A UK-born schoolboy of Pakistani heritage was on Wednesday sentenced to life imprisonment for stabbing a 15-year-old pupil to death with a hunting knife at their school in Sheffield, northern England.

Mohammed Umar Khan, also 15, was named by South Yorkshire Police after the automatic age-related reporting restrictions on his identification were lifted by Justice Naomi Ellenbogen.

At a sentencing hearing at Sheffield Crown Court, the judge ruled that Khan must spend a minimum of 16 years behind bars before being considered for parole as she condemned his “long-standing interest in weapons”.

“Something that became prevalent during this trial was Khan’s misguided belief that carrying a knife would make him safer, or that it would grant him some sort of status,” said Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) Andy Knowles, Senior Investigating Officer at South Yorkshire Police.

The court heard that police were called to All Saints Catholic High School in Sheffield on the afternoon of February 3 following reports of a stabbing.

A six-week trial earlier this year heard they found Harvey Willgoose had been stabbed and went on to arrest Khan at the scene.

The jury heard how the two boys had fallen out over an altercation at the school a week before. Khan went on to deny murder but was found guilty by a jury in August.

“Harvey’s family is haunted by the CCTV footage of the events of that day, and exhausted by the trauma in their lives in which his absence is felt every day,” the judge said on Wednesday.

“It is clear that Harvey was also a popular pupil whom students and teachers held in affection. Their lives too have been blighted by your actions, which have affected them deeply and will continue to do so,” she said.

Khan had previously admitted to possessing a bladed article on school premises. In his court testimony, Khan claimed he was carrying the knife he used to murder Harvey to protect himself due to what he perceived to be threats to his safety posed by others.

“But, in reality, that knife had devastating consequences. Not just for Harvey and his family, but also for Khan himself. What amounts to a split-second decision has had consequences that can’t be taken back and has devastated many lives; his own, Harvey’s, Harvey’s family, and the members of his own family,” said DCI Knowles.

“All those lives have been forever changed by this incident and, had a knife not been introduced into that situation on February 3, things would almost certainly have been very different,” he said.

Defence lawyers claimed in court that the accused had “lost control” after years of bullying and “an intense period of fear at school”. He is said to have told teachers after the stabbing that he was unable to “control” his anger and that he was “not right in the head”.

“Harvey was the most caring, gentle, thoughtful and loving young man. He had a cheeky character, a brilliant sense of humour, and a warmth that made everyone love him. Words will never be enough to capture just how special Harvey was,” Harvey’s sister, Sophie Willgoose, said in a statement in court on behalf of her family.

“We are not just grieving his loss, we are struggling to comprehend the fact that Harvey was murdered in the most cruel and inhumane way. We are trying to live each day while carrying a pain that is unbearable and impossible to make sense of.

“This was not just a crime against my brother. It is a crime against all of us who loved him. His absence is felt every single day and the pain, fear, and grief will remain with us for the rest of our lives,” she said.

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