Harvey Willgoose’s baby-faced killer's health problems, home life and history of violence
Mohammed Umar Khan was only 15 when he stabbed Harvey to death at All Saints Catholic High School in Sheffield. As he’s sentenced to 16 years behind bars, details are starting to emerge about his home life
The courageous mother of Harvey Willgoose has revealed she feels nothing towards her son’s killer - and may even have some compassion for him due to his troubled home life.
Speaking to the press earlier this week, she said she blames the school more than her son’s murderer, 15-year old Mohammed Umar Khan, because chances were missed to stop him.
And she even showed some compassion for the boy who killed her son, telling the Mirror he came across as "cocky" in court but that could just be a mask.
“He's very cocky (in court) but is that a mask?” Caroline Willgoose said. “Because at the end of the day he's 15 years old and he's in this courtroom with all these strangers, these adults. Is it a mask?
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Harvey was stabbed in the heart by Khan with such force that the blade broke through five of his ribs. After stabbing him twice, Khan was then seen "dancing and bouncing" on his toes, still armed with the weapon. Giving evidence later before the court, Khan claimed he'd "lost control" and didn’t remember stabbing Harvey.
During the trial, the defence characterised the schoolboy killer as a product of a troubled environment.
He had only been at All Saints for about 15 weeks having moved from another school after assaulting a fellow pupil. The jury heard there were "some reports of difficulties at [Khan's] home", including claims of physical and emotional abuse, as well as malnourishment of him and his siblings.
He had medical difficulties, his mother had "mental health issues" and Khan himself had to wear a catheter. After he killed Harvey, he was heard to say "I’m not right in the head. Mum does not look after me right."
While Khan's claims that he had acted in self-defence when he stabbed Harvey were unfounded, it was apparent that the teenager had a violent temperament worsened by abuse directed at him.
Defence barrister Gul Nawaz Hussain KC told the trial: “[His] actions that day were the end result of a long period of bullying, poor treatment and violence, things that built one upon another until he lost control and did tragically what we’ve all seen.”
The boy told the court he had experienced racist abuse and taunts on social media about a medical condition.
Khan admitted he could "get angry quickly" and the effect of his abuse was that "I was not confident in myself and was upset all of the time". He also claimed he suffered from anxiety and struggled to sleep.
Mohammed Umar Khan, 15, was found guilty of Harvey's murder in August and was jailed for 16 years by Mrs Justice Ellenbogen. Before announcing his fate, the judge made a ruling to allow Khan to be named, despite being a juvenile, as she said it was in the public interest.