‘Teacher stood no chance in stabbing attack’ – inquest
A15-YEAR-OLD pupil stabbed teacher Ann Maguire to death in a “completely irrational act stemming from a deep-seated grudge”, a senior detective has told the inquest into her death.
Detective Superintendent Nick Wallen said the 61-year-old “stood absolutely no chance whatsoever” when she was attacked in her classroom by teenager Will Cornick as she taught Spanish at Corpus Christi Catholic College, Leeds.
Giving evidence on the first day of the inquest into Mrs Maguire’s death, Mr Wallen told Wakefield Coroners Court how Cornick told at least 10 other children what he was going to do to Mrs Maguire on the morning of April 28, 2014, but they did not tell staff.
Mr Wallen said none of these teenagers should be blamed for what happened and explained that he had instructed his detectives not to ask them why they did not report what Cornick had told them.
He told an inquest jury: “It would be wholly wrong to sit here and raise that perhaps all this could have been avoided if a 15-year-old boy had told the teacher.”
The officer told the inquest: “He [Cornick] was a young man who was prone to say things that weren’t true. That’s the reason that, on the day, most people who Will spoke to thought ‘That’s just Will, that’s what he does’.”
He added: “I would say she stood absolutely no chance whatsoever.”
Mr Wallen said that despite finding Facebook messages in which Cornick expressed his hatred for the teacher and how he wanted to kill her, he believed the attack could not have been predicted.
The detective told the court: “We spoke to his teachers and his parents and at no time did we have the impression of a disruptive, violent, angry individual who there was any sense was about to explode in a frenzy of violence such as this.”
The detective said: “I absolutely am of the view that there is one person responsible for Ann Maguire’s death - that is William Cornick.”
Cornick was jailed for life and ordered to spend at least 20 years in custody.
The inquest continues.