A 15-year-old boy who stabbed a fellow pupil to death at school has told a jury that being bullied meant he got angry quickly and “I can’t control it”.
The teenager took to the witness box at Sheffield Crown Court on Wednesday, where he is on trial for the murder of Harvey Willgoose, also 15, at All Saints Catholic High School in the city in February.
He told the jury he was subjected to racist bullying on social media and taunts about a medical condition while he was at a number of Sheffield schools.
The defendant said the bullying has affected how he controls his temper and “I’m upset all the time”.
Asked by his barrister Gul Nawaz Hussain KC how this affected his temper, the boy said: “I can get angry quickly, upset quickly.
“I can’t control it.”
Mr Hussain also asked his client about social media.
The boy said he had been bullied online by “strangers” and by pupils at All Saints, including “racist bullying”.
The barrister asked him: “When bullying was happening on social media, did you feel you could get away from it?”
The boy said no.
When Mr Hussain asked him about the worst threat he had received on social media, the defendant replied: “Someone said, ‘I’ll stab you up’.”
He said he began to believe the threats and, when his barrister asked “how did that make you feel?”, the boy said: “Scared.”
The boy told the jury about his home life, explaining how his mother had mental health problems and his father was often not there.
He said the house was not clean and it was often left to him to do laundry and make meals for him and his siblings.
The defendant said he was also hit by his father.
Teachers have told the jury that the defendant had “anger issues”.
Asked about this by Mr Hussain, the boy said: “I can’t control my anger sometimes.”
The barrister said: “Where do you think all this anger comes from?”
The boy replied: “Home.”
Mr Hussain continued: “Has the bullying affected your anger?”
The boy said: “Yes.”
He said he did not tell his mother or father about the bullying because they “wouldn’t care”.
The defendant stood in the witness box facing the jury of eight women and four men, holding a fidget toy and supported by an intermediary.
The jury has been shown CCTV footage of Harvey being stabbed in the courtyard at All Saints during the lunch break on February 3.
The court has heard that the defendant, who cannot be named, has admitted manslaughter but denies murder.
He has also admitted possession of a knife on school premises.
The defendant was asked about an incident in November 2024, which was also captured on CCTV, in which he punched a computer monitor after he was accused of using social media on his phone during a lesson.
Asked by Mr Hussain why he did this, he said: “Because I was angry.”
He said he was not using the phone for social media and he thought it was “unfair” he had been given a sanction by the teacher without her giving him a chance to explain himself.
The defendant will continue giving evidence on Thursday.
Addressing the jury last week, Mr Hussain said: “(The defendant) did not set out to kill or seriously hurt anyone.
“The defence say (the defendant’s) actions that day were the end result of a long period of bullying, poor treatment and violence, things that built one upon another until he lost control and did tragically what we’ve all seen.”
