Teenager who murdered 12-year-old schoolboy to be sentenced

A teenage boy who murdered 12-year-old Birmingham schoolboy Leo Ross by stabbing him in the stomach in a random attack will be sentenced on Tuesday.

Leo died after being taken to hospital from a riverside path in Shire Country Park, Hall Green, Birmingham, on January 21 last year.

Leo, who was described by his family shortly after his death as an “amazing, kind, loving” boy, was walking home from the Christ Church, Church of England Secondary Academy in Yardley Wood when he was stabbed.

A 15-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to murder at a hearing in January.

The defendant, who was aged 14 at time of the murder, also admitted two counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent on January 19 and 20 2025 and assault occasioning actual bodily harm on January 21 2025 in relation to separate attacks on other victims, as well as having a bladed article on the day he killed Leo.

He denied assault occasioning actual bodily harm on October 22 2024 and assault by beating on December 29 2024 in relation to two further victims, and those charges were ordered to lie on file.

Police inquiries established that the knife used to kill Leo was thrown into a nearby river, while the youth had previously hunted down and attacked several women in local parkland.

West Midlands Police also found that the killer, who had been riding a bike, had opted to hang around to talk to officers at the murder scene, falsely claiming he had stumbled across Leo lying fatally injured beside the River Cole.

Leo had no connection with his attacker and was subjected to what senior officers believe was a completely random and unprovoked stabbing.

The defendant is expected to appear in front of Mr Justice Choudhury KC for sentencing in a hearing expected to last all day.