Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Imagine the devastation you could cause, says mother of boy, 15, stabbed to death ‘with hunting knife’

Another boy the same age is charged with murder, possession of a bladed article and affray

Jane Dalton
Thursday 06 February 2025 10:08 GMT
Tributes left outside Sheffield school where 15-year-old Harvey Willgoose was killed

The distraught mother of a 15-year-old boy stabbed to death at school has appealed to other youngsters to beware the devastation they could cause by using knives.

Another 15-year-old boy appeared at Sheffield Youth Court on Wednesday charged with murder, possession of a bladed article and affray after Harvey Willgoose died on Monday.

Caroline Willgoose said: “Just think if it was your brother, sister, dad, mum. Can you imagine the devastation if you lost somebody through that?

“I don’t want anybody to go through what we are going through.”

Caroline Willgoose visited the scene at All Saints Catholic High School
Caroline Willgoose visited the scene at All Saints Catholic High School (PA Wire)

Her son was stabbed in the heart with a hunting knife following an altercation at All Saints Catholic High School in Sheffield, at 12.17pm on Monday, the court heard.

Mrs Willgoose described her son as “the life and soul of the party” and “a joy to be around”.

She told the BBC: “He loved football, football was his life. He was going to be an actor at one point. I think he would have been good at it.”

She said Harvey’s final words to her before he left the family home to go to school on Monday were “I love you.”

The teenager charged with murder appeared in a youth court
The teenager charged with murder appeared in a youth court (Jacob King/PA Wire)

“I have got his grubby T-shirt on so I can smell him,” she added.

“I don’t want to go to sleep because I don’t want to wake up and have to relive it all and remember it.”

The defendant, who cannot be named because of his age, was remanded into youth detention accommodation by District Judge Tim Spruce to appear before the city’s crown court on Thursday.

The judge told the teenager, who sat in the dock with his head bowed throughout the hearing: “You will be aware that you are charged with offences arising from an incident on Monday the 3rd of February.

“There is an allegation that you murdered Harvey Willgoose on that date.

“It is early days in this investigation but this allegation involves a knife, a hunting knife, being taken into school and used to stab another pupil in broad daylight, resulting in the death of that pupil.”

Balloons and flowers were left at the school gates
Balloons and flowers were left at the school gates (Jacob King/PA Wire)

Prosecutor Rob Coyne said a lockdown incident at the school which occurred the week prior “did not directly involve” the defendant or Harvey.

The school had gone into lockdown after there were “threats of violence” between pupils, parents were told last week.

Harvey’s father, Mark, told BBC News that his son was his “best pal” and a “lovable rogue”.

He added: “We need to learn from this so no-one goes through what we have as a family”.

Mrs Willgoose thanked Harvey’s friends and family for their “amazing” support, adding: “That’s what’s keeping us going”.

“It’s just unbelievable what people are doing.”

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in