Mum tells of upset over allegations Harvey Willgoose's killer posting on social media from behind bars
Ministry of Justice says it takes allegations seriously and will investigate
The mum of a Sheffield boy who was murdered by another pupil during lunchtime at school has told of her dismay following reports her killer is now using social media from behind bars.
Harvey Willgoose’s mother, Caroline Willgoose, has been told that Mohammed Umar Khan, aged 16. who was locked up for Harvey’s murder at All Saints School, Granville Road, has been posting on social media from his cell.
Newspaper reports have claimed she had been trolled by him, and the Ministry of Justice is investigating.
Caroline said she had been trolled for some time, since Harvey died, and that some of the comments which had been reported to have been put on social media by Khan had been the same as some of the comments trolls had sent her, including ‘3Umar’ (free Umar) and ‘He’ll be out soon’.
She told The Star: “It’s really upsetting.
But she added: “Trolls don’t usually bother me because I’ve have had so many over the last year.
“Now it just feels that he is not sorry.”
She said that she did not read the name on the trolling messages that she had received, so she did not know definitively if she had been trolled directly by Khan.
She said she felt if he had been using smuggled phones to make social media posts, time should be added to his sentence.
“I would not want to sit through another trial, though,” she added.
Caroline has become a vocal campaigner against knife crime and against knives being taken into schools since Harvey’s tragic death.
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “Our thoughts remain with Harvey’s family following this terrible crime. It’s completely unacceptable for offenders to use social media from custody and those caught breaking the rules face tough punishments.
“We take these allegations seriously and will investigate. Appropriate action will be taken following this investigation.”
Children in custody are not permitted to possess mobile phones or access social media. Unauthorised devices can be confiscated and breaches of the rules can result in disciplinary sanctions, including loss of privileges.
The Prison Service has a Digital Media Investigations Unit which investigates reports of social media misuse and works with websites to secure the removal of offending material.
The allegations have been referred to the Digital Media Investigations Unit and Youth Custody Service for investigation, including whether further security measures are required.
The HMPPS Unwanted Prisoner Contact Service helps protect victims and their families from unwanted contact by offenders in custody, including through social media.
Anyone experiencing unwanted contact can report it to the HMPPS Victims Helpline on 0300 060 6699 or [email protected].