Chloe Aslett & Julia BrysonYorkshire
A 15-year-old boy has been given a life sentence for the murder of fellow pupil Harvey Willgoose, who he stabbed during his lunch break at their Sheffield school.
Mohammed Umar Khan stabbed Harvey, who was also 15, through the heart with a hunting knife at All Saints Catholic High School on Monday 3 February.
Khan, who was found guilty of murder, was named by judge Mrs Justice Naomi Ellenbogen after she lifted a restriction on his anonymity during sentencing at Sheffield Crown Court.
Khan was detained for life with a minimum term of 16 years.
Mrs Justice Ellenbogen told him: “I must sentence you to detention during His Majesty’s Pleasure.
“That means a life sentence in a secure place, imposed on a person who commits the offence of murder.”
She added: “You will remain on licence for the rest of your life.”
Khan was in Year Nine when he stabbed Harvey, who was his former friend, in the school courtyard after the two teenagers had quarrelled over social media in the days beforehand.
They had taken opposite sides in a separate conflict between two other pupils, which led to the school being briefly locked down on 29 January.
During the trial, the jury was played CCTV from the day of the stabbing, which showed the defendant approaching Harvey in the courtyard shortly after midday.
The pair stood for a moment, appearing to talk, before the boy pulled out a knife and stabbed Harvey in the chest, severing a rib in the process.
The trial heard from fellow pupils who described a scene of “chaos”, as people “were running, screaming everywhere”.
Khan had told jurors he had not intended to kill Harvey or cause him serious harm, claiming he could not remember what had happened.
He said he had “snapped” and “lost control” of his actions, adding that he had been bullied and could “get angry quickly”.
He said he had experienced racist abuse and taunts on social media about a medical condition, and that he had been neglected and suffered physical and emotional abuse at home.
However, the prosecution said he had “wanted to show he was hard” and “knew exactly what he was doing”.
They said he had an “unhealthy interest in weapons” and had looked up “zombie killer knife” and other blades online, and had also taken pictures of himself with weapons, including a knife and axe, to warn people to stay away.
Sentencing him, Mrs Justice Ellenbogen said: “You were the aggressor and… you acted in hurt and anger at what you considered to be his betrayal of your friendship.
“This was a serious crime carried out by one pupil on another on school property with a knife he brought into school.
“It was witnessed to varying degrees by other pupils and teachers.”
Defendants under 18 are protected with reporting restrictions which prevent the publication of their name.
Lifting this restriction, Mrs Justice Ellenbogen said knife crime and the circumstance of this case was “of substantial public interest.”
She said: “The public will wish to know the identity of those who commit such offences in seeking to understand how it is a child of that age can do so.”
Harvey’s mother, Caroline Willgoose, said she felt “like a big weight has been lifted off my shoulders”.
She said she was glad the minimum term had been raised above the legal minimum, which would have been 15 years.
Outside court, Mrs Willgoose said Harvey and her father, who died last week, had been “best friends” and had been building a summer house together.
“My dad has been having cancer treatment through the trial and he just couldn’t hold on any more,” she said.
“I do feel that he is with him.”
She said she was glad he got to see the knife arches being put into some schools as a result of the family’s campaigning.
All Saints Catholic High School said Harvey Willgoose was “dearly missed every day by the whole school community”.
The statement read: “Our thoughts are first and foremost with Harvey’s family, loved ones and friends.
“We cannot begin to imagine the depth of their loss and our deepest sympathies go out to them today and every day.
“This tragedy has also deeply affected our community and we continue to do what we can to support all those impacted.”
The statement said Harvey was a “popular, energetic and fun-loving pupil who is dearly missed every day”.
It said: “We thank the court, police and other relevant agencies for their diligent and professional work throughout this process.
“Since the conclusion of the trial, the school and trust have been able to engage fully with a number of ongoing investigations aimed at answering key questions about Harvey’s tragic death.
“We will continue to work closely with these partners and cooperate fully with these investigations.”
Det Ch Insp Andy Knowles, who was the senior investigating officer on the case, said: “I can’t begin to imagine how harrowing this has been for his family and I want to personally thank them for the courage they have shown throughout the investigation and subsequent court process.
“Something that became prevalent during this trial was Khan’s misguided belief that carrying a knife would make him safer, or that it would grant him some sort of status.
“But, in reality, that knife had devastating consequences. Not just for Harvey and his family, but also for Khan himself.”
He said it was a “split-second decision” which “can’t be taken back”.
Det Ch Insp Knowles added: “All those lives have been forever changed by this incident and, had a knife not been introduced into that situation on 3 February, things would almost certainly have been very different.
“We all have a part to play when it comes to changing perceptions around carrying knives and other weapons, and that is why it is so important to have open and honest conversations.”
