Mwanafunzi mtoto aua mwalimu kwa kisu

A devoted teacher was stabbed to death in front of her horrified class yesterday by a pupil said to have a grudge against her.

Children screamed as the 15-year-old boy calmly walked up behind Ann Maguire in the middle of a lesson and repeatedly stabbed her in the neck with a kitchen knife. 

 

It is thought to be the first time a pupil has killed a teacher in a British classroom. 

The attack comes 18 years after headmaster Philip Lawrence was stabbed to death outside the gates of his school.

As Mrs Maguire was being attacked, a fellow  teacher raced in and grabbed the boy. Other staff helped to detain him until police arrived. 

The middle class pupil, who was described as an ‘outcast’, has a picture of the Grim Reaper on his Facebook page. 

   A woman and child light a candle in Corpus Christi Catholic Church. 

The alleged killer comes from a respectable middle-class family. His mother works as a human resources manager for a local firm and his father is a council executive. 

A 16-year-old classmate described the teenager as having few friends, saying he had been bullied previously and taken anti-depressants.

The boy was an ‘A grade pupil’ but he disliked Spanish and could not stand  the teacher.

Police described the attack as ‘unprecedented’. Screams were heard through the school, which has pupils aged from 11 to 16.

 A shocked woman teacher grieves as she reads tributes to her colleague - described as 'the mother of the school'

 

Mrs Maguire, 61, was taken to hospital by paramedics after the attack, at  around 11.45am. But she was declared dead on arrival. 

Married with two grown -up daughters, Mrs Maguire was a caring Spanish teacher known as ‘the mother of her school’.  

Children at Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds were seen in tears as they were collected by their parents later in  the afternoon, after learning of Mrs Maguire’s death.

The fatal stabbing took place at Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds, West Yorkshire

Pupil Jacob Hill, 16, who had known the alleged attack since primary school, said: ‘He had gone through stages of depression and used to be on anti-depressants. He is really clever and always got top grades.’ 

The boy was said to have previously been suicidal. Other pupils described him as ‘really weird’. 

  Former pupil Nichola Davies reacts outside Corpus Christi Catholic College on Monday. 

By contrast, Mrs Maguire was a highly regarded professional who had taught Spanish to two generations of children in Leeds.

Pupils took to Twitter to describe Mrs Maguire as 'great', an 'inspirational woman' and 'lovely'. One said: 'You were such a caring, funny and hardworking teacher. You'll certainly be missed.'

Pupils began leaving flowers at the school gate, with the message attached to the first bunch reading: 'To a special teacher. We was all sad about it. I will never forget you.'

Daily Mail