Harvey Willgoose & murder accused 'squared up' and looked ready to fight in hour before killing, says teacher
A teacher became concerned a fight was about to break out between a teenager killed in a school stabbing and the boy accused of his murder in the hour before the fatal incident, a jury has heard.
15-year-old Harvey Willgoose 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 an incident on February 3, 2025.
Harvey collapsed around a minute after being stabbed, and died a short time later.
A teenage boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, admits stabbing Harvey and his manslaughter, but denies murdering him.
The boy has been on trial at Sheffield Crown Court since Tuesday (July 1, 2025), accused of the offence.
Giving evidence this afternoon (Thursday, July 3, 2025), teacher Sophie Heath-Whyte described how Harvey and the defendant began squaring up to each other, during an interaction which took place around an hour before the fatal incident.
“There was some back and forth between the boys, a little bit of physical contact. Some words were exchanged,” Ms Heath-Whyte told the jury.
When asked, Ms Heath-Whyte said she believed words to the effect of ‘let’s take this outside’ were said by one of the boys, who, she claimed, were ‘encouraging each other’.
She said she cannot ‘recall who was saying that,’ however.
Representing the defendant, Richard Holland referred Ms Heath-Whyte to the statement she gave to police in the days following Harvey’s death, in which she said she believed ‘both’ boys were saying things like ‘let’s take this outside’.
She responded: “Both were speaking. I heard those words, but I can’t be sure if it was one or the other, or both.”
Ms Heath-Whyte continued: “I thought they were about to start fighting, so I was planning for what I would do to intervene with an arm against them.”
A message alleged to have been sent by the defendant on the morning of the fatal incident, February 3, 2025, reads: “If u wan beef we can hav it.”
The jury is set to hear evidence from school pupils tomorrow.
The defendant denies murder.
The trial, which is expected to last four weeks, continues.