The heartbroken family of teacher Ann Maguire were in court today as the 15-year-old schoolboy accused of her murder appeared before magistrates.
Her widower Donald, 62, and daughters Emma-Jane Maguire, 30, an acclaimed soloist at the Royal Ballet, and osteopath Kerry, 32, were pictured grim-faced as they arrived at Leeds youth court.
They held hands in the public gallery as they sat feet from the boy — who cannot be named for legal reasons — as he was remanded in custody.
The boy, dressed in a blue sweatshirt and tracksuit bottoms with his arm in plaster, nodded to his own divorced parents in the public gallery as he walked in.
He spoke four times to say “yes” to questions from the clerk, including one on whether he understood he was accused of murder, and will appear at Leeds crown court tomorrow for a bail hearing.
Mrs Maguire, 61, was stabbed repeatedly in front of terrified pupils during a lesson on Monday at Corpus Christi Catholic College in the city, where she had taught for 40 years.
She was attacked on her day off after going to school to help pupils prepare for their exams, and was just months away from retiring.
Her family said in a statement today: “Our beautiful Ann, our shining light, she brightened the world for so many of us. A loving wife, the best mother, a treasured sister, a true friend. This horrific happening has robbed us of all of this and so much more. We are devastated.
Her selfless, genuine, caring nature will remain with us eternally. “We are overwhelmed by the support, sympathy and kind tributes we have received, they have been a source of great comfort at this dark time. Ann, we will love you always.”
