Judge should allow teenage killer to be named just like my son Harvey Willgoose has been, says devastated mother of school stabbing victim

Daily Mail​

12-08-2025

The mother of a teenage boy stabbed to death with a hunting knife at his school has called for the fellow pupil convicted of her son's murder to be named.
Caroline Willgoose, whose son Harvey died at All Saints ' Catholic High School, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, on February 3, has spoken out following the trial of the 15-year-old boy who killed him.
Jurors at Sheffield Crown Court rejected claims by the killer he snapped following a long history of bullying.
Mrs Willgoose said the defence case 'tarnished' her son's name – which was in the public domain, while the accused could not be named due to his age.
An application has been made by the Press to name the murderer which will be considered by the judge, Mrs Justice Ellenbogen, when he is sentenced in October.
Mrs Willgoose said her son's name had been 'tarnished' throughout the trial.
She added: 'He hasn't been able to speak up for himself and he's been named. The defendant should be as well.'
Prosecution evidence revealed the killer and victim Harvey had argued over Snapchat in the days leading up to the murder, when Harvey stuck up for one his friends.
The school had been placed into lockdown on January 29, which was brought about by the defendant telling teachers that the other boy had threatened to stab him and his friend. Police attended, but did not find any weapon on him.
Over that weekend, Harvey expressed support for the other boy in a group Snapchat conversation, leading him and the defendant to row 'non-stop' for several hours.
It culminated with the defendant warning Harvey in a private message on the morning of the attack: 'If u wan beef we can hav it (sic).'
The school is now facing questions over its failure to act on a series of warning signs about the boy's murderous potential, which Harvey's family believe could have prevented the killing.
The boy was not searched when he arrived that day despite being at the centre of a knife scare a week earlier and the school knowing he had a history of possessing dangerous weapons.
Just one hour before his death, Harvey told a teacher the defendant was acting like he had a knife hidden in his jacket.
But she failed to raise the alarm and tragically, the schoolboy was dead within the hour.
He was stabbed through the heart after a confrontation during the lunchbreak.
Harvey's killer had pleaded guilty to manslaughter by reason of loss of control, but denied murder, arguing his actions were the 'end result of a long period of bullying, poor treatment and violence'.
In an interview with the BBC, Mrs Willgoose also called for knife arches to be installed in schools.
She said: 'Get knife arches in, then get educating children about the pure devastation that knife crime brings.
'Children know there are knives in schools. Something needs to be done.
'If you don't think there's a problem, ask your child if they have ever known of anybody bringing a knife into school. I think parents would be very interested in their answer.'
Mrs Willgoose also revealed that her son avoided school in part due to anxiety caused by the coronavirus pandemic, but also because of a fear about knives in schools.
In the same interview, Harvey's father Mark Willgoose said a youth club set up in their son's name, Harvey's Hub, would teach young people about the dangers of knife crime.
He said the family has also managed to meet with Home Secretary Yvette Cooper.