WATCH: “We’re never going to be happy again," says Harvey Willgoose's grief-stricken mum
“We’re never going to be happy again, that’s a fact,” Harvey Willgoose’s grief-stricken mum says as her son’s killer was convicted of murder today.
Justice may have been served for Harvey, but for his heartbroken family, they are the ones who are serving a life sentence, knowing they will never see the ‘kind’ teen again.
Caroline Willgoose spoke to The Star in a quiet moment during the five-week murder trial, which she has said has been like ‘mental torture’ for her and her family.
‘Our lives are ruined because I know I’m never going to be happy again’
It has now been just over six months since Harvey’s life was cruelly, and suddenly, taken from him when the defendant - who cannot be named for legal reasons - stabbed him in the courtyard of All Saints School, where both boys were pupils.
Caroline describes him as being a ‘happy chappy’ who was ‘just a joy’ to be around.
“He went a million miles an hour, he was a happy chappy, loved life, had loads of friends.
“He's just left a big empty hole," she said.
And while Harvey’s family will undoubtedly feel relieved at the knowledge his killer will be now taken off the streets - and cannot hurt anyone else - through his sentence for murder, that relief sadly cannot take their pain away.
“No sentence is enough. He's ruined so many lives,” said Caroline.
She continued: “Our lives are ruined because I know that I'm never ever going to be happy again. None [of us], his sister, his brother. We're never going to be happy again. And that's a fact.”
When asked how Harvey’s brother and sister, Lewis and Sophie, have been coping, Caroline said ‘not great’.
“None of us are good. We never, I can't see us ever being good,” she added.
It is easy to see why Harvey is so desperately missed by those who knew him.
‘He wanted everybody to be together’
Caroline says that while Harvey may have been a Blade through-and-through, he was also passionate about rising above rivalries to bring fans together.
“He used to get United fans, Wednesday fans together and they used to go and watch Sheffield FC. He used to organise all that because he wanted everybody to be together,” she said.
“He just loved football, he loved life, he loved socialising,” continued Caroline.
Harvey would often make friends with the football fans he met - as he followed Sheffield United across the country.
Some of the fans he forged friendships with travelled from places including Nottingham and Birmingham to attend his funeral, and those from the latter city also held a memorial march there in his honour.
Harvey’s ability to make friends did not just not transcend football rivalries, it also transcended age too.
During the trial, Harvey’s teacher Claire Staniforth, said she had the sort of relationship where he would ‘check’ on her, and she would check on him.
Sweet-natured Harvey also showed Ms Staniforth a coat his ‘nannan’ had bought him during a conversation they had the morning before he died on February 3, 2025.
She said Harvey had come to see her at around 9.15am that day, and explained he had come to school - following a period of poor attendance - in spite of fears about knives.
“He said he ‘wasn’t going to be coming into school, because he heard there had been a knife’,” said Ms Staniforth, adding that she believed that was in reference to an incident the previous week which resulted in the school being sent into lockdown.
Ms Staniforth sought to reassure Harvey, telling him she ‘wouldn’t be at work if I thought someone had a knife’.
Harvey later joked: ‘As if anyone’s going to stab me,’ and put his hands up, the jury heard.
Just three hours later, Ms Staniforth rushed to be by Harvey’s side after hearing he had been stabbed.
Speaking through tears, she revealed how she told Harvey she ‘was there’ in his final moments.
Ms Staniforth told Harvey he could come and have lunch with her in her office, but he never arrived.
She appeared emotional as she told jurors that during her final conversation with Harvey, which took place over the phone just a few minutes before he suffered the fatal stab wound, he called her ‘bestie’ and jokingly described a conversation he had been having with a girl online.
‘But why Harvey?’
Knowing Harvey’s sweet nature, Caroline says it has been incredibly hard to hear his character being pulled apart during the course of the trial.
“Harvey was the kindest person and after all this I'm going to put all these things out of the messages of what people have said.”
“When the policeman came to see me [after Harvey’s death], he said: ‘You know I've done loads of things like this, but last night I broke down,” she said.
Caroline has said all of the children and teachers who knew Harvey have all been saying the same thing: “But why Harvey, but why Harvey?”
“I mean one of his teachers. She said he used to check on me and I used to check on him. Rung her up: ‘Hiya bestie!’ Telling her that his nannan and grandad had gone on holiday. Showing his coat what his nannan had bought.
“That's not a naughty kid. That's the kind of kid he was. He related to everybody.”
The defendant is set to be sentenced in October.