mum of harvey willgoose found out son was stabbed to death on social media

Another pupil told the court that Harvey had described to him how the defendant had been acting like he had a knife under his jumper that morning,but the victim thought he was bluffing.

Mr Thyne said: ‘It’s just a tragedy Harvey didn’t realise (the defendant) reaching for,or indicating he had,a knife in (a science lesson),was genuine.’

He added that the other boy was ‘motivated by wanting to show he was hard,sending out a message about who he was,someone not to be messed with’.

The defendant told jurors how he decided to carry a knife for protection as he feared other teenagers he believed were carrying weapons.

His barrister,Gul Nawaz Hussain K,C told the jury that the defendant ‘snapped’ after years of bullying and ‘an intense period of fear at school’.

Mr Hussain told jurors: ‘Tragically,Harvey was a combination of being the final straw that broke (the defendant) and the unintended face of a series of threats of violence and bullying he had suffered in recent months.

The young defendant admitted manslaughter but denied Harvey’s murder

‘We say he suffered a loss of control which resulted in horrific and tragic consequences.’

The boy told the court he ‘ordered’ the knife because ‘it was a scary-looking knife and,if I pulled it out,somebody wouldn’t try to pull out theirs’.

During his evidence,Mr Hussain asked him: ‘We know you took a knife to school with you that morning,why?’

The defendant replied: ‘In case anyone tried to pull a knife out on me or try to hurt me.’ Mr Hussain said: “Did you want to start any trouble that day?’

The boy said: ‘No.’

And Mr Hussain asked him: ‘Did you want to hurt anyone that day?’ The boy replied: ‘No.’

Detective Inspector Joe Hackworthy said following the ruling that the trial was ‘a heartbreaking reminder of the devastation knife crime causes in our communities’.

Over the past decade,the number of teens killed with a sharp object has increased by 240%,from 22 to 53,according to The Ben Insella Trust.

Chris Hartley,of the Crown Prosecution Service,said: ”We remind teenagers that there can be horrendous and serious consequences of carrying knives. It has been proven that if you carry these weapons,you are more likely to use them or be a victim of knife crime.

‘You are putting yourself,other people and your future at risk.’