20 godzin temu
A 15-year-old schoolboy who stabbed a fellow pupil to death during their lunch break had suffered "physical and emotional abuse" at home, a court has heard. The teenager is on trial accused of murdering Harvey Willgoose, also 15, who was killed at All Saints Catholic High School in Sheffield on February 3.
Sheffield Crown Court heard on Wednesday that two consultant forensic psychiatrists agreed there was "evidence of physical and emotional abuse and neglect in the defendant's home life, including lack of food and excessive physical chastisement". The experts found his "oppositional behaviour and defiance" was more obvious in school.
Emotional regulation difficulties
The psychiatrists said that if the defendant had received "appropriate boundaries and discipline" he would have better emotional regulation. They described incidents of aggression in the weeks and months before the alleged murder as "examples of his difficulties in controlling his emotions, including anger".
Junior defence counsel Richard Holland told the jury that another report by two psychologists found the defendant's below average levels of verbal comprehension were because of his "adverse early experiences rather than a neurodevelopmental disorder". The court also heard that a copy of Harvey's school timetable was found in the defendant's bedroom, which only a member of staff or Harvey could have printed.
Defence claims bullying led to tragedy
The defendant, who cannot be named, has admitted manslaughter but denies murder. He has also admitted possession of a knife on school premises.
Addressing the jury at the beginning of the trial, Gul Nawaz Hussain KC, defending, said the defendant "did not set out to kill or seriously hurt anyone". The defence argued that 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".
The trial continues.
(PA) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
