A 15-year-old boy, Mohammed Umar Khan, has been sentenced to serve at least 16 years in prison for fatally stabbing fellow pupil Harvey Willgoose during a lunch break at All Saints Catholic High School in Sheffield.
Khan, who can now be publicly named following a judge’s ruling, brought a hunting knife to school and attacked Harvey on February 3, 2025, stabbing him in the heart in front of shocked classmates.
During the trial, the court heard that students fled “in fear and panic,” with some locking themselves in a cupboard to escape the violence. In August, Khan was found guilty of murder.
At the sentencing hearing on Wednesday, October 22, at Sheffield Crown Court, Mrs Justice Ellenbogen told Khan:
“You were the aggressor and you acted in hurt and anger at what you considered to be his betrayal of your friendship.”
The judge lifted an anonymity order after applications from several media organisations, including the PA news agency, saying it was in the public interest for Khan to be identified. She noted the need to balance full reporting of a serious crime with the defendant’s welfare, as he turns 16 next month.
Justice Ellenbogen described the killing as a “serious crime carried out by one pupil on another, on school property, with a knife he brought into school,” adding that the public “will wish to know the identity of those who commit such offences.”
Harvey’s parents, Mark and Caroline Willgoose, and his sister, Sophie, were present in court. In a moving victim impact statement, Sophie said the family is “struggling to comprehend the fact that Harvey was murdered in the most cruel and inhumane way.”
She said:
“This was not just a crime against my brother, it was a crime against all of us who loved him. The pain will remain with us for the rest of our lives.”
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Ms Willgoose added that the family is “haunted daily” by the CCTV footage of the attack, saying Khan “refused to take any responsibility” for his actions.
“The defendant didn’t just end Harvey’s life,” she said. “He ended ours too.”
Source:Africa Publicity
