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Teen Admits Murder of 12-Year-Old Leo Ross in Random Birmingham Park Stabbing

Sentencing on 10 February will include a ruling on whether to lift the defendant’s anonymity.

Overview

  • The 15-year-old pleaded guilty at Birmingham Crown Court to murder, two counts of grievous bodily harm with intent, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and possessing a bladed article, with two earlier assault charges left on file.
  • Police say Leo had no connection to the attacker and was stabbed during an unprovoked assault on 21 January 2025 as he walked home from school through Shire Country Park.
  • Officers recovered a knife near the River Cole and forensics linked it to the killing, while clothing seized from the defendant’s home contained Leo’s blood.
  • CCTV placed the youth near the scene before and after the attack, and body-worn camera footage shows him posing as a passer-by and misleading officers at the site.
  • The defendant was remanded to youth detention pending sentence after a previously postponed trial to allow psychiatric assessments.