Latest news with #ThomasD'angeli
Daily Mail
15 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Teacher tells jury how he sprinted towards scene of schoolboy Harvey Willgoose's fatal stabbing after hearing cries of 'knife, knife' on staff radio system
A teacher has described how he sprinted towards the scene of schoolboy Harvey Willgoose's fatal stabbing after hearing cries of 'knife, knife' on the staff radio system. Harvey, 15, collapsed less than a minute after he was knifed in the heart at All Saints Catholic High School in Sheffield on February 3. Sheffield Crown Court heard on Tuesday that a 15-year-old schoolboy fatally stabbed his fellow pupil with a five-inch hunting knife before telling a teacher 'I'm not right in the head'. Shocking CCTV footage of the attack was played to a jury as the teenager accused of murdering Harvey went on trial. The schoolboy has admitted manslaughter but denies murder. He has also admitted possession of a knife on school premises. And at court today teacher Thomas D'angeli was asked about the day Harvey was killed. He confirmed he was in the main school hall when he heard 'knife, knife' on his radio and then 'sprinted', passing children who were 'screaming and running away'. The teacher said he came across the school's assistant head Morgan Davis with the 15-year-old pupil who has since admitted stabbing Harvey and went on trial for his murder this week. He added Mr Davis had a knife in his hand and that the boy was 'angry, upset, aggressive, but he was compliant'. Mr D'angeli said he heard the boy say to the assistant head: 'I told you, I knew it, I lost it.' He explained how he then went to the courtyard where the stabbing incident had happened and made a 999 call on his mobile. When asked by prosecutor Richard Thyne KC whether he then went to help Harvey, Mr D'angeli appeared to get upset in the witness box as he agreed he did. The teacher said he had seen both boys earlier that day and that Harvey, who had been having attendance problems, had come to tell him he was in school and they discussed a new coat he had bought. He said he told him: 'I'm going to be coming in, sir.' Mr Thyne asked whether he 'appeared to be in good spirits' and Mr D'angeli agreed he did. The teacher said he also saw the defendant that morning, when he came to seek assurances that another boy was not in school that day. He said the boy appeared calm and he had no concerns about anything he said or how he appeared. The jury of eight women and four men have been shown CCTV footage of the moments when Harvey was stabbed by the defendant, who cannot be named. Harvey's relatives wept and covered their eyes on Tuesday as a video showed the boys squaring up, before the defendant produced a knife and lunged at him twice. The Sheffield United fan could be seen running away before collapsing nearby while the defendant waved the knife in the air. The teenager is expected to argue his actions were due to a loss of control following a long period of bullying, poor treatment and violence. Mr Thyne KC, opening the case for the prosecution, said the stab wound that killed Harvey 'was inflicted with such force that the knife cut the bone of one of his ribs'. He added: 'It was just five minutes into the school lunch break when Harvey Willgoose was stabbed to death. It was quarter past twelve in the afternoon on Monday, February 3 this year. 'Harvey was standing in the courtyard at All Saints Catholic High School in Sheffield, when a knife was thrust into his chest, penetrating his heart. In less than a minute he had collapsed on to the ground, where he lost consciousness and died. He was 15 years old.' After being stabbed and retreating, Harvey was seen attempting to run at the defendant, but again backed away when the pupil moved forward with the knife for a second time. Teachers rushed to the scene and told him to hand over the weapon. One heard him say 'you know I can't control it', which he took to be a reference to his anger issues given the pupil's history of violent behaviour at school. The defendant then handed the knife over and told a teacher: 'I'm not right in the head. My mum doesn't look after me right. I've stabbed him.' It was claimed he had brought the knife to school 'for protection' because he was 'followed over the weekend' and scared of being 'jumped outside school', the prosecutor said. But Mr Thyne revealed the defendant's phone had photos of him posing with weapons and his internet search history included terms such as 'zombie killer knife', 'dagger, pocket knife', and 'machete'. He also told the jurors how, in December 2024, the boy's mother contacted the school about finding what she described as a sword in his bag, which turned out to be an axe. Police then visited his home and gave him advice about the dangers of carrying weapons. Harvey and the accused were said to have become embroiled in a dispute on the weekend before the attack, relating to a row between pupils including the defendant on January 29. On that occasion, he insisted he saw another boy in possession of a knife and the school was put into lockdown. The police were called but no blade was found. The defendant was said to be 'scared of going to school' because of the lockdown. Harvey had not regularly attended school at the time – showing up for only 20 days since the start of term. On the morning of the fatal attack, they exchanged Snapchat messages in which Harvey asked if there was 'beef' between them. The defendant replied at 7.51am: 'Nah but if u (want) beef we can hav it.' Assistant headteacher Mr Davis that morning spoke to the defendant about the confrontation the previous week and 'specifically asked' if he had brought a weapon to school. He said he had not. CCTV footage was then played to the court of the boys passing each other outside Mr Davis's room, which the prosecutor said showed the defendant 'physically pushing' Harvey, who kept his hands behind his back. The boys were later in the same science lesson and squared up to each other, with teacher Sophie Heath-Whyte recalling them saying: 'Come on, let's take this outside.' When Harvey left the classroom, he was heard by another teacher saying 'something was about to happen'. At 12.10pm, he was stabbed. Moments earlier the accused told another pupil he was 'mad' at Harvey, before mentioning he had a knife. Harvey was declared dead from his injuries at 1.24pm. Gul Nawaz Hussain KC, for the defence, said: '[The defendant] accepts what he did that day. 'That is why he's pleaded guilty to manslaughter. [He] did not set out to kill or seriously hurt anyone. 'The defence say [his] 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 trial continues.
The Independent
17 hours ago
- The Independent
Teacher tells jury he sprinted after ‘knife, knife' response to fatal stabbing
A teacher has described to a jury how he sprinted towards the scene of a fatal school stabbing after he heard the shout 'knife, knife' on the staff radio system. Thomas D'angeli was asked about the day Harvey Willgoose, 15, was killed by another 15-year-old student at All Saints Catholic High School in Sheffield, when he gave evidence at Sheffield Crown Court on Wednesday. Mr D'angeli confirmed that he was in the main school hall on February 3 when he heard 'knife, knife' on his radio and then 'sprinted', passing children who were 'screaming and running away'. The teacher said he came across the school's assistant head Morgan Davis with the 15-year-old pupil who has since admitted stabbing Harvey and went on trial for his murder this week. He said Mr Davis had a knife in his hand and that the boy was 'angry, upset, aggressive, but he was compliant'. Mr D'angeli said he heard the boy say to the assistant head: 'I told you, I knew it, I lost it.' He explained how he then went to the courtyard where the stabbing incident had happened and made a 999 call on his mobile. When he was asked by prosecutor Richard Thyne KC whether he then went to help Harvey, Mr D'angeli appeared to get upset in the witness box as he agreed that he did. The teacher said he had seen both boys earlier that day. He said that Harvey, who had been having attendance problems, had come to tell him he was in school and they discussed a new coat that he had bought. He said he told him: 'I'm going to be coming in, sir.' Mr Thyne asked him 'did he appear to be in good spirits' and Mr D'angeli agreed that he did. The teacher said he also saw the defendant that morning, who had come to seek assurances that another boy was not in school that day. He said the boy appeared calm and he had no concerns about anything he said or how he appeared. The jury of eight women and four men have been shown CCTV footage of the moments when Harvey was stabbed by the defendant, who cannot be named. The jurors have been told that the teenager has admitted manslaughter but denies murder. He has also admitted possession of a knife on school premises. The trial has already heard about previous incidents in the school involving the defendant, including one five days before Harvey was stabbed which led to the school going into lockdown. 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. Mr D'angeli told the jury that he was the teacher who put his arms around the defendant to remove him from the situation. He said it was 'very difficult for me to remove him from that and de-escalate' in that incident on January 29. The teacher said the defendant was 'gesturing, puffing his chest out' and said about one of the boys involved: 'He acts like he's f****** hard and I'll bang him out.' Mr D'angeli said he also heard the defendant shout: 'He's got a knife'. The jury has been told it was this that led the school to go into lockdown, although the police never found a weapon. The teacher told the court how the defendant was 'very aggressive and very angry'. Earlier on Wednesday, Home Office pathologist Dr Philip Lumb told the jury how he found an 8cm deep stab wound in Harvey's chest which completely severed his fifth rib, nicked the rib below and had gone into one of the main pumping chambers of his heart. The pathologist said police showed him a 13cm-long knife before he conducted a post-mortem examination on Harvey, and he agreed that this weapon was capable of causing the fatal injury. Prosecutors have told the jury how the CCTV footage shows that the defendant stabbed Harvey twice. Mr Thyne has told the jury that the boy eventually gave the knife to Mr Davis before telling headteacher Sean Pender: 'I'm not right in the head'. Addressing the jury earlier this week, Gul Nawaz Hussain KC, defending, 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.'
ITV News
19 hours ago
- ITV News
Teacher tells court how he sprinted to scene of Harvey Willgoose stabbing
A teacher sprinted towards the scene of a fatal stabbing in school after he heard the alert 'knife, knife' on the staff radio system, a court has heard. Thomas D'angeli was among the first on the scene after a 15-year-old boy stabbed fellow pupil Harvey Willgoose to death during a lunch break at All Saints Catholic High School in Sheffield on 3 February. The defendant, who cannot be named because of his age, has admitted manslaughter and possessing a knife at school but denies murder and is on trial at Sheffield Crown Court. Giving evidence on Wednesday, Thomas D'angeli said he was in the main school hall on 3 February when he heard 'knife, knife' on his radio. He said he 'sprinted', passing children who were 'screaming and running away'. The teacher said he came across the school's assistant head Morgan Davis with the 15-year-old pupil. Mr Davis had a knife in his hand and the boy was 'angry, upset, aggressive, but he was compliant', Mr D'angeli said. He said he heard the boy say to the assistant head: 'I told you, I knew it, I lost it.' He explained how he then went to the courtyard where the stabbing had happened and made a 999 call on his mobile. When he was asked by prosecutor Richard Thyne KC whether he then went to help Harvey, Mr D'angeli appeared to get upset in the witness box as he agreed that he did. The teacher said he had seen both boys earlier that day. Mr Thyne asked him 'did he appear to be in good spirits' and Mr D'angeli agreed that he did. The teacher said he also saw the defendant that morning, who had come to seek assurances that another boy was not in school that day. He said the boy appeared calm and he had no concerns about anything he said or how he appeared. Earlier a pathologist told the court the knife injury to Harvey was so severe it had severed one of his ribs. Dr Philip Lumb told the jury he found an 8cm stab wound in the teenager's chest. Dr Lumb said: 'In this case, we have the full thickness of the bone of a rib being cut through. 'Bone is a very hard substance. It's very difficult to cut, even when using a sharp knife. 'And that is a marker of the use of severe force.' The court has heard how the defendant had "an unhealthy and apparently longstanding interest in weapons' and kept photos on his phone of him posing with a variety of different weapons, including other hunting-style knives and a machete. Days before the stabbing, the two boys had an "argument" on Snapchat following an incident in school when two members of staff physically intervened in a dispute between two other students. The court has heard that the defendant gave police a written statement which explained how 'it was not my intention to cause him serious harm. At that moment I felt it was me or him, I had to protect myself'. Addressing the jury earlier this week, Gul Nawaz Hussain KC, defending, 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.'
