Schoolboy, 15, accused of stabbing teacher was 'loner' who played online video games Dark Souls and Grand Theft Auto



Schoolboy posted about Dark Souls and Grand Theft Auto games



Classmates said he loved heavy metal music, felt he was an outcast

Threatened to commit suicide after reporting he had been bullied

His mother, a human resources manager, seemed 'attentive'

'Really clever' but suffered from bouts of depression, peers claim

The 15-year-old accused of stabbing to death his teacher chose to sit alone in lessons and was a fan of online video games, classmates said today.



The teenager, arrested yesterday after the death of Ann Maguire, 61, has been described as a depressed introvert who spent long periods online playing video games.

Police have today said they are trawling social media pages linked to the schoolboy, who used a drawing of a Grim Reaper as the banner on his Facebook page.

His profiles on Google+ and YouTube also revealed his keen interest in Dark Souls - a video game .



Classmates said today the middle-class teenager, who loved heavy metal music, felt he was an ‘outcast’ and would isolate himself in school.



One girl, from his art class, said: 'He was very bright though, he was in the top sets for everything and was good at drawing too. I've heard he comes from a loving family and his family love him'.

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Gamer: This is believed to be the boy, pictured wearing a gaming network T-shirt, who has been was arrested by police after allegedly stabbing his Spanish teacher to death in front of his class

West Yorkshire Police said today they were 'aware' of his online presence, which is 'forming part of their investigation'.

The teenager was also a member of Achievement Hunter- a gaming community - and would challenge and interact with other PS3 players online. His Facebook profile picture shows him wearing one of the website's T-shirts, which would have been ordered from the United States.



They said he had previously threatened to commit suicide after complaining of bullying and had experimented with drugs.



Neighbours added that he would not make eye contact with them or acknowledge their greetings as he walked past.

Last night friends told of their shock at the schoolboy’s arrest.

They said his mother – a human resources manager who separated from his father, a council executive, a decade ago – had always seemed a responsible, attentive parent.

Classmates at Corpus Christi Catholic School described the alleged killer as a loner, who did well in all subjects apart from Spanish, and said he had seemed increasingly troubled in recent months.

‘He was apparently suicidal and had tried to kill himself several times,’ a former pupil said. ‘He used to say he was being bullied and he was really weird. He was really quiet though and didn’t say much.’

Another ex-pupil said the 15-year-old often went into school carrying Jack Daniels and beer and that he was a ‘goth’ who drew circles on the floor, claiming to worship the devil.

A third said: ‘He was an outcast. He was bullied in year 7 but then he got a few friends. One of the teachers used to chat to him about his family issues.

Bright boy who became a loner: The 15-year-old pupil that stabbed Mrs Maguire felt he was an 'outcast'

Loved: Pupils described Ann Maguire, 61, as the heart of Corpus Christi College, where she taught generations



He added: ‘He came to a party a few weeks ago and he took some paracetamol beforehand. He used to take drugs all the time.’

But fellow pupil Jacob Hill, 16, of Leeds, said: ‘He had gone through stages of depression and used to be on anti-depressants.

‘He was really clever and always got top grades. He was fine in everything apart from Spanish.’

Matthew Calvert, also 16, was in some classes with the suspect and described him as ‘strange’.

On his Facebook page, along with the Grim Reaper drawing and links to British heavy metal bands Enter Shikari and Bring Me The Horizon, he had posted a picture of himself dressed in black with long hair.



But neighbours of his 47-year-old mother, in a cul-de-sac in a quiet Leeds suburb, said he had recently cut his hair very short.



'He would never look at anybody. He would literally walk face-down to the ground with his bag on his back'

He had lived in the semi-detached house in distance from the school for around ten years, with his 19-year-old brother – a musician with a up-and-coming local rock band who is studying at college.

As police examined the house yesterday, neighbours said the only times they saw the 15-year-old was when he walked to school or took the family’s Bassett hound dog out.

Rebecca Hardy, 21, said: ‘He would never look at anybody. He would literally walk face-down to the ground with his bag on his back. Once or twice I’ve tried to get him to make eye contact and smiled, but he’s never let on.’

She added: ‘They’re both quiet boys – if you said hello they probably wouldn’t say hello back. I would say they were a bit weird.’

Her 47-year-old father Steve Gill, added: ‘They’re a very quiet family. If there was a street party, they wouldn’t come – they’re just that sort of people.’

But another neighbour said: ‘He’s the last person round here I’d expected to be involved in something like this. He’s never caused any trouble in the street. In fact, he’s always seemed quite shy.

Police arrested the boy at the scene at Corpus Christi college yesterday and searched his parents' houses

‘His mother’s always seemed really nice, she’s got a good job and seemed to be doing a good job of bringing up two teenagers alone.

‘She would have been absolutely horrified to learn it was her son who is suspected of doing this.’

The boy’s father – who jokes on Facebook that he acts as a ‘roadie’ for his elder son’s rock band – lives in a row of £350,000 terraced houses in a pretty village outside Leeds, with his partner and their young child.

He has just turned 50 and Happy Birthday balloons were visible in the windows yesterday.

But he was not at home and police forensics teams appeared to be searching the property.

A neighbour said: ‘They are a professional family – they get up and go to work. You’d never expect something like this.