Harvey Willgoose, 15, stabbed to death after a ‘Snapchat row’, collapsed less than a minute after being attacked by a fellow pupil, a Sheffield murder trial has been told
Schoolboy Harvey Willgoose took 49 seconds to collapse after being stabbed by a hunting knife, a pathologist told a jury today.
The 15-year-old was stabbed twice following a Snapchat row with a fellow pupil, a jury has heard. Harvey was on a school lunch break when a 13cm hunting knife was thrust into his heart. A jury heard today how it took less than a minute for Harvey to collapse to the ground according to a Home Office forensic pathologist giving evidence this morning.
A post-mortem examination was carried out by pathologist Dr Philip Lumb, who said he estimated that it took 49 seconds before Harvey went to the ground after being stabbed.
He described the knife as being 13 cm long and up to 3cm wide. He said the spine was “serrated’. He said there were ‘spurs’ on the blood-stained knife which allows only 10cm of the blade to penetrate. The spurs on the knife were described as ones which could be used to open bottles.
The court heard six minutes after being called, paramedics arrived at 12.23pm, followed by an air ambulance. The trial has already been told how Harvey’s death was a stab wound to his heart.
The prosecutor, Mr Richard Thyne KC, told the jury on Tuesday: “That injury would have required severe force to inflict; the knife had cut the hard bone of Harvey’s fifth rib. It had then pierced one of the main pumping chambers of the heart, causing catastrophic internal bleeding and mechanical failure of the heart.
“Someone who has received such an injury may, in fact, be capable of purposeful movement for up to a few minutes after it has been inflicted – and you will recall Harvey was able to move for around a minute before he collapsed. There was a second sharp force injury to Harvey’s right upper chest which was consistent with a further stabbing motion seen on the CCTV footage. “
Mr Thyne has told the Jury Harvey had previously sent a message to his dad saying: “Am not going in that school while people have knives.”
Another boy, 15, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is on trial accused of Harvey’s murder. A jury was warned before being shown graphic CCTV of the alleged murder in a school courtyard which left pupils fleeing in “fear and panic”.
The defendant is apparently seen taking a knife out of his pocket and stabbing Harvey twice “in the torso”. Harvey at first does not seem to realise and staggers around but collapses to the ground a minute later.
Gul Nawaz Hussain KC for the defence said the defendant “accepts what he did that day, he accepts responsibility for the tragic and lasting consequence of his actions. That is why he has pleaded guilty to manslaughter.”
But they said he “did not set out to kill or seriously hurt anyone, the defence say his actions that day were the end result of a long period of bullying, poor treatment and violence…which built up…until he lost control and did tragically what you have all seen.”
Harvey’s family have been watching proceedings in tears from the public gallery of Sheffield crown court.
