A teenage boy who admitted murdering 12-year-old schoolboy Leo Ross in Birmingham last year is due to be sentenced later today at Birmingham Crown Court. The hearing is expected to last all day and will contain information that readers may find distressing.
Details of the Tragic Incident
On 29 January 2026, a 15-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to murdering Leo by stabbing him in the stomach during a random attack in parkland. Leo was thought to have been making his way home from his school, the Christ Church, Church of England Secondary Academy, in Yardley Wood, Birmingham, when he was stabbed on 21 January 2025.
Previous Offences and Charges
His attacker, who was 14 at the time of the murder, has also admitted two counts of causing grievousous bodily harm with intent and assault occasioning actual bodily harm in relation to previous attacks on separate victims. Additionally, he admitted having a bladed article on the day he killed Leo.
He denied assault occasioning actual bodily harm on 22 October 2024 and assault by beating on 29 December 2024 in relation to two further victims. Those charges were ordered to lie on file.
Police Investigation Findings
Police inquiries established that the knife used to kill Leo was thrown into a nearby river. The boy responsible, who was riding a bike, had previously attacked several women in local parkland. An inquiry by West Midlands Police also found that the killer opted to wait around to talk to officers at the murder scene, falsely claiming he had stumbled across Leo lying fatally injured beside the River Cole.
It emerged that Leo had no connection with his attacker and was killed in what senior officers believe was a random and unprovoked stabbing. The defendant is expected to appear in front of Justice Choudhury KC for sentencing today.
