Mohammed Umar Khan, 15, has been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 16 years for the murder of fellow pupil Harvey Willgoose at All Saints Catholic High School in Sheffield. The attack occurred on 3 February during a lunchbreak, when Khan stabbed Harvey twice in the chest with a 13cm hunting knife.
Mrs Justice Naomi Ellenbogen lifted an anonymity order after media applications, stating that Khan's age alone did not justify anonymity and that the public should know the identity of those committing serious offences. Khan showed no emotion or remorse as the sentence was read, and the judge rejected his claim of self-defence, saying he acted out of anger over what he saw as Harvey's betrayal of their friendship.
The court heard that Khan had been involved in a dispute with Harvey over a school lockdown and a social media argument. CCTV showed Khan pushing Harvey in corridors and later producing the knife. Khan told the headteacher after the stabbing: 'I'm not right in the head' and 'you know I can't control it'. His phone contained images of him posing with knives and searches for weaponry.
Khan's defence argued he had been bullied for years and 'snapped', but the judge stated Harvey posed no real threat. Harvey's family, who attended the sentencing, have campaigned against knife crime and set up a youth club in his memory. His sister Sophie said: 'He didn't just end Harvey's life, he ended ours too.'
