logo
Boy who stabbed pupil to death tells jury why he took ‘scary' knife to school

Boy who stabbed pupil to death tells jury why he took ‘scary' knife to school

Glasgow Times4 days ago
The teenager told a court on Friday he did not want to go to school on the morning he killed Harvey Willgoose, also 15, because 'I thought I was going to get hurt that day'.
The defendant was giving evidence for a third day at Sheffield Crown Court, where he is on trial for murdering Harvey during the lunch break at All Saints Catholic High School in the city on February 3.
Harvey Willgoose was stabbed during a lunch break at All Saints Catholic High School (Jacob King/PA)
He told the court he 'ordered' the knife because 'it was a scary-looking knife and, if I pulled it out, somebody wouldn't try to pull out theirs'.
Gul Nawaz Hussain KC, defending, asked the boy: 'We know you took a knife to school with you that morning, why?'
The defendant replied: 'In case anyone tried to pull a knife out on me or try to hurt me.'
Mr Hussain said: 'Did you want to start any trouble that day?'
The boy said: 'No.'
And Mr Hussain asked him: 'Did you want to hurt anyone that day?'
The boy replied: 'No.'
The barrister read a Snapchat message Harvey sent to the defendant before school that day, which said: 'Is it beef I what', which the boy said he read as meaning: 'Is it beef or what?'
Mr Hussain said: 'Did you want beef with Harvey?'
The boy said: 'No.'
The defendant explained to the jury of eight women and four men how he met Harvey after arriving at school on February 3 and Harvey said to him: 'Is it beef between me and you?'
He said he asked Harvey why he thought he had 'beef' with him but Harvey just asked him about his injured hand.
The boy said they then started joking about boxing and started sparring in the corridor.
The defendant said Harvey was laughing and he told the jury: 'I was thinking it was alright between me and him.'
The boy said they parted with a handshake, but bumped into each later in the morning and Harvey said to him: 'Watch where you are f****** going,' in an angry way.
The defendant said he tapped Harvey on the arm and Harvey said: 'Don't touch me. I'll actually juck (corr) you up.'
The boy said: 'In Sheffield, juck means stab.'
He said Harvey was 'angry in his face and said it quite angrily', telling the jury: 'I felt confused because we shook hands this morning.'
The defendant then described an incident in a lesson he had with Harvey just before the lunch break.
He said Harvey bumped into him and said: 'I'll smash you all over.'
The boy said he backed off but said to Harvey: 'Do it then.'
He said Harvey told him: 'I'll batter you. Let's take it outside.'
The defendant has told the trial how he had no problems with Harvey until an incident five days before the fatal stabbing, which led to the school going into lockdown.
The defendant has admitted manslaughter but denies murder (Jacob King/PA)
According to prosecutors, two members of staff physically intervened in a dispute between two other students and the defendant had to be restrained as he tried to get involved.
The jury has been told it was the defendant's claim that one boy had a knife that led the school to go into lockdown, although the police who responded never found a weapon.
The defendant said he was off school for the next two days because he was so concerned for his safety.
The jury has heard Harvey was not involved in the altercation but joined in a Snapchat group exchange over the following weekend.
The defendant described how these exchanges left him feeling even more scared but his father made him go to school on the Monday morning – February 3.
He said: 'I got a bad feeling about going to school that day.
'I felt like something was going to happen.'
The jury has been shown CCTV footage of Harvey being stabbed in a courtyard at All Saints later that day.
The court has heard that the defendant, who cannot be named, has admitted manslaughter but denies murder.
He has also admitted possession of a knife on school premises.
Addressing the jury last week, Mr Hussain said: '(The defendant) did not set out to kill or seriously hurt anyone.
'The defence say (the defendant's) 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 defendant will continue giving evidence on Monday.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Armagh All-Ireland winner Aidan Nugent ordered to stand trial facing eight charges of sexual assault
Armagh All-Ireland winner Aidan Nugent ordered to stand trial facing eight charges of sexual assault

ITV News

time2 hours ago

  • ITV News

Armagh All-Ireland winner Aidan Nugent ordered to stand trial facing eight charges of sexual assault

Armagh All-Ireland winner Aidan Nugent has been ordered to stand trial in the Crown Court, facing eight charges of sexual assault. Appearing in the dock of Armagh Magistrates Court, sitting in Newry, the 31-year-old confirmed he was aware of the charges against him, all of them alleged to have been committed 'in the United States of America,' on 17 November last year. Nugent, from the Cullyhanna Road in Newtownhamilton, faces seven charges of sexual assault and one of sexual assault involving penetration, alleged to have been committed against a single complainant. It is understood to be the Crown case that the offences were committed in America, when the Armagh GAA team travelled to Miami in Florida to celebrate the team's All-Ireland win - their first All-Ireland title in 22 years after they clinched victory over Galway at Croke Park in July. During a brief preliminary enquiry court on Tuesday, the legal step necessary for any case to be returned to the Crown Court, a prosecuting lawyer submitted there is a prima facie case against Nugent. Nugent's defence solicitor Patrick Higgins conceded the point but declared that Nugent 'strenuously denies the allegations.' The court clerk told Nugent he had the right to comment on the charges or to call evidence on his own behalf, but he declined. Returning the case to Newry Crown Court, District Judge Anne Marshall freed Nugent on £500 bail and ordered him to appear for his arraignment on October 2. Applying for legal aid to be extended in allow a senior barrister to be instructed, Mr Higgins told the judge that was on the basis that one of the charges carried a potential sentence of life imprisonment. He also contended that 'all of the people involved in this are in the public eye' and that if Nugent is convicted, there is not only a risk to his reputation 'but also a risk to his liberty and livelihood.' Judge Marshall told the solicitor she would rule on his application later on Tuesday.

Teenage killers stabbed prison inmate six months after being jailed for murder
Teenage killers stabbed prison inmate six months after being jailed for murder

South Wales Argus

time3 hours ago

  • South Wales Argus

Teenage killers stabbed prison inmate six months after being jailed for murder

Cousins Jakele Pusey, 17, and Jovani Harriott, 19, were detained for life in May 2023 and given minimum terms of 16 and 18 years, respectively, for the murder of Khayri Mclean. The pair had lain in wait for Khayri outside his Huddersfield school, wearing masks and carrying large knives, before attacking him in front of other horrified school children. Jovani Harriott was detained for life in May 2023, with a minimum term of 18 years (West Yorkshire Police/PA) Leeds Crown Court heard that six months after being sentenced for the murder, Pusey and Harriott were serving their sentences together at HMP Wetherby when they and two other teenagers launched a group attack on another inmate in the prison's gym. They used 'improvised weapons' to stab him more than 20 times across his arm, lower back and head while he was helpless on the ground. Pusey and Harriott both pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm and possession of a knife in prison. Pusey, who was 16 at the time, was sentenced to 32 months in prison, on top of his sentence for murdering Khayri. Harriott, who was 18 at the time, was sentenced to a further 38 months in prison. Judge Ray Singh lifted a reporting restriction that prevented Pusey from being identified due to his age, saying he had already been named in the murder case. Khayri Mclean, 15, was murdered in 2023 (West Yorkshire Police/PA) The court heard footage of the prison attack in November 2023 showed Harriott and Pusey standing against the gym wall, watching the victim while he was working out. As he knelt on the bench to do some weights, one of their co-defendants, who the judge said could not be named as he is 17 and has never been identified publicly, hit the victim in the face. The court heard that it appeared to be the trigger for the planned attack, as within a split second of the punch, Pusey and Harriott came off the wall and started to punch the victim. The three of them chased him across the gym floor into a corner and punched, kicked and stamped on him. Pusey and Harriott also stabbed him with improvised weapons. A judge heard that a fourth person, Thomas Murray, 18, joined in the attack, which lasted just under a minute before it was broken up by security staff. The court heard it was unclear what the cause of the attack was, but the victim appeared to have 'beef' with the 17-year-old who threw the first punch. In mitigation for Pusey, the court heard at that early point in his sentence, he hadn't engaged with psychiatrists and has now 'started to make progress in terms of starting to think about why these offences have been committed'. The judge heard Harriott is to undertake an anger management course and that 'a great deal can change' before he is in his 30s and can be considered for release. Murray, who, like Pusey and Harriott, pleaded guilty to a Section 18 assault causing grievous bodily harm, was sentenced to 30 months' imprisonment. The 17-year-old, who pleaded guilty to a Section 20 assault, was sentenced to 36 months' imprisonment. Khayri Mclean, 15, was stabbed while making his way home from North Huddersfield Trust School (NHTS), in the West Yorkshire town, on September 21 2022. A trial heard he was stabbed in the chest by then 15-year-old Pusey, who was described by prosecutors as 'jumping into the air and swinging a knife with a 30cm blade'. Harriott followed up the initial attack, running after Khayri and stabbing him in his lower leg.

Teenage killers stabbed prison inmate six months after being jailed for murder
Teenage killers stabbed prison inmate six months after being jailed for murder

Glasgow Times

time3 hours ago

  • Glasgow Times

Teenage killers stabbed prison inmate six months after being jailed for murder

Cousins Jakele Pusey, 17, and Jovani Harriott, 19, were detained for life in May 2023 and given minimum terms of 16 and 18 years, respectively, for the murder of Khayri Mclean. The pair had lain in wait for Khayri outside his Huddersfield school, wearing masks and carrying large knives, before attacking him in front of other horrified school children. Jovani Harriott was detained for life in May 2023, with a minimum term of 18 years (West Yorkshire Police/PA) Leeds Crown Court heard that six months after being sentenced for the murder, Pusey and Harriott were serving their sentences together at HMP Wetherby when they and two other teenagers launched a group attack on another inmate in the prison's gym. They used 'improvised weapons' to stab him more than 20 times across his arm, lower back and head while he was helpless on the ground. Pusey and Harriott both pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm and possession of a knife in prison. Pusey, who was 16 at the time, was sentenced to 32 months in prison, on top of his sentence for murdering Khayri. Harriott, who was 18 at the time, was sentenced to a further 38 months in prison. Judge Ray Singh lifted a reporting restriction that prevented Pusey from being identified due to his age, saying he had already been named in the murder case. Khayri Mclean, 15, was murdered in 2023 (West Yorkshire Police/PA) The court heard footage of the prison attack in November 2023 showed Harriott and Pusey standing against the gym wall, watching the victim while he was working out. As he knelt on the bench to do some weights, one of their co-defendants, who the judge said could not be named as he is 17 and has never been identified publicly, hit the victim in the face. The court heard that it appeared to be the trigger for the planned attack, as within a split second of the punch, Pusey and Harriott came off the wall and started to punch the victim. The three of them chased him across the gym floor into a corner and punched, kicked and stamped on him. Pusey and Harriott also stabbed him with improvised weapons. A judge heard that a fourth person, Thomas Murray, 18, joined in the attack, which lasted just under a minute before it was broken up by security staff. The court heard it was unclear what the cause of the attack was, but the victim appeared to have 'beef' with the 17-year-old who threw the first punch. In mitigation for Pusey, the court heard at that early point in his sentence, he hadn't engaged with psychiatrists and has now 'started to make progress in terms of starting to think about why these offences have been committed'. The judge heard Harriott is to undertake an anger management course and that 'a great deal can change' before he is in his 30s and can be considered for release. Murray, who, like Pusey and Harriott, pleaded guilty to a Section 18 assault causing grievous bodily harm, was sentenced to 30 months' imprisonment. The 17-year-old, who pleaded guilty to a Section 20 assault, was sentenced to 36 months' imprisonment. Khayri Mclean, 15, was stabbed while making his way home from North Huddersfield Trust School (NHTS), in the West Yorkshire town, on September 21 2022. A trial heard he was stabbed in the chest by then 15-year-old Pusey, who was described by prosecutors as 'jumping into the air and swinging a knife with a 30cm blade'. Harriott followed up the initial attack, running after Khayri and stabbing him in his lower leg.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store