Boy, 15, guilty of murdering classmate with hunting knife during lunchbreak

A 15-year-old boy who used a hunting knife to stab a fellow pupil at school during their lunch break was found guilty of murder yesterday.

- Mark Brown Robyn Vinter

Harvey Willgoose, also 15, was stabbed to death in front of other children who fled "in fear and panic" after witnessing the attack in a courtyard at All Saints Catholic high school in Sheffield on 3 February. Some ran to a nearby storage cupboard, which they locked and barricaded.

The defendant, who cannot be named because of his age, admitted manslaughter but denied murder, saying he had "snapped" after a long period of bullying and did not remember what had happened.

However, during a month-long trial at Sheffield crown court, the prosecution said the boy had "wanted to show he was hard" and "knew exactly what he was doing".

A jury found him guilty of murder by a majority of 11 to one after deliberating for more than 14 hours.

The court heard the stabbing was probably an "act of retribution" to "get back at Harvey for something".

Harvey's mother, Caroline Willgoose, burst into tears as the verdict was delivered. She held her husband Mark's hand and said "yes". There was no reaction from the defendant.

In a statement read outside court Harvey's older sister, Sophie, said her brother had been "full of life" and "had a unique ability to bring people together".