The Sad and Painful Death of Anne Maguire Who Was Killed By Her Student

The Horrific death of Anne Maguire in her class

By Rare StoriesPublished about a year ago • 3 min read

In Halton Moor, Leeds, England's Corpus Christi College, Anne Maguire was teaching Spanish when she was stabbed seven times on April 28, 2014.

Williams Cornick, a Corpus Christi College student who killed her, was given a life sentence with a minimum of 20 years in prison on November 3, 2014, at Leeds Crown Court.

Cornick was known for his dark humor, so most of his classmates did not take his announcement of his intention to murder their Spanish teacher, Ann Maguire, seriously.

Before he killed Maguire, Williams had despised her for two years. According to a Facebook post from June 2012, "There is only one thing I can do. As long as she is alive, I will be depressed, sad, and angry.

Williams wrote a friend a number of private messages on social media, which the coroner, Kevin McLoughlin, read out. In one, he posed the following question: "So if I kill Maguire on Tuesday in school, will you bail me out?" It was posted on Christmas Eve in 2013, four months before the murder.

The Victim, Anne Maguire

Before she was killed by 15-year-old Williams Cornick, Ann Maguire, a 61-year-old Spanish teacher at Corpus Christi Catholic College, was born on April 5th, 1953. She was married to Donald, they had been married for 37 years, and the couple had two adult children.

She had been a teacher at the school for 40 years and was due to retire in five months when her life was taken.

The Crime

On April 28, 2014, a disturbing incident took place at Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds, England, when a 15-year-old student named Will Cornick mercilessly attacked his Spanish teacher, Anne Maguire. The attack took place during a regular Spanish lesson and was completely unprovoked. Cornick used a 21-cm (8.3-inch) knife to stab Maguire seven times in the back and neck, causing fatal injuries.

Despite the severity of the attack, Susan Francis, the Head of Languages, was able to intervene and protect Maguire from further harm. She heard Maguire's screams and swiftly came to her aid, separating her from Cornick and getting her to safety.

After the attack, Cornick went back to his class and even told a friend that he wished he had killed Maguire. He had even brought a bottle of whisky to "celebrate" after the attack and admitted to planning to kill two other teachers.

The attack sent shockwaves throughout the school and the wider community, as Maguire was a well-respected teacher who had taught at the school for 40 years and was just five months away from retirement. The incident also raised questions about school safety and the need for better measures to prevent such tragedies from occurring in the future.

The Offender

Williams Cornick, who was 15 years old when he killed Ann Maguire, was born in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, on June 26, 1998. Despite their separation, both of his parents were encouraging.

He had no prior criminal history and only five instances of misbehavior in his four and a half years at the school prior to the murder.

After being told he had diabetes, a personality shift was noticed; he became unhappy about not being able to join the army.

The Motive

The exact motive for Will Cornick's attack on Anne Maguire is not entirely clear. However, it is believed that Cornick held a grudge against Maguire for insisting that he take Spanish classes in school. According to reports, Cornick had been disruptive in her class and had complained to his parents about being forced to take the class.

It is possible that this frustration and resentment towards Maguire may have played a role in his decision to carry out the attack. However, Cornick has never fully explained the reasoning behind his actions, and the true motive for the attack remains largely unknown.

Trial and Sentencing

Cornick was initially incarcerated at the Wetherby Young Offenders Institution in the vicinity of Leeds after his arrest, but due to worries for his safety, he was moved to HM Prison Hindley in the vicinity of Wigan.

In November 2014, Cornick was sentenced to a minimum of 20 years in prison after entering a guilty plea to murder. Cornick lost his appeal against his sentence in January 2015.