Ann Maguire's widower tells ITV News: My wife's murder was a cowardly act - I'm still waiting for answers

The widower of murdered teacher Ann Maguire has told ITV News that he is still waiting for answers over his wife's "cowardly" murder.

Ms Maguire, 61, was stabbed to death in a classroom at Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds in April 2014.

Sixteen-year-old pupil Will Cornick was jailed for a minimum of 20 years after admitting her murder.

But speaking to ITV News' Damon Green, Ms Maguire's husband, Don, said he still had unanswered questions about the "tragic and horrific" act and what motivated a young boy to take his wife's life.

He called for a "thorough, detailed" independent inquiry to see if anything could have been done to prevent the tragedy.

Ms Maguire suffered multiple stab wounds to her neck and back after being attacked from behind by Cornick, who was just 15 at the time.

She was just months away from retiring when she was murdered in front of horrified pupils.

In a moving interview, Mr Maguire said he still could not comprehend the events of April 28 and that the grieving process was "slower than he could ever have imagined".

  • On the need for an independent inquiry

  • On whether he believes Ann's life could have been saved

  • On his wife's killer

Mr Maguire said he was still asking himself what had changed in Will Cornick's life to make him a killer.

But in his search for answers, he struggled to put himself in "the shoes of someone who doesn't have empathy or any feelings".

  • On dealing with grief

Mr Maguire said his family have been an "enormous" support as he tried to deal with his grief.

A Department for Education (DfE) spokesperson told ITV News that the Secretary of State Nicky Morgan understood the Maguire family's "desire for an inquiry into the tragic events".

"However, any decision on whether to hold an inquiry must be based on all the available information," he said.

"We understand that Leeds Safeguarding Children Board has already begun a two-stage learning lessons review which we trust will be open and full.

"The Secretary of State has committed to come to a decision as soon as possible after the publication of this review and it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.”