Inquiry appeal by family of teacher killed by a teenage pupil

Ann’s husband Don Maguire and his family are seeking to have Ann’s death properly reviewed by the public bodies. They want to know whether more could have been done to prevent her death and the evidence was never fully reviewed at a criminal trial because the murderer pleaded guilty.

Ann, who was 61, taught at Corpus Christi Catholic College for 40 years. In April last year she was stabbed to death by a pupil while teaching.

The perpetrator, Will Cornick, who was 15, was jailed for life with a minimum of 20 years at Leeds Crown Court.

The family is taking steps to get the inquiry underway but needs to raise substantial funds to cover the costs needed to help professional legal experts seek an independent review of the circumstances that led up to Ann’s tragic death. They have set up a crowdfunding website to help raise the necessary funds.

Mr Maguire said: “We know an independent inquiry won’t bring Ann back but it will give us peace to know whether there was anything which could have been done to prevent her death so that other families don’t have to suffer like us in future. We believe that a comprehensive, open and independent statutory review examining all the information is crucial.”

The family have met with the Secretary of State for education, Nicky Morgan to make a clear request for an inquiry. The campaign also has the backing of law firm Irwin Mitchell. Yogi Amin, Head of Public Law at Irwin Mitchell representing the family said: “The murder of a school teacher in the classroom was unprecedented in the UK. Sadly, since then, another teacher has been attacked in a classroom setting. The family want to ensure that proper lessons are learnt from Ann’s death.”

For information or to donate towards a campaign, visit the website https://www.crowdjustice.co.uk/case/ann/.