Who Killed Harvey Willgoose? What We Know of the 15-Year-Old Killer Caught 'Dancing' as He Killed Teen

In a gut-wrenching school stabbing that has ignited fury over knife crime in Sheffield, 15-year-old Harvey Willgoose lay dying in a hallway after being knifed through the heart by former friend Mohammed Umar Khan on 3 February 2025, as CCTV captured the brutal nine-second attack during lunch break at All Saints Catholic High School.

The teen murder unfolded from a petty social media spat tied to bullying fallout, escalating to tragedy when Khan, a knife-obsessed pupil, lunged with a 13cm hunting blade, severing a rib in the fatal blow that left classmates screaming in chaos.

From Social Media Beef to Courtyard Carnage

Tensions boiled over on 3 February 2025 when Harvey Willgoose, a popular Year Nine lad from Sheffield, confronted knife-obsessed classmate Mohammed Umar Khan in All Saints Catholic High School's courtyard, pushing his shoulder amid a row sparked by online taunts days earlier.

CCTV footage, played at Sheffield Crown Court, showed the pair chatting briefly before Khan whipped out the serrated hunting knife from his coat, stabbing Harvey twice in nine seconds—the first thrust piercing his heart and cracking a rib, the second glancing as the victim staggered away.

Pupils witnessed the horror, fleeing in screams as Harvey collapsed 49 seconds later in the corridor, bleeding out despite frantic teacher aid. The beef traced to a 29 January lockdown over a separate pupil clash, where Khan falsely claimed a knife threat and had to be restrained, later badmouthing Harvey online for siding against him in the bullying fallout.

Post-Stab Footage Stuns Witnesses and Court

Witnesses recalled chaos as screams echoed, with Khan telling the headteacher, 'I'm not right in the head. My mum doesn't look after me right,' and assuring teachers, 'you know I can't control it.' Khan claimed he 'snapped' from racist bullying on social media and taunts over a medical condition, carrying the knife for protection, but prosecutors rejected this as self-defence, with the judge citing 'hurt and anger at what you considered to be his betrayal of your friendship.'

Hours before, Khan assured the assistant head he had brought nothing contraband into school. This knife dance footage, per X post from @DavidSocial1976 on 22 October 2025, highlighted the teen murder's remorseless nature, amplifying public outrage over ignored risks. It underscored failures to address his weapon fixation.

Verdict and Heartbreak

Sheffield Crown Court convicted Khan of murder by a majority of 11 to one in August 2025, after over 14 hours of deliberation, sentencing him to life detention on 22 October 2025 with a 16-year minimum—also guilty of carrying a bladed article on school premises—as Mrs Justice Naomi Ellenbogen lifted anonymity: 'The public will wish to know... how a child of that age can do so.'

The judge described Khan as 'the aggressor,' rejecting pleas of fear or provocation, noting any remarks from Harvey did 'not indicate... any real threat,' while highlighting his 'obsession with knives' evidenced by phone photos of blades and weapons.

Harvey's sister Sophie told the court: 'This was not just a crime against my brother, it was a crime against all of us who loved him... The defendant didn't just end Harvey's life, he ended ours too... We have been haunted daily by the CCTV footage... because [Khan] refused to take any responsibility.'

Mum Caroline added tearfully: 'I feel like a big weight's been lifted...