Harvey Willgoose: School murder accused punched computer screen during lesson over false accusation, jury told
A boy accused of murdering a fellow pupil has told jurors that he punched a computer screen during a lesson because he got ‘angry’ when a teacher falsely accused him of being on social media.
15-year-old Harvey Willgoose was stabbed in the heart in the courtyard of All Saints School a few minutes into the lunch break on February 3, 2025. He collapsed less than a minute later, and died a short time after that.
A teenage boy, who was at the same school as Harvey’s, has been on trial at Sheffield Crown Court for the last three weeks accused of the teen’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.
The jury has previously been shown CCTV footage of an incident dating back to November 2024 - three months before the fatal stabbing - in which the defendant punched a computer monitor in the middle of a lesson.
The defendant took to the witness box this morning (Wednesday, July 16, 2025), the first day of the defence case.
Continuing in his evidence this afternoon, the defendant told the jury of eight women and four men that he punched the screen because he believed a teacher had treated him ‘unfairly’ by giving him a sanction for something he did not do.
“Do you accept you got angry,” asked Gul Nawaz Hussain KC, lead defence counsel.
Replied the defendant: “Yeah.”
The defendant told the jury that he had been using his phone in class - which he knew was against the rules - but only to check the work he was doing.
He said he had actually put his phone away in his pocket, but it came to the teacher’s attention after it fell out, and dropped onto the floor.
“She assumed I was using it for social media…she said: ‘Get off your phone and stop texting people,” said the defendant.
Mr Hussain asked: “Had you been texting people,” to which the defendant replied ‘no’.
The defendant continued by saying he tried to explain, but she gave him a C4 - a ‘red card’ sanction which is the equivalent of a detention that must be served immediately - before he had an opportunity to.
When asked why he punched the monitor, the defendant said: “Got angry…felt it was unfair she gave me a C4.”
“Got upset because I was accused of something I didn’t do,” he continued when asked what was ‘going through his mind’ at the time.
The defendant told jurors that instead of going to the room where C4 detentions are held, he went to see Claire Staniforth, another teacher at the school.
Mr Hussain asked him about Ms Staniforth's live evidence, earlier in the trial, during which she said the defendant claimed to have 'blinded' a pupil at another school during their interaction on that date .
The defendant explained that when he used the term 'blinded' he meant temporarily, for ‘about three minutes.’
He told the jury that the incident he was referring to relates to an incident of ‘wrestling,’ at his previous school which took place after the other boy kept telling him to do it and said 'Do it, don't be a p***y'.
The defendant said he did not want to wrestle, and would not have participated if it was his decision, under further questioning from Mr Hussain.
He said he 'accidentally' kicked the boy in the eye, after the boy put his leg behind him and tried to 'drop' him.
Following his questioning about the ‘wrestling’ Mr Hussain told the judge, Mrs Justice Ellenbogen DBE, he had come to the end of that topic.
He suggested he was about to come on to a more ‘delicate’ topic of questioning, involving Harvey.
Mrs Justice Ellenbogen ruled that because, at that stage, it was near to the end of the court day for the defendant, it would be better for him to start ‘fresh’ in the morning.
She sent the jury home for the day, to return at 10am tomorrow, when the defendant is expected to continue in his evidence.
The trial, which is now listed for five weeks, continues.