A teenager accused of murdering a fellow pupil told police he was "horrified at the outcome" and insisted "all I did was protect myself" after stabbing his schoolmate to death. The 15-year-old defendant made these comments in a written statement given to detectives following his arrest at All Saints Catholic High School in Sheffield on February 3.
Sheffield Crown Court heard on Monday that the boy made no verbal responses during police questioning but provided a detailed written account the day after Harvey Willgoose, also 15, died from his injuries. In his statement, the defendant claimed he brought the knife to school for protection and acted in self-defence.
Defendant describes fatal confrontation
The accused described the incident during the school lunch break, saying Harvey approached him with threatening words. "Harvey came up to me. He said 'Do you want beef, I'll have you this time'. I tried to shake his hand. He refused to shake it," the defendant wrote in his statement.
The boy claimed he felt Harvey was about to attack him, referencing previous threats made against him. "At that point I felt like he was going to attack me. Obviously, all these threats had been made to me previously and at that moment I thought he was going to use a weapon or knife against me," he told police.
Claims of self-defence emerge
The defendant described pulling out the knife instinctively, saying he thrust it towards Harvey in what he claimed was self-defence. "Without thinking and instinctively I pulled out the knife I had in my pocket and thrust it towards Harvey. I did this in self-defence," his statement read.
He insisted he had no intention to cause serious harm, adding: "It was not my intention to cause him serious harm. At that moment I felt it was me or him, I had to protect myself." The boy expressed horror at the fatal outcome and sympathy for Harvey's family.
Previous incidents cited as motivation
Earlier in his statement, the defendant explained why he brought the knife to school, describing previous incidents that left him feeling threatened. He claimed he had been warned he would be "jumped" after school and said he heard that Harvey "carries knives".
The boy revealed he had been absent from school for five days following an earlier incident that led to a lockdown, though this did not involve Harvey. He said he "reluctantly returned" to school on February 3, admitting he took the knife "for protection and nothing more".
Court proceedings continue
The jury has been shown CCTV footage of Harvey being stabbed in the school courtyard. The defendant, who cannot be named due to his age, has admitted manslaughter and possession of a knife on school premises but denies murder.
Defence barrister Gul Nawaz Hussain KC told the jury the defendant "did not set out to kill or seriously hurt anyone". The defence argues the boy's actions resulted from "a long period of bullying, poor treatment and violence" that built up until he lost control.
(PA) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
