The heartbroken mum and sister of a youngster who was stabbed to death outside a school has visited the murder scene as paid tribute to the “special” teen who was “loved by everyone”.
Harvey Willgoose, 15, collapsed after he was knifed three times by a fellow pupil, also 15, at All Saints Catholic High School in Sheffield. As reported by the Mirror, his mum Caroline and sister Sophie spoke of their ordeal before they visited the school yard where Harvey tragically lost his life.
Writing on social media before she arrived, Caroline, 49, told her friends and family: “We are all showing the world what a special person Harvey was and it means so much to us how he was loved by everyone that knew him.”
The horrific attack was witnessed by boys and girls who ran for their lives as Harvey collapsed just after midday on Monday. Emergency crews battled to save his life but he died due to the catastrophic nature of his injuries. Caroline wrote: “Our Harvey, no words” with heartbroken emojis and images of them together in a Tik Tok post. In a second message, she added: “My Harvey, life is never gunner be the same. Love you so much.”
Sister Sophie added: “My heart is broken into a million pieces, I love you so much Harvey. Hug your loved ones a little tighter, I wish I could.”
Caroline also shared a South Yorkshire Police appeal urging people not to identify the 15-year-old who has been arrested, adding: “For our Harvey” with thanks and broken heart emojis. Worried parents of pupils told of the agonising wait to see their children as the school went into lockdown.
A mum of one of Harvey’s classmates told how she was left waiting for the ‘longest two and a half hours’ of her life to see her daughter. Katie Talbot said: “Children are the most precious thing in the world. Where are we if they are not safe at school? I was so frightened standing outside. It was horrendous, I was there for two and a half hours waiting and it was the longest two and a half hours of my life.
“I was told that she was fine but unlike some of the children, she was not able to use her phone.” Daughter Gracie witnessed the stabbing. She said: “It all happened so quickly. It was a blur. I was with my best mate waiting to go for food. I heard someone saying ‘there is a knife’. It was chaos. I just ran and can’t remember much after that. It is not what you expect, it was horrible.”
Jude Duffy, 13, also saw the entire incident and said: “I’m just in shock, it was at lunchtime. I didn’t know Harvey but I saw it all.”
His mum Natalie Duffy, 47, added: “It’s really sad, I went to All Saints as well. This is our community so we can’t believe it.” One mum spoke to one of her children but the other had to turn off her phone, which she described as “utter madness under the circumstances”. She added: “It shouldn’t be that easy to waltz into school with a knife.”
The school closed in the aftermath of the stabbing, which took place at about 12:17pm on Monday. Lines of parents gathered as pupils were put into a lockdown procedure. The school also went into lockdown last Wednesday, Jan 29, due to “threatening behaviour between a small number of students where threats were made of physical violence”.
Police declined to comment on whether the earlier incident was linked to the stabbing of Harvey. Tributes left at the school gates described him as “the life of a party” and who had “brought joy and laughter to everyone who knew him”. One card read: “Harvey my ‘pal’, gone too soon but won’t be forgotten. Rest in Peace. Bailey and the RE department.”
Parent Luisa Meco said her daughter had known Harvey since nursery and that his death shocked everyone. “It’s not something you imagine, that your children go to school and then something like this happens,” she said. “We just don’t understand how it happened, it’s just really shocking, sad, heart-breaking.”
Ms Meco said she was told the school would reopen but that her daughter Ivane’s return was making her “nervous”. A 17-year-old pupil, who went to the school to pay his respects, said: “He was such a lovely lad, he was cheeky, but was lovely. He would make your day better hearing him down that hallway. You didn’t have to know him to be upset. Teachers loved him, students loved him, everyone loved him.”
The teenager described the moment the “lockdown alarm” went off, the doors were locked and blinds were closed by teachers, which he said was “crazy”.
Others mourning the death gathered outside Sheffield United’s stadium; a club is considering a lasting tribute to Harvey, a lifelong fan. Love hearts and a ’15’ in balloons and more than a dozen bunches of flowers have been left at Beighton Welfare Club, where Harvey’s mum Caroline works.
Online posts identified the boy said to have been arrested. In a statement, South Yorkshire Police said such posts could jeopardise any future court proceedings. The force said: “We are urging our communities to avoid online speculation and identifying anyone who they believe to be involved in the tragic incident at All Saints Catholic High School yesterday to ensure justice can be secured for the victim and his family.
“Identifying a suspect can prejudice court proceedings and risk a fair and accurate trial. At the heart of this devastation is a grieving family and they deserve respect and privacy during this difficult time. We will take action against anyone who poses a risk to proceedings. Please consider what you share online and the implications.”
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