A 15-year-old boy accused of murdering a fellow pupil told a jury he posed with weapons in photographs to warn people to “stay away from him and don’t cause a problem”. The teenager is on trial at Sheffield Crown Court for the murder of Harvey Willgoose, also 15, at All Saints Catholic High School in February.
Police found images on the defendant’s mobile phone showing him posing with a knife, an axe and a hammer. The boy told the court he bought the axe at All Saints school from another pupil.
Weapons used as deterrent
When asked by his barrister Gul Nawaz Hussain KC why he made these images, the boy explained: “They see the pictures, they’re going to think ‘I’ll stay away from him, don’t cause a problem with him’.” He said he did not want to have trouble with anyone but wanted people who might cause problems for him to be scared.
The defendant told jurors he decided to carry a knife because older teenagers from a previous school had threatened him. He said he knew they carried knives and explained: “If they pulled a knife out, I could pull a knife out.”
Online threats and bullying