Boy who stabbed teacher gets 20 years and his identity revealed

PUPILS, STAFF and parents at Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds say they have drawn strength from their faith and from messages of support from around the world, according to head teacher Steve Mort, following the jailing this week of a 16-year-old boy for the killing of Ann Maguire, writes Joanna Moorhead.

The boy was 15 when he stabbed his teacher, Mrs Maguire, 61, seven times in the back and neck during a Spanish lesson in April.

Jailing him for at least 20 years, Mr Justice Coulson also lifted an order banning his identification and said it was “quite possible” he would never be released.

Mrs Maguire had worked at the school for more than 40 years and was about to retire. Her husband Don said the attack was “a monumental act of cowardice and evil”.

Meanwhile, the Catholic Education Service (CES) said this week that Catholic schools rightly teach tolerance and inclusiveness but are expected to make clear the distinction between civil unions and a Catholic understanding of marriage. The CES was commenting on a reported government move to force all schools with a religious ethos to promote British values including tolerance for other faiths and lifestyles, and sexual orientation,