Boy accused of murder at Sheffield school claims stabbing victim 'turned against' him and made 'threats'
“He turned against me,” a teenage boy accused of murder told jurors today.
The accused, who cannot be named, was referring to 15-year-old Harvey Willgoose - the boy he went on to stab to death at their Sheffield school.
He also detailed the ‘whispered threats’ he claimed were directed at him by Harvey before their fatal encounter.
Harvey was stabbed during an incident in the courtyard of All Saints School, Sheffield, a few minutes into the lunch break on February 3, 2025.
He suffered a fatal wound to his heart, and collapsed less than a minute later. Harvey died a short time after that.
A teenage boy, who attended the same school as Harvey, has been on trial at Sheffield Crown Court for the last three weeks accused of Harvey’s murder, which he denies.
The defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has admitted to carrying out the stabbing, to Harvey’s manslaughter and to possessing a bladed article on school premises.
Defendant addresses wall punch incident and Harvey ‘turning against’ him
During his second day on the stand, the defendant told jurors about an encounter that led to him feeling as though Harvey had ‘turned against’ him.
The defendant said it followed an altercation with another pupil (Boy A), during which he was repeatedly called an insulting name.
When asked how the use of the name had made him feel, the defendant replied: “Annoyed and upset.”
The defendant claimed Boy A tapped him on the shoulder and repeated the name, before continuing to say it as he covered his face with his hand in a bid to prevent a nearby teacher from hearing what he’d said.
The defendant said his anger continued to get ‘higher’ during the incident, and that he went on to ‘grab Boy A and pull him off a chair’ before punching a wall.
Later that day, the defendant claimed Harvey and Boy A’s cousin began talking about him - not to him - in what he described as 'whispered threats'.
He said he could only hear what Harvey was saying, who was stood up nearby.
The defendant told jurors that he heard Harvey say: "Who’s coming after school for [the defendant]'?
"What did you think it means?" asked Mr Hussain.
The defendant replied: "Obviously someone to come outside school to hurt me."
He said that he took the threat seriously, when asked, adding that he didn't think Harvey was joking.
Asked Mr Hussain: "After you heard Harvey say that, how did you feel?"
"Like he turned against me," replied the defendant.
Mr Hussain continued: "Did you feel good about that?"
"No," the boy said.
"Before he said these things, did you still want to be friends with Harvey," asked Mr Hussain, to which the defendant replied: "Kind of."
Mr Hussain added: "You’ve told members of the jury about what you’ve been scared of happening, how did what Harvey said make you feel?"
The defendant replied: "Even more scared."
The ‘friendly’ part of the defendant’s relationship with Harvey
Earlier in his evidence, the defendant said he began getting to know Harvey in September of last year, leading to the two boys being on ‘friendly’ terms.
The pair subsequently began ‘walking around’ with each other during break and lunch times, and the defendant would even escort Harvey to his tram stop after school even though it was not on his way home.
“Why would you walk to the tram stop with Harvey if it wasn’t on your way home,” asked Mr Hussain.
“Because Harvey asked me to,” replied the defendant, before telling the jury that they would ‘talk about things together’ as they made their way there.
‘Accept the fact you got battered in town’
In his evidence yesterday, the defendant told jurors that he has been subjected to school bullying throughout his time in education, with much of the abuse focusing on a medical issue and his appearance.
He claims the bullying continued after he became a pupil at All Saints. He said he armed himself for his ‘own protection’ after boys connected to a rival from a former school threatened to ‘shank’ and ‘smoke’ him.
Earlier today, the defendant said he took pictures with knives, a hammer and an axe, because he believed those who saw the photos would have reason to feel ‘scared’. The defendant said he had hoped that anyone who saw the pictures would not ‘cause him a problem’ or ‘threaten’ him.
The defendant claims that Boy B, a friend of his, was ‘jumped’ in an attack in Sheffield city centre carried out by seven boys at the direction of Boy A.
Following this incident, Harvey is alleged to have been involved in a conversation with the defendant and Boy B in which he made light of the attack.
When asked what Harvey said, the defendant replied: "Harvey was calling [Boy B] a ‘b***h’ and said ‘accept the fact you got battered in town’.
"Did he say anything else," asked Mr Hussain.
The defendant replied: "Called him a p***y and said other things I can’t remember."
The lockdown incident and its aftermath
Less than a fortnight after the ‘whispered threats’ incident with Harvey, Boy A and Boy B were involved in an altercation at the school on January 29, 2025.
Jurors heard how a scuffle took place, with the defendant becoming involved later on. The school was sent into lockdown after the defendant claimed he had seen Boy A with a knife, the jury has heard.
Boy A was subsequently searched, whilst still on school premises, but no such weapon was ever found.
Harvey wasn't at school on the day of the lockdown incident.
Following it, Harvey is said to have taken the side of Boy A, while the defendant is said to have taken the side of Boy B.
Neither Harvey or the defendant attended school on the two school days which followed, but the pair subsequently became embroiled in a social media spat over the course of that weekend.
It continued through to the morning of February 3, 2025 - the day of Harvey's death.
Defendant’s evidence expected to continue tomorrow
The defendant has not yet been asked about the incident that led to Harvey’s death, but is expected to continue his evidence tomorrow, and into next week.
The trial, which is now expected to take up to five weeks, continues.