- Mother of Ann Maguire murder suspect 'heard news while on holiday'
- Yesterday, it is understood she was going back to Leeds
- The loner enjoyed violent video games and heavy metal bands
- Boy lived with his mother after she divorced his father, it was said
- He has since 'found a new partner with whom he has a young child'
The mother of the teenage boy suspected of stabbing Ann Maguire to death had gone on holiday shortly before the tragedy, friends and neighbours said yesterday.
She was in Gran Canaria when she heard the shocking news that her son was alleged to have killed his teacher, they said, and was yesterday making her way home to Leeds.
Further detail emerged yesterday of the boy's interest in violent video games and heavy metal bands.
Grim Reaper: The image the teenage suspect in the murder of Corpus
Christi Catholic College teacher Ann Maguire used for his Facebook
profile
The loner, who has a Grim Reaper image on his Facebook page, lived with his mother after she divorced his father, who has since found a new partner with whom he has a young child.
Neighbours and friends said his mother, a 47-year-old human resources manager, 'was away on holiday when all of this happened' and now faced 'every parent's worst nightmare'.
Pupils said the boy had become increasingly withdrawn in recent months. While he was in the top set in most subjects and was particularly talented at art, he had few friends at the school.
He allegedly said he wanted to kill himself because of bullying and had boasted of experimenting with drugs. He also left clues about his desperate state of mind on his Facebook page.
The boy posted two prominent pictures on his profile – one of the Grim Reaper and another blurry shot of himself in a T-shirt with the branding of Achievement Hunter, a YouTube channel that features a group of six men devoted to violent video games such as Call of Duty, Halo and Grand Theft Auto.
He had a keen interest in 'ultra-violent' video games and weeks before the murder posted a video promoting Dark Souls II, a game in which a 'cursed' character travels through dungeons killing zombies.
'Cornerstone of her school': Spanish teacher
Anne Maguire, 61, who was stabbed to death yesterday at the school where
she worked, Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds
Caring: Mrs Maguire was described as a 'wonderful' teacher, who had touched the hearts of three generations of pupils
With pupils: Married with two grown-up daughters, Ann Maguire was a caring Spanish teacher known as 'the mother of her school'
West Yorkshire Police yesterday said it was 'aware' of his online presence and it is 'forming part of their investigation'.
Classmates said the boy had started to go into school with beer or whisky in recent months.
Chloe Ripley, 16, said: 'He was weird and lonely.'
The uncle of a friend said Mrs Maguire had generously paid for the boy's food when he was short of money for lunch, but had also disciplined him over using his mobile phone.
He said: 'Mrs Maguire used to give him dinner money when his dad left them with nothing.'
Thought: A mother and her young daughter pause
to look at the flowers and other tributes, including a football shirt,
left for Mrs Maguire
Police on scene: The fatal stabbing took place at Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds, West Yorkshire
'That is why they haven't been able to question him yet because they are waiting for her to fly back.'
Friends of the boy's parents described him as a 'lovely, charming' child and said they were shocked at the supposed change in his character.
His father, a council executive and practising Catholic who recently celebrated his 50th birthday, lives in a smart row of £350,000 terraces in a village just outside Leeds with his partner and their young child.
The suspect's mother was in Gran Canaria when
she heard the shocking news that her son was alleged to have killed his
teacher, it was said
The boy visited often but lived with his mother and musician older brother, who plays in a local rock band, in a £115,000 house at the end of a cul-de-sac near Corpus Christi School.
Friends of his mother insisted that she was a good parent.
Gudrun Wroot, who worked with her, said she juggled her job with being a single parent.
'It is awful for the family of the woman who has been killed, but it is also traumatic for the family of the boy,' Mrs Wroot said.
'You can't imagine what she must be feeling. It is just terrible.
'But really she is a nice person and a very caring mother. She was extremely concerned that the boys were brought up well and for all I knew they were.'
Police had yet to start questioning the boy yesterday. A spokesman declined to comment on whether or not his mother was in the country.
A spokesman for Leeds City Council said that for legal reasons it could not comment on whether social services were involved with the family.
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