Boy, 15, admits stabbing fellow pupil to death at Sheffield school
Harvey Willgoose died after being stabbed in the chest at All Saints Catholic High School in February
A 15-year-old boy has admitted stabbing a student to death at a school in Sheffield but has denied his murder.
Harvey Willgoose, also 15, died after being stabbed in the chest at All Saints Catholic High School in Granville Road on Monday 3 February.
At Sheffield Crown Court on Monday, the defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
He also pleaded guilty to having a blade on school premises.
A previous court hearing heard that Harvey suffered fatal stab wounds to his chest after an incident during the school’s lunch break.
The week before the incident, the school had gone into lockdown after there were “threats of violence” between pupils, parents were told on 29 January.
Sheffield Youth Court heard earlier this year that the lockdown incident at the school which occurred the week prior “did not directly involve” the defendant or Harvey.
Following his death, his parents have met with home secretary Yvette Cooper in a bid to tackle knife crime, and have called for knife arches to be installed in secondary schools.
Similar to metal detectors that are used in courts and airports, knife arches can detect weapons with his parents hoping to prevent further deaths.
After their son’s death, Caroline and Mark Willgoose released a statement which said: “We are utterly heartbroken at the loss of our beautiful boy, ‘Harvey Goose’.
“Our lives are devastated and will never be the same again.
“We have lost a beloved son, brother, grandson, cousin, nephew and, most importantly, a best friend to all.
“Harvey will be forever known for being a caring, loving and funny young man.”
Hundreds of people gathered to march through the city in his memory, which was supported by the anti-knife crime charity Always An Alternative.
An avid Sheffield United fan, floral tributes, football shirts, scarves and messages were also left outside the stadium in Bramall Lane.
Judge Jeremy Richardson KC remanded the defendant, who stood in the glass-fronted dock with an intermediary and three members of security staff, into secure local authority care and told him that he will go on trial on 30 June.
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