Teen’s ‘plan to stab pregnant teacher’
Teenager ‘showed knife’ to other pupils
The teenager who murdered Leeds teacher Ann Maguire in her classroom had told schoolmates that he also wanted to stab a pregnant teacher in order to kill her baby, inquest jurors heard.
THE TEENAGER who murdered Leeds teacher Ann Maguire in her classroom had told schoolmates that he also wanted to stab a pregnant teacher in order to kill her baby, an inquest heard.
Will Cornick, 15, showed other pupils the 13-inch kitchen knife he had taken into Corpus Christi Catholic College and told them about his plans ahead of his attack on April 28, 2014.
Extracts of their statements were read out yesterday at the continuing inquest into 61-yearold Mrs Maguire’s death.
One teenager told police that Cornick had planned to go from Mrs Maguire to other teachers – Sinead Miley, who was pregnant, and Andrew Kellett.
The boy said in his statement: “He was going to stab Miss Miley in the stomach because she was pregnant and wanted to kill the baby instead.” He told officers that Cornick said he was going to stab Mr Kellett in the throat because he wanted to go to prison.
Jurors heard Cornick told ten students about the knife and three of these saw at least part of it, yet none of them reported it.
Art teacher Emma Conway, who was told about the knife after the stabbing, said: “It beggars belief that they wouldn’t share that information. It’s shocking.”
She said described Cornick as “very creative, very good at drawing, quiet but respectful, slightly unusual”, before speaking about the high regard in which Mrs Maguire was held.
Speaking to the court via Skype, she said the incident had made her question her relationship with pupils.
“You may feel you have a feel for them, but then they turn round and become incomprehensibly violent,” she said. “It’s something that terrifies me, it haunts me.”
Meanwhile, statements from Cornick’s parents were also read at Wakefield Coroner’s Court.
The teenager’s father, Ian Cornick, said: “He has told me that he very much regrets what he did and is desperate to find a route to get better.”
He went on to say that he had repeatedly gone over events on the day of the attack, but said: “I cannot point to anything that could have forewarned anybody of what was to happen.”
Both parents referred to meeting with the school when Cornick missed detention, his dislike for studying Spanish and the fact his relationship with Mrs Maguire had broken down.
But his mother, Michelle Leadbeatter, said that “even with hindsight” there was nothing in her son’s demeanour that could have given her concern.
Cornick was jailed for life and ordered to serve a minimum of 20 years in custody.
The inquest continues today and is expected to last two weeks.