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Boy, 15, who murdered Harvey Willgoose sentenced to life with minimum term of 16 years

A 15-year-old boy has been sentenced to life with a minimum term of 16 years for murdering Sheffield schoolboy Harvey Willgoose in a lunch break knife attack.

Harvey, also 15, was stabbed to death by Mohammed Umar Khan outside their school cafeteria in February this year.

Khan, who can now be named after the judge lifted reporting restrictions, took a 13cm hunting knife with him to All Saints Catholic High School, and stabbed Harvey twice in the chest just minutes into a lunch break.

Khan had been given automatic anonymity until the age of 18, but this was lifted by the judge after the media had argued there was a public interest in naming him.

CCTV showed Harvey arriving at the school, with earlier footage showing the attacker trying to provoke Harvey, who remained calm.

Follow updates: Harvey Willgoose murder latest

Mohammed Umar Khan pictured in handcuffs having appeared in court on charges of murder. Pic: Ben Lack Photography
Image:
Mohammed Umar Khan pictured in handcuffs having appeared in court on charges of murder. Pic: Ben Lack Photography

The attacker was also seen in footage holding a knife in the canteen before the stabbing.

The boy had previously admitted to manslaughter but denied murder.

However, he was found guilty at Sheffield Crown Court by a majority verdict of 11 to one.

Defence lawyers claimed the boy had “lost control” after years of bullying and “an intense period of fear at school”.

He told teachers after the stabbing “you know I can’t control it” and “I’m not right in the head”.

Harvey was stabbed outside of the school cafeteria. Pic: Ben Lack Photography Limited
Image:
Harvey was stabbed outside of the school cafeteria. Pic: Ben Lack Photography Limited

Following the murder, the parents of Harvey, Caroline and Mark Willgoose, told Sky News they wanted to see knife arches “in all secondary schools and colleges”.

Katie Crook, associate vice principal of Penistone Grammar School, also called for schools to be “brave enough” to talk about knife crime.

Read more:
Harvey Willgoose: Sheffield United players pay tribute
Harvey Willgoose: Community in shock over teen’s school stabbing death

Mrs Cook said: “It’s 100% a conversation, I think, that we need to be empowered and brave enough to have.”

She added: “We’re really lucky here that we don’t have a knife crime problem – but we are on the forefront with safeguarding initiatives.

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The parents of Harvey have been campaigning for knife arches to be used to make schools and colleges safer

‘Our mental health has been destroyed’

Ahead of sentencing, Harvey’s sister, Sophie Willgoose, described in her victim impact statement about the moment they were told about his murder.

“In that moment, our world was shattered forever,” she said.

She described Harvey as a “cheeky character” with a “warmth that made everyone love him”.

Ms Willgoose added: “The defendant didn’t just end Harvey’s life, he ended ours too. Our mental health has been destroyed.”

Mohammed Umar Khan has been named as Harvey Willgoose's killer. Pic: South Yorkshire Police
Image:
Mohammed Umar Khan has been named as Harvey Willgoose’s killer. Pic: South Yorkshire Police

Richard Thyne KC, prosecuting, said that while Khan had no previous convictions, he had previously taken an axe and a knife separately onto the school premises.

Khan and Harvey had “fronted up” to one another in confrontations at school, he added.

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LP Staff Writers

Writers at Lord’s Press come from a range of professional backgrounds, including history, diplomacy, heraldry, and public administration. Many publish anonymously or under initials—a practice that reflects the publication’s long-standing emphasis on discretion and editorial objectivity. While they bring expertise in European nobility, protocol, and archival research, their role is not to opine, but to document. Their focus remains on accuracy, historical integrity, and the preservation of events and individuals whose significance might otherwise go unrecorded.

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