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| Ann Maguire inquest jury finds opportunities missed to save teacher | Ann Maguire inquest jury finds opportunities missed to save teacher |
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| There were missed opportunities to save a teacher stabbed to death by her student, an inquest jury has found. | There were missed opportunities to save a teacher stabbed to death by her student, an inquest jury has found. |
| Ann Maguire, 61, was killed by Will Cornick, then 15, during a Spanish lesson at Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds on 24 April 2014. He stabbed her seven times with a kitchen knife he had taken from his family’s kitchen, telling up to 10 other pupils of his plans. | Ann Maguire, 61, was killed by Will Cornick, then 15, during a Spanish lesson at Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds on 24 April 2014. He stabbed her seven times with a kitchen knife he had taken from his family’s kitchen, telling up to 10 other pupils of his plans. |
| On Wednesday an inquest jury returned a verdict of unlawful killing, but also noted as a contributory factor the fact that fellow pupils who had been told by Will of his plans to harm the teacher did not alert an adult. | On Wednesday an inquest jury returned a verdict of unlawful killing, but also noted as a contributory factor the fact that fellow pupils who had been told by Will of his plans to harm the teacher did not alert an adult. |
| Speaking after the verdict, the coroner Kevin McLoughlin told Wakefield coroners court that he wanted social media companies to introduce contracts that would make parents responsible for their children’s online activity. | Speaking after the verdict, the coroner Kevin McLoughlin told Wakefield coroners court that he wanted social media companies to introduce contracts that would make parents responsible for their children’s online activity. |
| His remarks came after evidence was presented that the killer expressed hatred for Maguire in Facebook messages, telling other children of his plan to attack the Spanish teacher. | |
| McLoughlin also called for a national “see a knife, tell a teacher” policy and said Ofsted should include weapons safety as a standard part of their school inspections. | McLoughlin also called for a national “see a knife, tell a teacher” policy and said Ofsted should include weapons safety as a standard part of their school inspections. |
| Will is serving a life sentence for her murder, but Maguire’s husband, Don, has been fighting ever since to learn why the schoolboy’s friends did not warn the school that he had often talked of plans to kill her. “The pain must be confronted,” his lawyer said in submissions to the inquest jury. | Will is serving a life sentence for her murder, but Maguire’s husband, Don, has been fighting ever since to learn why the schoolboy’s friends did not warn the school that he had often talked of plans to kill her. “The pain must be confronted,” his lawyer said in submissions to the inquest jury. |
| Speaking after the inquest, Don Maguire thanked the jury, but said there more questions to answer surrounding the murder. | Speaking after the inquest, Don Maguire thanked the jury, but said there more questions to answer surrounding the murder. |
| “We still believe there is more to learn and we are disappointed that there is still evidence that has not been heard,” he said. | “We still believe there is more to learn and we are disappointed that there is still evidence that has not been heard,” he said. |
| “During the inquest, we have heard teachers, police officers and Ofsted inspectors all trying to speculate why no student reported the fact of a 34cm knife being brought into school accompanied by threats to kill a teacher. None of those adults have been able to explain why it was not reported.” | “During the inquest, we have heard teachers, police officers and Ofsted inspectors all trying to speculate why no student reported the fact of a 34cm knife being brought into school accompanied by threats to kill a teacher. None of those adults have been able to explain why it was not reported.” |
| “We don’t seek to blame anyone, simply to understand what went wrong on that day to prevent it happening again.” | “We don’t seek to blame anyone, simply to understand what went wrong on that day to prevent it happening again.” |
| School children who were told by the teenager that he planned to murder their teacher should have been called to give evidence at her inquest, Maguire has previously said. | School children who were told by the teenager that he planned to murder their teacher should have been called to give evidence at her inquest, Maguire has previously said. |
| Leeds city council, the school and West Yorkshire police did not want the inquest to reopen, reasoning that Will Cornick alone was responsible for the murder. Don Maguire, plus his four children, had to battle through the courts to get it heard. After three and a half years they won the right for a jury inquest but lost a high court challenge to compel the teenage witnesses to give evidence about the morning of the murder. | Leeds city council, the school and West Yorkshire police did not want the inquest to reopen, reasoning that Will Cornick alone was responsible for the murder. Don Maguire, plus his four children, had to battle through the courts to get it heard. After three and a half years they won the right for a jury inquest but lost a high court challenge to compel the teenage witnesses to give evidence about the morning of the murder. |
| The result, according to Maguire’s lawyer, Nick Armstrong, was that the jury only got “50% of the picture ... and the least interesting 50% at that”. | The result, according to Maguire’s lawyer, Nick Armstrong, was that the jury only got “50% of the picture ... and the least interesting 50% at that”. |
| During the six-day inquest, the jury heard that the police officer in charge of the investigation ordered his officers not to ask any pupils why they did not tell any teachers that a fellow student had spoken of wanting to murder Ann Maguire, in order not to make them feel responsible for her killing. | During the six-day inquest, the jury heard that the police officer in charge of the investigation ordered his officers not to ask any pupils why they did not tell any teachers that a fellow student had spoken of wanting to murder Ann Maguire, in order not to make them feel responsible for her killing. |
| A “learning lessons” review conducted by the council this year did also not interview any pupils “in recognition of the significant trauma and emotional impact on all those involved”. | A “learning lessons” review conducted by the council this year did also not interview any pupils “in recognition of the significant trauma and emotional impact on all those involved”. |
| But Armstrong argued in court that not asking questions of the pupils “may exacerbate guilt”. He told the jury: “Truth and learning together is the only real release. The pain must be confronted. Ann’s own approach was to deal with difficult matters by examining them carefully. Only then could there be a proper understanding, and only then proper lesson learning.” | But Armstrong argued in court that not asking questions of the pupils “may exacerbate guilt”. He told the jury: “Truth and learning together is the only real release. The pain must be confronted. Ann’s own approach was to deal with difficult matters by examining them carefully. Only then could there be a proper understanding, and only then proper lesson learning.” |
| Although statements were read from a number of the pupils at the inquest, none were called to give evidence, leading to contradictions between their accounts and those of their teachers, who did go into the witness box. | Although statements were read from a number of the pupils at the inquest, none were called to give evidence, leading to contradictions between their accounts and those of their teachers, who did go into the witness box. |
| One pupil, named only as JW, said in his statement he had told a teacher on the morning of the murder that Will Cornick had threatened to kill Maguire before he knew the murder had actually happened. The teacher said he told her only afterwards. Other pupils said they thought the teenager was joking when he told them about the murder, saying he was “a bit weird” and had “a dark sense of humour”. | One pupil, named only as JW, said in his statement he had told a teacher on the morning of the murder that Will Cornick had threatened to kill Maguire before he knew the murder had actually happened. The teacher said he told her only afterwards. Other pupils said they thought the teenager was joking when he told them about the murder, saying he was “a bit weird” and had “a dark sense of humour”. |
| Doubt was also cast over student evidence surrounding conversations they had with Will in English and chemistry, the two lessons before Spanish. | Doubt was also cast over student evidence surrounding conversations they had with Will in English and chemistry, the two lessons before Spanish. |
| In his evidence Corpus Christi’s headteacher, Steve Mort, said that had a student told a teacher what Will planned then he could have been stopped and searched and the murder averted. | In his evidence Corpus Christi’s headteacher, Steve Mort, said that had a student told a teacher what Will planned then he could have been stopped and searched and the murder averted. |
| After the jury returned, Armstrong said: “A feature of this inquest has been that even the 50% of the picture that has been achieved, has only been achieved by the Maguires fighting, and fighting, to get it out. | After the jury returned, Armstrong said: “A feature of this inquest has been that even the 50% of the picture that has been achieved, has only been achieved by the Maguires fighting, and fighting, to get it out. |
| “They had to seek the resumption of the inquest (resisted by Leeds, the school, and the police); to seek the disclosure of the police interviews; and most latterly, the calling of each individual teacher (as opposed to school management). It should not have been this hard, and the Maguires still have only half the picture. And the least interesting half at that.” | “They had to seek the resumption of the inquest (resisted by Leeds, the school, and the police); to seek the disclosure of the police interviews; and most latterly, the calling of each individual teacher (as opposed to school management). It should not have been this hard, and the Maguires still have only half the picture. And the least interesting half at that.” |