come on, let’s take this outside.’ When Harvey left the classroom, he was heard by another teacher saying ‘something was about to happen’. At 12.10pm, he was stabbed.
Moments earlier the accused told another pupil he was ‘mad’ at Harvey, before mentioning he had a knife. Harvey was declared dead from his injuries at 1.24pm.
Gul Nawaz Hussain KC, for the defence, said: ‘[The defendant] accepts what he did that day.
‘That is why he’s pleaded guilty to manslaughter. [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 – things that built one upon another until he lost control and did tragically what we’ve all seen.’
The trial continues.
