- .Mrs Maguire, 61, was stabbed to death as she taught at school in Leeds
- .William Cornick called her 'f****** bitch that deserves more than death'
- .He had brought a bottle of whisky to school to celebrate after the attack
- .Cornick, who was 15 at time, winked at fellow pupil before attacking her
- .He had good family background with 'decent and responsible parents'
- .Wanted to get caught and be jailed to avoid worries about life & money
- .Cornick said: 'I wasn't in shock, I was happy. I had a sense of pride. I still do'
- .He also wanted to attack pregnant woman 'so as to kill her unborn child'
- .Justice Coulson tells Leeds Crown Court that he may never be released
- .Teacher's family say after case: 'We look to the future with a fragile hope'
A 16-year-old boy was today sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 20 years after he admitted murdering teacher Ann Maguire.
William Cornick was named as the killer of 61-year-old Mrs Maguire - who was stabbed as she taught at Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds - after a judge lifted an anonymity order.
It came as prosecutors released a chilling photograph of the classroom where the teenager - then aged 15 - murdered Mrs Maguire as she taught in April.
Killer: William Cornick (left) was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 20 years at Leeds Crown Court today after he admitted murdering teacher Ann Maguire (right) in West Yorkshire in April
Scene: The classroom at Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds where Mrs Maguire was stabbed in April
Leeds Crown Court heard Cornick sent a Facebook message weeks before the killing, which said of Mrs Maguire: ‘The one absolute f****** bitch that deserves more than death, more than pain and more than anything that we can understand.’
He later told a psychiatrist: 'I wasn't in shock, I was happy. I had a sense of pride. I still do'. The boy also said after the killing that he thought everything he had done was 'fine and dandy’.
Mr Justice Coulson - who said the boy may never be released - said he showed a 'chilling lack of remorse' over the attack that saw him chase Mrs Maguire, 'stabbing her as she sought to escape'.
He set the 20-year tariff - the minimum time Cornick must serve in custody before he is released - but added that, after reading about him, 'it's quite possible that day may never come'.
Cornick dramatically pleaded guilty earlier, on the day he was due to stand trial for her killing.
The court was also told how Cornick had brought a bottle of whisky to school to celebrate after the attack, and had winked at a fellow pupil before starting to stab Mrs Maguire.
Cornick was said to have had a good family background with 'decent and responsible parents' - but wanted to be caught and jailed to avoid future worries about life and money.
Sketch: Cornick (face obscured due to earlier reporting restriction), who stabbed Mrs Maguire, sits in the dock
Mrs Maguire's family: Don Maguire (right) and his daughters Emma (front left) and Kerry (front centre) stand outside Leeds Crown Court as a statement is read, after the sentencing of the boy found guilty of the murder
Prosecutor Paul Greaney QC told the court: ‘Late on the night of Christmas Eve 2013 and into the early hours of Christmas Day, the defendant exchanged messages with a friend on Facebook.
‘In those messages he spoke of "brutally killing" Mrs Maguire and spending the rest of his life in jail so as not to have to worry about life or money.’
The defendant, wearing a grey suit and tie, stood flanked by two prison officers in the dock as the court clerk read out the charge.
He looked straight ahead and showed no emotion as he admitted murdering Mrs Maguire. The teenager's parents sat at the back of the dock and listened intently to the details of their son's crime.
Mr Greaney said: ‘It is important that we should record that it is clear from the evidence that the parents of (the boy) are decent people and responsible parents.
‘They are at a loss to understand how and why their son has turned out as he has and they have co-operated fully with the police and with the prosecution.
'This is not one of those cases in which a defendant's actions may find a degree of explanation in his family circumstances. On the contrary, (the boy's) family life was marked by love and support.’
Mr Greaney added that that made the defendant's actions ‘all the more inexplicable’. He said the boy was in Mrs Maguire's Spanish class and his academic reports ‘had generally been positive’.
Mr Greaney said there was nothing to indicate to the boy's parents or teachers a risk of ‘homicidal violence’. But, he said, pupils noticed disturbing aspects to his personality. The boy told other children that he hated Mrs Maguire and wanted her dead.
Mrs Maguire's family sat in an area of the courtroom normally reserved for court officials, while the large public gallery was packed with members of the press.
Due to the young age of the defendant, the judge and barristers did not wear their wigs and gowns during the hearing.
The boy told a psychiatrist how he planned the murder. The prosecutor said he brought a bottle of whisky to school to celebrate after the attack.
Mr Greaney told the court how the defendant said to the expert: ‘I decided on Sunday it was going to be a knife. I thought I was just going to go to school and wait for her lesson and do it.
Murderer: Cornick dramatically pleaded guilty earlier, on the day he was due to stand trial for her killing
Relatives: The family expressed their 'gratitude for all the love and support over these past troubled months'
‘I wanted to get caught. That's why I did it in school. I wanted to be in jail.’
Mr Greaney said the boy told other pupils he was going to attack Mrs Maguire on the morning of the murder. Cornick showed some of them the knives he had with him.
Mr Greaney said the boy left a room next to where Mrs Maguire was teaching and winked at a fellow student before going to attack her.
There was no expression on Cornick's face as he stabbed her, one pupil said, according to the prosecutor.
Mr Greaney said: ‘Mrs Maguire was at her desk helping pupils. She was leaning over, looking at the work of a girl.
‘The defendant approached his teacher and began to stab her in the neck and back. He attacked her from behind. Ann Maguire was 61 years of age, 5ft 2in in height and of slim build.
‘The defendant was a full foot taller and was armed with a large kitchen knife. To describe his attack as cowardly hardly does it justice.’
The prosecutor said Mrs Maguire fled but she was chased by Cornick ‘stabbing her as she sought to escape’.
Mr Greaney said the boy had earlier told pupils he wanted to attack other teachers, including a pregnant woman ‘so as to kill her unborn child’.
Mr Greaney said Mrs Maguire's friend and colleague Susan Francis heard screaming and rushed into the corridor where she found children ‘screaming in panic’.
Mrs Maguire lived with her husband, Don (above), who is a former maths teacher and landscape gardener
Daughters: Emma Maguire (right) with sister Kerry (left) arriving at Leeds Crown Court for the hearing today
He said Mrs Maguire ran towards her friend holding her neck and saying: ‘He's stabbed me in the neck.’
The defendant, he said, then came after her, ‘in effect chasing her’. Mrs Francis pushed her friend into a work room and held her foot against the door to keep the boy out.
The one absolute f****** bitch that deserves more than death, more than pain and more than anything that we can understand
William Cornick's Facebook message
Mr Greaney said: ‘She was able to see (the boy) through a glass panel in the door. His face was emotionless and he then walked away.’
He said: ‘The bravery and decency of Susan Francis during this period stand in the starkest contrast to the conduct of (the boy).’
Mrs Maguire had been stabbed seven times to her upper back and neck, Mr Greaney said. The main wound was to her jugular vein.
He said the paramedic who attended later said the stab wounds were the worst he had ever seen. The prosecutor said the boy went back to the classroom and sat down ‘as if nothing had happened’.
He said: ‘He sat down beside... as if nothing had happened and said that he had stabbed Mrs Maguire. He added that it was a pity she was not dead. He said to the entire class "good times" and spoke of an adrenalin rush.’
Mr Greaney said one girl remarked it was obvious ‘that he was pleased with what he had done’.
Hearing: Don Maguire (second right), the husband of Mrs Maguire, arrives at Leeds Crown Court today
Mr Greaney said: ‘Undoubtedly, one of the most disturbing aspects of an extremely disturbing case is that (the boy) not only lacks remorse but is proud of what he did in killing Mrs Maguire, who he at one stage described to (a psychiatrist) as barely human.’
He said the defendant told a psychiatrist: ‘I wasn't in shock, I was happy. I had a sense of pride. I still do. I know it's uncivilised but I know it's incredibly instinctual and human.
I wanted to get caught. That's why I did it in school. I wanted to be in jail
What William Cornick told psychiatrist
‘Past generations of life, killing is a route of survival. It's kill or be killed. I did not have a choice. It was kill her or suicide.’
He said that when the expert asked about the impact on Mrs Maguire's family, the boy replied: ‘I couldn't give a s***’ and added: ‘I know the victim's family will be upset but I don't care. In my eyes, everything I've done is fine and dandy.’
Mr Greaney outlined the psychiatric reports that had been prepared on the boy. He said: ‘In short, the defendant is currently highly dangerous and has psychopathic elements to his personality.’
He quoted the lead psychiatrist, saying: ‘There will be a problem in assessing him in the future, partly because of his intellectual abilities but mainly because, although he was hostile to those in authority, they were least able to detect anything that would herald this offence.’
In attendance: Emma and Kerry Maguire were earlier pictured arriving by car at the court for the hearing
The prosecutor added: ‘That his anger and hatred in fact became focused upon a person as decent and loved as Ann Maguire only makes this case the more tragic and goes to explain the outpouring of grief that there has been within the school and within the community.’
As details of the attack on Mrs Maguire were read out to the court, the defendant looked down at his hands in his lap, picking at his nails and fingers and occasionally glancing up towards the front of the room.
He spoke of "brutally killing" Mrs Maguire and spending the rest of his life in jail so as not to have to worry about life or money
Paul Greaney QC, prosecuting
His mother was visibly upset as Mr Greaney described the murder and both parents stared straight ahead during the opening of the case.
Video statements from pupils who witnessed the attack were shown to the court.
As the students described what happened, Mrs Maguire's husband, Don, shook his head. Other family members wiped tears from their eyes and looked over at the defendant in the dock.
Mrs Maguire's daughter, Kerry, covered her face with her hands as Mr Greaney described how a friend and colleague had comforted her mother as she lay dying
Further video evidence was shown to the court in which pupils spoke about Mrs Maguire, describing her as a dedicated teacher.
Mr Maguire removed his glasses and closed his eyes as he listened to the statements. In a victim statement read to the court, Mr Maguire described the attack on his wife as a 'monumental act of cowardice and evil'.
Flowers: Tributes for Mrs Maguire were left outside Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds in April and May
He said he felt he could 'no longer be a dad' to his daughters, Kerry and Emma, after the murder of his wife.
He said: 'I'm still a dad but cannot help my children understand, cannot help them come to terms, cannot help them lessen the pain. Mummy would have been so much better. I can no longer be a dad.'
The defendant approached his teacher and began to stab her in the neck and back
Paul Greaney QC, prosecuting
Mr Maguire described the dreams he had of living in a rural backwater with his 'beautiful, vivacious, generous, caring' wife. 'Now all our dreams have gone forever,' he said.
Daughter Kerry said the murder had robbed her of her mother, and her future children of a grandmother.
In her statement, she said: 'Mummy was a constant. Her love was boundless and her heart was open. She was a beacon of light, guiding and protecting me through my life.'
Mrs Maguire's other daughter Emma said: 'Every morning, I wake up and I pray that this is all a bad dream, just a split second of hope which quickly vanishes and the horror of the reality sets in.'
Her statement added: 'She gave us so much love, I never felt alone in life, I had my mummy.'
Workplace: Mrs Maguire first went to Corpus Christi as a student teacher and last year the school held a celebration of her 40 years of service
Mr Greaney said: ‘The murder was committed in public in front of many young people. The damage to those children remains to be seen but it is not difficult to imagine.
‘The court would be entitled to conclude that the defendant derived pleasure from the public nature of the killing.’
He added: ‘The prosecution does not accept that this defendant's psychiatric make-up affords any mitigation. He has an adjustment disorder with psychopathic tendencies. That does not reduce his culpability.’
I'm still a dad but cannot help my children understand, cannot help them come to terms, cannot help them lessen the pain. Mummy would have been so much better
Don Maguire, husband of Ann
Mrs Maguire's sister Shelagh Connor told the court that her ‘baby sister’ was an ‘essential part of me’. In her statement, Ms Connor said she felt she had failed to protect her sister.
She said: ‘For 61 years, I looked out for her. My life today seems to have lost meaning.
‘My grief and sadness and anger overwhelm me when I think of all that Ann has been robbed of. She will never fulfil her great dreams and plans, she will not grow old with us, in the love of her family.’
Another sister, Denise Courtney, said she was overcome with an overwhelming sense of loss. Ms Courtney said the date of the murder will be etched in her memory forever.
She said: ‘The day when time stood still and my whole world fell apart.’
Richard Wright QC, defending, told the judge, Mr Justice Coulson, that this was ‘a sentencing exercise without parallel’ and added: ‘In the UK at least - an offence without precedent.’
He said the boy gave ‘no sign to anybody of what was to come’. ‘Plainly, these were the actions of a deeply disturbed young man,’ he added.
Mourning: Corpus Christi School headteacher Steve Moat, the headgirl and headboy - who do not wish to be named - walk to Corpus Christ Catholic Church to lay flowers in honour of Mrs Maguire on April 29
Beginning his sentencing of the boy, the judge said: 'Ann Maguire was such a remarkable person it is only right I start these observations by focusing on her personality and her achievements.'
The judge said he had to set a tariff - the minimum time the boy must serve in custody before he is released. But he said that, having read about him, 'it's quite possible that day may never come'.
The judge said the boy showed a 'total and chilling lack of remorse'. He said the teenager's pride in what he did and lack of remorse was 'truly grotesque'.
The teenager remained seated while Mr Justice Coulson read his sentencing remarks. He then stood and looked at the judge, with his head tilted to one side, as the sentence was passed.
His expression did not change. He did not appear to look at his parents, who were both visibly upset, as he was led from the dock.
After the hearing, Peter Mann, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: 'While his deep-seated hatred for Ann appears incomprehensible, we are clear that he calmly and methodically planned this cold-blooded attack on her.
He was pleased with what he had done
What a girl in class said of Cornick
'He attacked Ann while she was helping children with their work and completely unable to protect herself. He has continued to show no remorse whatsoever.'
And West Yorkshire Police Chief Superintendent Paul Money said: ‘We welcome the conviction of the person who planned and then carried out this cold-blooded, brutal and cowardly attack - his motive seemingly some inexplicable hatred of his teacher who was simply carrying out her public duty, teaching on that day.
‘It is my view no person acting in authority could have reasonably foreseen the events of April 28, 2014.
'We undertook a diligent and professional investigation, which from the outset was aimed primarily at bringing the offender to justice and delivering the best possible outcome we could for Ann's family and loved ones.'
Also speaking outside the court after the sentencing, the sisters said: ‘The joy of living her life and the fulfilment of her hopes and dreams and passions have disappeared with this horrific, cruel, senseless and cowardly act.
‘No amount of punishment can ever compensate for the loss of Ann's life. No amount of punishment can compensate her family for what we have lost in this beautiful, selfless, caring, patient sister, mother, wife, auntie and nana.’
Mr Maguire, daughters Kerry and Emma, and nephews Daniel and Andrew added in a separate statement: ‘We look to the future with a fragile hope.
‘We wish that nothing of Ann's life be lost, that she will be remembered as a life's partner, a mother, a sister, a Nana Ann, an auntie and genuine teacher with her generous spirit who led by example, always putting others first, especially young people.’
Mr Money said the murder was shocking and unprecedented, and complimented those who helped Mrs Maguire.
He added: 'I also offer my thanks for the actions of a number of teaching staff who acted very bravely in the initial aftermath of this incident, comforting Ann, keeping her safe from more harm until the police arrived on the scene.'
He attacked Ann while she was helping children with their work and completely unable to protect herself. He has continued to show no remorse whatsoever
Peter Mann, Crown Prosecution Service
Authorities pledged to support staff and students at murdered teacher Ann Maguire's school ‘for as long as is needed’ following the sentencing of her killer.
Nigel Richardson, Leeds City Council director of children's services, also stressed that the attack was ‘not in any way indicative’ of a wider problem in the area.
He said: ‘I hope the conclusion of the trial will now help everyone with the difficult process of moving on. We will continue to provide support for all the staff and pupils - as much as is needed for as long as is needed.’
Head teacher Steve Mort praised the response of his staff and pupils following the attack. ‘I want to take this opportunity to pay tribute to all our staff and students past and present for the way they have coped and continue to cope with the shocking and unprecedented incident,’ he said.
Mrs Maguire’s death on April 28 was the first time a teacher has been stabbed to death in a British classroom and the first killing of a teacher in a school since the 1996 Dunblane massacre.
She first went to Corpus Christi as a student teacher and last year the school held a celebration of her 40 years of service. This year, she had moved to working four days a week ahead of her planned retirement.
Mrs Maguire, who was head of Year 11 at the school for more than 10 years, lived in the Moortown area of Leeds with her husband, Don, who is a former maths teacher and landscape gardener.
Ann Maguire: An inspirational teacher to generations of children and the 'rock' at centre of her close family
Ann Maguire, 61, had taught at Corpus Christi Catholic College, in Leeds, for more than 40 years
Ann Maguire has been remembered as an inspirational teacher to generations of children and the ‘rock’ at the centre of her close family.
Her violent death in April was a national event - the senseless killing of someone who seemed to stand for all that is good about teachers and the teaching profession.
But it was also a deeply personal tragedy for her family who have seemed bemused at times by the massive public focus on their mother's murder at a time of intense, private grief.
Colleagues have said she would have been uncomfortable being held up as a paragon and would have winced at the thought of the spotlight that has been shone on her since her death.
Mrs Maguire, 61, had taught at Corpus Christi Catholic College, in Leeds, for more than 40 years and was due to retire in September.
She taught Spanish and RE and was regarded as the ‘mother of the school’, its ‘heartbeat’. One colleague said: ‘If you cut Ann Maguire in half you would see “Corpus Christi” running through her.’
For the past decade she had been responsible for the children in their GSCE year and the consistent sentiment among the hundreds of tributes that have been made to her was that she never gave up on children, even if they had given up on themselves.
Mrs Maguire believed passionately in cultivating aspiration.
At her memorial service in September, her daughter Kerry told crowds gathered outside: ‘One of Ann's life principles as a teacher was “you can never put a limit on a child's potential”.’
At the same service a film was shown in which pupils were asked to use one word to describe Mrs Maguire. They said she was ‘perfect’, ‘passionate’, ‘fantastic’, ‘amazing’ and ‘warm’.
The Maguire family look at the tributes left at Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds in May. Her husband Don Maguire (left) and daughters Kerry (right) and Emma (left) are pictured
Pupils have talked about her love of music - cajoling youngsters, especially reluctant boys, into the school choir she ran for years - and her love of playing the guitar, even in Spanish lessons.
Originally from Wigan, in Greater Manchester, Mrs Maguire - then Miss Connor - arrived at Corpus Christi in 1973 as a student doing her teacher training.
Members of the local community light candles as they attend a mass at Corpus Christi Catholic Church to pray and pay their respects to Mr Maguire in April
Childhood friends who remembered her from St Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary School in the Scholes area of Wigan have said that she always wanted to be a teacher.
Last year, four decades on, the school came together to celebrate Mrs Maguire's 40 years of service at the school.
To mark the occasion, The Ann Maguire Award was set up to recognise the Year 11 pupil who has shown the most ‘dedication, industry and progress’ at the school.
‘I've never wanted to leave here,’ she told the school magazine following the event. ‘Corpus children are very special to me.
‘They are our finest ambassadors; hard-working, friendly, fun to be with and genuinely pleasant, polite young people.’
And she said: ‘You have to love children and be in tune with their individual needs. Children are fascinating. Every child is different and you have to adapt your approach to each one.
‘I've always tried to be myself and make a connection with each child - tuning in with their needs and encouraging them to aspire.’
Ann Connor married Maths teacher Don Maguire 37 years ago. Mr Maguire, 62, later left teaching and started a landscape gardening business.
He said he thought his wife's natural mothering qualities that made her such a talented teacher.
Mr Maguire spoke about his memories of his wife in a BBC interview with their daughters Kerry and Emma, and nephews Andrew and Daniel Poole.
Professional dancer Emma has been a member of the Royal Ballet since 2002 and osteopath Kerry also trained as a ballerina.
'You always believed in me': One of the many flowers and tributes left at the entrance to the school in Leeds
Mrs Maguire brought up Daniel and Andrew as her own sons after her sister Eileen's death from cancer in 1986, aged 35.
‘She was very special,’ Mr Maguire said. ‘She was the mainstay of our family. She was the centre of our family. If she had a choice she would be with us here and now and she would love the situation where we're all together.
Mrs Maguire taught Spanish and RE and was regarded as the ‘mother of the school’, its ‘heartbeat’
‘Ann was a very loving, dedicated wife and a natural mother and it was her natural mothering qualities, I think, that made Ann such a wonderful teacher.’
Kerry added: ‘My mum was always there for us, she stood by us, she was our rock, she provided support and kindness and love in whatever we did. She was always by our side.’
Andrew said: ‘The over-riding thing that we feel is that she's irreplaceable. She's irreplaceable as a wife, as a mother, as a sister, as an auntie or as a grandmother. We've all lost that person so there's a definite emptiness that we've been left with.’
The family's tributes were echoed by thousands of messages from around the world, many pinned to the mountains of flowers which were placed outside Corpus Christi and stretched for 100 metres from the school gates to the church next door.
Hundreds of people came to see the floral tributes and talk about their memories of Mrs Maguire. Mike Woods, who was head of Corpus Christi between 1998 and 2012, said: ‘She was truly a wonderful person.’
These sentiments were repeated when around 1,200 people packed into Leeds Town Hall for Mrs Maguire's memorial service in September, while another 500 gathered in front of big screens outside.
Reverend Monsignor John Wilson told the service: ‘Ann loved teaching. It was her dream as a very young child, her ambition as a teenager, a fulfilling reality for 40 years.’
He continued: ‘Ann was a priceless gift, a treasure for ever in our hearts for eternity. She believed in the innate goodness of children and young people. Ann rightly lived up to the accolade of mother of the school.’
The Ann Maguire Arts Education Fund has been set up in her memory to provide bursaries and funding for the enhancement and personal development of young people through music, drama, language and dance. Donations can be made by clicking here.
How Ann Maguire's killer William Cornick was a high-achiever and quiet loner from a normal family
In the dock: At the time of the murder, William Cornick had never been convicted of a criminal offence
The teenager who killed Ann Maguire - named today as William Cornick - has been described as a loner and a high-achieving student who gave no clue to the adults around him that he was capable of murder.
The youth, who is 16 now but was 15 when he stabbed his teacher to death, was taking GCSEs at Corpus Christ Catholic College but had already passed five exams a year early.
At the time of the murder, he had never been convicted of a criminal offence and his school reports were positive.
A judge heard that adults had no reason to foresee the violence he was capable of but the court was also told that he confided in children about his deep hatred of Mrs Maguire and his desire to kill her and other teachers at the school.
The judge accepted that the boy's mother and father were ‘decent people and responsible parents’ who are still ‘at a loss to understand how and why their son has turned out as he has’.
Prosecutor Paul Greaney QC said: ‘This is not one of those cases in which a defendant's actions may find a degree of explanation in his family circumstances.
‘On the contrary, (the boy's) family life was marked by love and support.’
The court heard the boy's mother and father divorced when he was young but ‘both parents worked hard to maintain a loving relationship with the defendant and to foster a close relationship between him and his siblings’.
An expert who looked at the teenager's school records concluded ‘that they are remarkable for the achievements and academic progress the defendant appears to have made’.
He said the boy was happy and made good progress at primary school and when he joined Corpus Christ his parents received a letter congratulating him on his effort.
Mr Greaney said: ‘He was seen as reserved but amicable, enthusiastic and a conscientious member of the pupil group.’
Teacher: The school recorded only five incident of misbehaviour in Cornick's five years there - although three occurred about two months before the killing and related to his 'imagined problems' with Mrs Maguire (above)
In Year 7 his tutor said he was ‘a delightful pupil who always gave his best and was pleasant, polite and cooperative with a 100 per cent attendance’.
The court heard that the school recorded only five incident of misbehaviour in his five years there.
Mr Greaney said two were minor and the other three occurred about two months before the killing and related to his ‘imagined problems’ with Mrs Maguire.
There was nothing that might have indicated to his parents or teachers that there was any risk of violence, let alone homicidal violence
Paul Greaney QC, prosecuting
The court also heard that the boy collapsed when he was 12 and was diagnosed with diabetes. His mother noted some self-harming between 2011 and 2012 but this seemed to stop.
And, in 2013, his parents reported minor stealing from home and he discovered his diabetes would bar him from his intended career in the army.
Mr Greaney said: ‘Nonetheless, there was nothing that might have indicated to his parents or teachers that there was any risk of violence, let alone homicidal violence.’
But, the court heard, he harboured a deep, irrational hatred of his Spanish teacher and told a number of pupils of his intention to hurt her or even kill her.
He told one friend of her ‘being killed in unpleasant circumstances’ and another that he had been carrying a knife. Police found many pictures of knives on his mobile phone.
The boy also talked of his dislike of another teacher, who was pregnant, and later spoke of harming her unborn child. One girl said that ‘Mrs Maguire had treated the defendant as she treated everyone else but (he) still disliked her’.
He was taking GCSEs at Corpus Christ Catholic College (above) but had already passed five exams a year early
Last Christmas - four months before the murder - he messaged a friend on Facebook talking of the ‘brutal killing’ of his teacher.
In February this year - two months before the killing - Mrs Maguire banned the boy from going on a school trip for failing to do his homework but he went anyway.
At a subsequent disciplinary meeting, the teenager walked out and was disrespectful, the court heard. His parents were called to school and, according to the boy's father, he made plain ‘that he hated Mrs Maguire’.
He was in my class and he would sit on his own and just stare straight ahead. No one really noticed him. That's why it was such a big surprise
Former classmate of boy
He was placed in internal exclusion at Corpus Christi. Many pupils at Corpus Christi Catholic College were surprised when they found out whom the police had arrested.
They thought of him as a quiet boy who liked playing computer games at home. One 16-year-old girl said he rarely spoke and many of his contemporaries thought he was ‘a bit weird’.
‘He was in my class and he would sit on his own and just stare straight ahead,’ she said. ‘No one really noticed him. That's why it was such a big surprise.’
Others said he was a bright pupil from a ‘nice’, middle-class family.
‘They're just a normal family,’ a teenager said. ‘Can you imagine what they are thinking today? He's a smart kid too - all top grades. He was good at drawing too.’
One girl said: ‘I think it's come as a shock to everyone to hear he's been arrested. I didn't know who he was until someone explained and I realised I knew him. He's just a quiet one.’
One 16-year-old who has known the boy since primary school said: ‘I could not believe it when I heard his name. He is just so quiet. He's an emo but he's an ordinary, quiet bloke.’
'WORRYING RISE' IN SCHOOL VIOLENCE: BUT ONLY TWO OTHER TEACHERS HAVE BEEN KILLED WHILE AT WORK IN BRITAIN IN THE LAST 30 YEARS
Ann Maguire is thought to be the first teacher to be murdered by a student in a British classroom.
Fatal attacks on school staff under any circumstances are extremely rare in the UK. There are only two other examples of teachers being killed while at work in this country in the last 30 years.
Headteacher Philip Lawrence was stabbed to death in December 1995.
Teachers: Headteacher Philip Lawrence (left) was stabbed to death in 1995 outside the gates of a school in north-west London. Gwen Mayor (right) was murdered the following year - a victim in the Dunblane Massacre
The father-of-four was outside the gates of St George's Catholic School, in north-west London, trying to protect a 13-year-old boy, when he was attacked by a teenager from another school.
Gwen Mayor was murdered the following year - the first of Thomas Hamilton's 17 victims in the Dunblane Massacre.
Mrs Mayor was shot six times by Hamilton as she tried to protect her class in the gym at Dunblane Primary School.
But while the murder of a teacher is incredibly rare, statistics show classroom violence is an everyday concern for school staff.
Figures reported last December showed there were 55 attacks a day on teachers in England and Wales.
A Freedom of Information request by the Sun on Sunday found that there were 10,000 attacks in 2011/12 and 10,750 in 2012/13 in the 70 local authorities who replied.
This research revealed that children as young as four were involved in violence and teachers reported assaults including being headbutted, stabbed in the arm with a pencil and punched.
And Leeds had the second highest number of attacks among the councils supplying figures.
Tragedy: Flowers are placed outside Dunblane Primary School in March 1996 following the massacre
Chris Keates, general secretary of the NASUWT teaching union, said in reaction to these figures: ‘The increase in the number of incidents of violence is extremely worrying.’
Police figures gathered by Sky News earlier this year showed that 981 students had had weapons confiscated since 2011, including 80 primary school children.
One of these was an eight-year-old caught with a knife.
The data from 31 of the UK's 52 police forces showed that a total of 36 children were found with guns of various types, including two handguns.
And the latest HSE statistics show that in 2012/13, 26 school staff suffered ‘non-fatal major injuries’ due to physical assault. But this is down from 31 in 2011/12 and 56 in 2010/11.
Sadly, although the vast majority of students are well-behaved and a pleasure to teach, poor behaviour is now a daily reality for most staff
Dr Mary Bousted, Association of Teachers and Lecturers union
In September, the ATL union and ITV regional news surveyed more than 1,500 teachers and found 57 per cent had suffered aggression from pupils in the last years.
The research found that 45 per cent of those who said they had encountered aggression said it took the form of physical violence.
According to the survey, 26 of those questioned said they had been caught up in an incident involving weapons such as knives.
Of those who replied, 6 per cent said they needed emergency medical treatment as a result of student aggression and 52 per cent thought behaviour had deteriorated in the last two years.
Asked why this was, the most common answers were ‘society becoming less respectful to people in (frontline) professional jobs’ and ‘family breakdowns’.
Commenting on the survey, Dr Mary Bousted, general secretary of the ATL union, said: ‘It is shocking that almost 60 per cent of education staff have faced aggression from a student in the last year. No member of staff should be subjected to aggressive behaviour, in any form, while doing their job.
‘Sadly, although the vast majority of students are well-behaved and a pleasure to teach, poor behaviour is now a daily reality for most staff.’
The latest figures on school exclusions show that 490 children, including 210 in primary schools, were permanently excluded for physical attacks on adults in 2012/13.
And there were 17,190 temporary exclusions for the same reason - the majority in primarie
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