MUM'S PLEA
Harvey Willgoose’s mum calls for knife arches in every school in Britain after son was stabbed to death on way to lesson
This comes as a trial date has been set for the teen accused of murdering Harvey
THE mum of a boy, 15, stabbed to death on his way to class has called for knife arches at schools across the UK "from tomorrow".
Harvey Willgoose was allegedly ambushed at All Saints Catholic High School, in Sheffield, on Monday in front of horrified staff and pupils.
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His heartbroken mother, Caroline, has now urgently pleaded for walk through metal detectors, also known as knife arches, in every school.
"I just want to thank everybody for everything that they've done and all the support, it's just been amazing and getting us through this," she said in a video uploaded to TikTok.
"I could just can't get my head round it anyway, but, just one thing, people are saying, 'is there anything I can do?'
"The one thing that I want out of this, the one thing that I'm urgently saying is I want knife arches in every single school, from tomorrow, from as soon as we can.
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"I know it's not nice, I know it's unpleasant, I know it'll take time, but nobody, nobody should be dealing with this.
"I don't want another child to be where Harvey is, and the number one thing, the main thing for me is knife arches in every school.
"Get behind us for this and just thank you everybody for the support.
"Let's fight for Harvey.
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"The one place where children should be safe and feel safe is school, so knife arches in every school, that's the urgent thing that I want happening."
The devastated family held a march in Harvey's memory yesterday through Sheffield.
His parents led the huge crowd of supporters from the town hall towards United’s stadium in Bramall Lane.
Grief-stricken Caroline previously revealed Harvey's final words to her before he left the family home to go to school on Monday were "I love you".
She told the BBC: "I have got his grubby t-shirt on so I can smell him.
"I don't want to go to sleep because I don't want to wake up and have to relive it all and remember it."
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She described her son as "the life and soul of the party" and "a joy to be around".
"He loved football, football was his life. He was going to be an actor at one point, I think he would have been good at it", she told the news site.
Harvey's father, Mark, said his son was his "best pal" and described him as a "loveable rogue".
"We need to learn from this so no-one goes through what we have as a family," he said.
This comes as a trial date has been set for the teen accused of murdering Harvey, 15, who was stabbed twice in the heart with a "hunting knife" at school.
A 15-year-old boy, who legally can't be named, appeared at Sheffield Crown Court on Thursday charged with murder.
The teen, who is also accused of possession of a bladed article and affray, spoke only to confirm his identity.
He was remanded into youth detention accommodation to next appear at the same court for a plea hearing on April 28.
A provisional trial due to last for four weeks was set for June 30.
The court was previously told how the teen allegedly brought a hunting knife to school, which was used in the attack.
Harvey was knifed twice in the heart before he died, it was said.
Heroic teachers raced to perform emergency first aid as the school was placed on lockdown.
Harvey was rushed to hospital in a serious condition but tragically died shortly after.
Why can't the Sheffield suspect be named?
By Holly Christodoulou, Digital Court Editor
ONCE proceedings become "active" - i.e. someone is charged - the police or the Crown Prosecution Service will name the suspect and release their age and address.
This will also appear on charge sheets and will be heard in open court throughout the case.
However, with the Sheffield school stabbing, the boy is only aged 15.
This means that even from the point of the charge, we have not been able to name him.
He is automatically protected under section 49 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933.
This applies to any defendants who are aged under 18 and means their identity cannot be revealed.
Once they turn 18, unless any special reporting restrictions are placed by a judge, they can be named.
In some circumstances, when a person is found guilty or admits their crime, they may be unmasked in court regardless of their age.
This will sometimes happen pre-conviction too as in the case of Axel Rudakubana.
He was 17 at the point of his first court appearance but a judge lifted the reporting restriction as he was six days from his 18th birthday anyway.
Tributes have flooded in for the popular schoolboy from his devastated friends and family.
In a statement, the family said they were "utterly heartbroken" over "beautiful" Harvey's death.
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They added: "Our lives are devastated and will never be the same again. We have lost a beloved son, brother, grandson, cousin, nephew and most importantly, a best friend to all.
"Harvey will be forever known for being a caring, loving and funny young man."
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