The parents of Harvey Willgoose, the 15-year-old stabbed to death at a school in Sheffield, have spoken publicly for the first time, revealing the teenager's last words to his mother were 'I love you'. Harvey died on Monday after being attacked at All Saints Catholic High School. A 15-year-old boy has since been charged with his murder.
In an emotional interview, Harvey's mother Caroline described her son as 'the life and soul of the party' and said she is still wearing one of his 'grubby' t-shirts 'so I can smell him'. She urged people to consider the consequences of carrying knives, saying: 'I don't want anybody to go through what we are going through. Just think if it was your brother, sister, dad, mum. Can you imagine the devastation if you lost somebody through that?'
Harvey's father Mark called his son his 'best pal' and a 'loveable rogue'. He added: 'We need to learn from this so no-one goes through what we have as a family.' A family statement released through South Yorkshire Police described Harvey as a 'caring, loving and funny young man' and said their lives 'will never be the same again'.
The accused teenager appeared at Sheffield Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, charged with murder, possession of a bladed article and affray. District Judge Tim Spruce said the allegation involved a hunting knife 'taken into school and used to stab another pupil in broad daylight'. The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was remanded into youth detention and is due to appear at crown court on Thursday.
The court was told that a lockdown at the school the previous week, prompted by 'threats of violence' between pupils, did not directly involve the defendant or Harvey. A mass for Harvey will be held at St Joseph's Church in Handsworth on Saturday at 10am.
