Teen Killer Sentenced to Life for Murder of Sheffield Schoolboy Harvey Willgoose
A 15-year-old boy who stabbed his classmate to death during lunch break at a Sheffield school has been sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of 16 years.
Mohammed Umar Khan, also 15 at the time of the attack, fatally stabbed Harvey Willgoose through the heart with a hunting knife at All Saints Catholic High School in Sheffield in February 2025.
Khan’s name was made public for the first time after Mrs Justice Naomi Ellenbogen lifted a court order protecting his anonymity, saying the case carried a “significant public interest.”
A Deadly Confrontation at School
The attack took place in the middle of the school day, shocking teachers and pupils alike. Khan, who was in Year Nine, confronted Harvey in the school courtyard shortly after midday.
The two boys — once friends — had fallen out after an argument that played out over social media. CCTV footage shown to jurors captured the moment Khan approached Harvey, spoke briefly to him, then pulled a knife from his waistband and plunged it into his chest.
The blade pierced Harvey’s heart, killing him almost instantly. Witnesses described scenes of panic as students screamed and ran for safety, while teachers rushed to provide first aid. Despite their efforts, Harvey was pronounced dead soon after paramedics arrived.
A Friendship Turned Fatal
The court heard that Khan and Harvey had once been close friends but had recently grown apart. Days before the murder, tensions rose after the boys took opposite sides in a dispute involving two other pupils, an incident that had already forced the school into a short lockdown on 29 January.
Prosecutors said the killing was not a spontaneous act, but a deliberate one. Khan had carried a knife to school that morning, knowing there might be a confrontation.
According to police evidence, Khan had a disturbing fascination with weapons. Officers found he had searched online for “zombie killer knives” and other blades, and taken photos of himself posing with knives and an axe to intimidate others.
‘He Knew Exactly What He Was Doing’
During his trial, Khan told the jury he “snapped” and “lost control,” claiming he did not mean to kill Harvey and could not remember what had happened. He said he had been bullied, subjected to racist taunts, and had suffered emotional and physical abuse at home.
But the prosecution dismissed his account. They argued that Khan had wanted to show off and appear “tough,” fully aware of the consequences of his actions.
“He wanted to show he was hard,” said prosecutor Tom Storey KC. “He knew exactly what he was doing when he brought that knife to school.”
Judge: ‘A Serious Crime on School Grounds’
At sentencing, Mrs Justice Ellenbogen told Khan that his actions were calculated and cruel.
“You were the aggressor,” she said. “You acted out of hurt and anger at what you saw as a betrayal of friendship. This was a grave crime, carried out by one pupil on another, using a knife you knowingly brought into a place of learning.”
The judge said the decision to lift Khan’s anonymity was not taken lightly, but that the public had a right to know the name of a child capable of committing such violence.
“The public will wish to understand how a 15-year-old could do such a thing,” she added.
Family’s Grief and Call for Change
Outside Sheffield Crown Court, Harvey’s mother, Caroline Willgoose, said she felt “a great weight” had been lifted from her shoulders after hearing the sentence.
She revealed that her father — Harvey’s grandfather — had died just a week earlier after battling cancer, saying the emotional toll of the trial had been too much for him.
“My dad and Harvey were best friends,” she said. “
They had been building a summer house together before Harvey passed away.I believe they’re together now.”
Mrs Willgoose expressed relief that the minimum term for Khan’s sentence had been raised above the legal minimum of 15 years. She also said her family’s campaign for tighter school security had already led to knife-detection arches being installed in some local schools.
“We just don’t want any other family to experience what we did,” she said.
A School in Mourning
All Saints Catholic High School issued a heartfelt statement after the sentencing, saying Harvey was “dearly missed every day.”
“Harvey was a popular, energetic and fun-loving pupil who brought joy to those around him,” the school said. “This tragedy has deeply affected our entire community, and we continue to support all who have been impacted.”
The school thanked the police and the courts for their professionalism throughout the case and said it was cooperating fully with ongoing reviews into safety and child protection procedures.
Police: ‘A Split-Second Decision Changed Everything’
Detective Chief Inspector Andy Knowles, who led the investigation, praised Harvey’s family for their courage throughout the trial.
“This has been harrowing for them,” he said. “Khan’s misguided belief that carrying a knife would make him safer or more respected ended up costing a young boy his life — and destroying his own future as well.”
He described the murder as a “split-second decision that cannot be undone,” and urged young people to think twice before carrying weapons.
“If that knife had not been brought into school on 3 February, everything would have been different,” he said. “We all share a responsibility to challenge the culture that glorifies knives.”
A Broader Warning
The killing has reignited public debate about the growing problem of knife crime among young people in the UK. Police and community leaders have called for more education, early intervention, and online safety campaigns to stop teenagers from seeing weapons as status symbols.
For Harvey’s family, however, the focus remains on remembering their son and ensuring no one else suffers the same fate.
“Harvey was our sunshine,” his mother said. “If his story stops even one young person from picking up a knife, then maybe something good can come from this pain.”
