A 15-year-old boy has been sentenced to life with a minimum term of 16 years for the murder of fellow Sheffield pupil, Harvey Willgoose, highlighting Yorkshire’s ever-growing problem around knife crime.

Mohammed Umar Khan carried a 13cm hunting knife into All Saints High School, where he used it to stab Harvey Willgoose twice after the pair quarreled over social media. Within a minute of the attack, Harvey had lost consciousness and died. 

Following the trial at Sheffield Crown Court, his mother, Caroline Willgoose highlighted the need to tackle the significantly high knife crime rate in Yorkshire.

She said: “We’re going to be campaigning now against knife crime in safer schools.”

A region-wide epidemic

Over the last 5 years, between March 2020 and March 2025, knife-related crime in Yorkshire has seen a staggering 65 per cent increase overall. 

North Yorkshire has seen the biggest increase, with 157 crimes occurring in 2011. By March 2025, that amount had risen to 279 that year, amounting to a 77.7% increase of knife-related crime. 

South Yorkshire, where the attack on Harvey Willgoose took place, has also seen a dramatic rise, from 852 incidents in 2011 to 1,427 in 2025 – an increase of 67.5 per cent. 

West Yorkshire’s knife crime has also similarly increased by 65.1 per cent, up from 1,412 in 2011 to 2,331.

Despite having the lowest increase, Humberside also follows the trend, seeing a rise of crimes from 504 in 2011 to 802 in 2025 – a 59.1 per cent increase.

Together, South and West Yorkshire, as well as Humberside, rank in the top ten of worst-rated areas for knife crime in the country, according to a 2025 House of Commons statistics report. 

Children are more at risk to carry 

Last year in England and Wales, the Criminal Justice System dealt with 18,572 knife and weapon offence cases – an increase of 12 per cent in the last decade. 3,206 of those were aged 10-17, another increase of 20 per cent compared to 10 years ago.

According to the Youth Justice Board (YJB), the vast majority (99.7%) of those offences committed by children were possession offences, and the remaining 0.1% were threatening with a knife or offensive weapon.

There is no singular reason for a child to carry a knife. However, the children’s charity, Barnardos, suggests that for some groups, knives are so prevalent that they have become the norm, even if it comes at increased personal risk. 

They are seen as easily available protection in areas where young people feel they have little police protection, and using a knife is the only way to defend themselves against bullies and gangs. 

The ongoing fight against knife-related violence

As knife-related crimes continue to be an issue facing Yorkshire’s population, both young and old, it has become a focal point for campaigns and change. 

Operation Divan in North Yorkshire is a police-led initiative, challenging and discouraging the carrying of knives by young people. By instigating and intervening where a child might feel the need to carry a knife, the operation hopes to curb the steadily growing knife-crime rate by means of prevention, rather than prosecution after an incident has occured. 

West Yorkshire Police (WYP) continue to “intensify efforts” with special operations to tackle knife crime in the region, including high visibility patrols in high risk areas, engagement in schools and communities with knife arches and amnesties, and sweeping areas where weapons are known to be hidden. 

Humberside Police offer advice and support for those already involved in knife crime, as well as tackling and preventing it. They advise to report all crime to Crimestoppers or Fearless as it not only helps to later provide justice, but it can often prevent a serious incident involving victims and offenders. 

South Yorkshire has the third highest knife-related crime rate in the country. South Yorkshire Police (SYP) launched their campaign, Knives take lives, in January 2025, targeting boys aged 11-14 who may feel the pressure to start carrying a knife. 

SYP Chief Constable Lauren Poultney wrote an anti-knife crime letter to 16,000 children in September 2025. 

The letter, which was delivered to schools in Rotherham, Barnsley, Doncaster, and Sheffield, said: “Preventing knife crime is a priority for schools, local authorities, and the police.

“Most people who carry a knife never plan to use it – only carrying it because they mistakenly think it will protect them and their friends or that it will increase their social status. Together we need to change that mindset.”

As knife crime continues to devastate lives, this is a sentiment shared by Harvey Willgoose’s mother, who has campaigned for more knife arches to be placed in schools. 

After the sentencing of her son’s murderer, she said outside court: “We just need to get on with our lives and try and do good things for Harvey.”