Teenage thug who went on a three-day violent rampage before randomly stabbing schoolboy, 12, to death is sentenced to life
A 'cowardly' teenage thug who murdered a 12-year-old boy at random before posing as an innocent bystander has been jailed for life with a minimum of 13 years.Leo Ross was walking home from school by himself through a park in the Hall Green area of Birmingham when he was ambushed by the teenager, who had been on a violent rampage for the past three days.His attacker - who was 14 at the time and cannot be named for legal reasons - dealt a single stab wound to Leo's stomach and then callously pretended to be a witness by helping to raise the alarm.The boy even spun a fabricated account of how he had come across Leo's body to police as paramedics desperately worked to save him a few feet away.The murder on January 21 last year was the sickening culmination of three days of serious violence perpetrated at random by the killer against strangers in Trittiford Mill Park.It emerged today that, two days before the murder, the teenage attacker pushed an 82-year-old woman into a river and told her ‘I tried to drown you, but now I’m going to kill you’.He went on to attack two other lone women before he fatally stabbed Leo - including one whom he targeted just half an hour prior to the killing. The judge ruled today that the killer can be named, but allowed 24 hours for any possible appeal against the decision to be lodged - meaning he can be identified in reporting from 1pm tomorrow. Passing a sentence of life with a minimum term of 13 years at Birmingham Crown Court, Mr Justice Choudhury told the boy: 'What you did in the park last January was horrific and shocking. You went around the park looking for people to hurt. You chose people who were weaker and smaller than you. I hope you realise how cowardly your actions were.'Within half-an-hour (of the final attack) you used a knife you had on you to stab little Leo. Leo did not deserve to die. His family did not deserve to lose him.'It is clear the sentence I have decided to pass will not make that right. What you did in those few days last year has also changed your life forever. You will have to live with the consequences of what you did for the rest of your life.'He said that the fact the killer repeatedly posed as a bystander after his attacks showed he was determined to extract 'maximum enjoyment of the chaos' he had caused.The judge continued: 'You are still a child – you were 14 years old at the time of these offences.'Most right-thinking people would struggle to comprehend what you did over the course of just three days.'You engaged in a campaign of serious violence against different people, culminating in the fatal stabbing of Leo.'The devastation you have caused to so many lives is hard to comprehend.'The boy was told he would not be considered for parole until he is 27 years old. Chilling police bodyworn camera footage captured the killer, who was then aged 14, posing as an innocent bystander just feet away from where Leo is being treated by paramedics Leo Ross, 12, was murdered at random by an older boy, then 14, as he tried to walk home from school Leo was 'funny, sweet and had not one aggressive bone in his body', according to his heartbroken familyEarlier, the court had heard emotional statements from Leo’s family and the foster family with whom he was living when he was killedThrough tears, Leo’s mother, Rachel Fisher, set out the devastating effect his death had taken, telling the court: ‘Leo was truly the most kind, funny and caring little boy anyone could’ve known. Leo didn’t have a bad bone in his body and didn’t deserve to die. Leo loved life. He had a heart of absolute gold.’Ms Fisher said her family had been ‘shattered’ by Leo’s death, which happened on his grandmother’s birthday, and his grandfather suffered a heart attack at his funeral.She continued: ‘Everyone has lost the most beautiful young soul - for what? We will never know why such an innocent young boy minding his own business, walking home from school, was robbed of his life for no reason whatsoever. It should never have happened.‘To any mother, losing a child is the worst thing you can ever experience and losing my boy the way I did will haunt me forever.’His father, Chris Ross, told the defendant to ‘look at me’ before reading out his own statement, saying: ‘You killed my son Leo Ross, I will never be the same again. It breaks my heart knowing Leo was alone and I wasn’t there to protect him, because of you. The heartbreak will never go away. My life has been a living hell since. Leo would never have hurt a soul, he never did anything bad to anybody. Leo, I will always miss you and I will get justice for you.’Amy Weston, one of Leo’s foster family, told the court Leo loved crystals, Pokemon and animals. Referring to how his killer had lingered at the scene pretending to be a bystander, she said it was evidence of a ‘complete lack of humanity and shows what a dangerous individual you are’.Opening the case for the prosecution today, Rachel Brand KC described attacks the boy had carried out against an 82-year-old woman and a 72-year-old woman on January 19 and January 20.She said of the first attack, against Valerie Mann, 82: ‘(The defendant) approached her from behind and pushed her forcefully down and forward, she fell into the River Cole and into a ditch by the river.‘He said to her “I tried to drown you, but now I’m going to kill you instead” and he struck her several times with her own walking stick.’The teenage attacker then told her: 'I would like to get some help, but you will tell on me.'He went on to tell someone nearby: 'There’s an old lady in the water and she needs help.' Leo, who was a model pupil, was seen on CCTV walking home from school shortly before the attack His killer gave his fabricated account to police while paramedics could clearly be seen in the background trying to save Leo's life His killer had been circling Trittiford Mill Park looking for victims after attacking three women before he targeted LeoWhen the passer-by went to help, the victim was 'injured and very shocked' and told him she thought she was going to die.The victim was taken to hospital and was found to have sustained multiple bruises and a laceration to her head, a broken nose and black eyes.She had also fractured a rib and two of her fingers, which required surgery.The following day, he attacked Christine Canty, 72, as she walked through the park, causing her to bleed 'profusely' from a head wound.On January 21, just half an hour before Leo was stabbed, the delinquent teenager also attacked Diana Copplestone, 79.Leo had been walking home from Christ Church of England Secondary Academy School at around 3pm, wearing his school uniform with his jacket hood up against the cold. He planned to meet a friend of his by a tree in the park.After attacking Ms Copplestone, the teenage attacker remained in the park and was circling around on his bicycle 'hunting' for another victim to assault when he spotted Leo.It is unclear precisely what happened next, but police believe the older boy pulled a kitchen knife out and stabbed Leo without much of a wider struggle.Leo, who did not know his attacker, was a 'model student' with an unblemished behavioural record at school and had no problems with any other pupils, according to police.Once he had inflicted the fatal blow, the boy then immediately pretended he had just come across Leo's body and ran over to alert a member of the public who called the police.Extraordinarily, the killer was still hanging around when police and paramedics arrived and it was then he was caught on police bodyworn camera, watching CPR taking place.He was arrested later that night on suspicion of assaulting Ms Copplestone, which led police to test his clothes for DNA - finding Leo’s blood on his t-shirt. The murder weapon, which was recovered near the River Cole, also had the killer’s DNA on it.Defence barrister Alistair Webster KC said the boy, now 15, had ‘formidable mental health problems’.He told the court that the teenager ‘shows recurrent episodes of self-harm’ and other ‘bizarre’ behaviour - such as hitting himself in the face and then storing his own blood.In mitigation, the barrister said the defendant had been diagnosed with childhood conduct disorder and ADHD, and has previously had suicidal thoughts.Mr Webster said: ‘The fact that (the defendant) has these severe disorders is of no comfort at all to the family of the deceased and his victims, but it is important when looking to understand why this happened that it lay to a degree, even a significant degree, in the neurodevelopmental disorders from which he suffers.'Last month the teenager pleaded guilty to Leo's murder, as well as two counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and one count of possessing a knife, during a hearing at Birmingham Crown Court.
