Teenager who killed boy during school lunch break stabbed him with enough force to cut through his rib, court told
2 July 2025, 14:03
The fatal injury inflicted on a 15-year-old boy as he was stabbed to death during a school lunch break was severe enough to cut through one of his ribs, a pathologist has told a court.
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A jury at Sheffield Crown Court has seen CCTV footage of the stabbing at All Saints Catholic High School, which left 15-year-old Harvey Willgoose dead and other pupils fleeing in what prosecutors called "fear and panic".
The court heard the knife "went through [Harvey's] rib and punctured his heart" following an altercation.
On Wednesday, Home Office pathologist Dr Philip Lumb told the jury in the trial of the fellow student, also 15, who is accused of Harvey's murder, how he found an 8cm deep stab wound in the teenager's chest.
Dr Lumb said this injury had completely severed his 5th rib, nicked the rib below and gone into one of the main pumping chambers of his heart.
The pathologist said police showed him a 13cm long knife before he conducted a post-mortem examination on Harvey, and he agreed that this weapon was capable of causing the fatal injury.
The defendant had told the headteacher 'I’m not right in the head' after fatally stabbing Harvey Willgoose with a hunting knife, the jury had previously been told.
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He explained to the jury that pathologists use a crude scale of "mild, moderate or severe" to grade the level of force needed to inflict an injury.
Dr Lumb said: "In this case, we have the full thickness of the bone of a rib being cut through.
"Bone is a very hard substance. It's very difficult to cut, even when using a sharp knife.
"And that is a marker of the use of severe force."
Prosecutors have told the jury how the CCTV footage shows that Harvey appears to put his hand on the defendant's right arm before the defendant "takes a knife out of his left pocket, passes it across into his right hand, and then stabs twice at Harvey's torso".
Seconds later, the video shows Harvey running towards the defendant, who then advances for a second time, "bouncing on his toes, still brandishing the knife", the court heard.
Richard Thyne KC, prosecuting, said "other pupils fled in fear and panic" as the defendant went into the dining hall still holding the knife.
The jury has heard the defendant has admitted Harvey's manslaughter, but denies murdering him.
The boy, who cannot be named, has also admitted possession of a knife on school premises.
