Teen killer of schoolboy Leo Ross, 12, to spend at least 13 years in custody

A teenager has been sentenced to a minimum term of 13 years for murdering a 12-year-old boy on his way home from school.

Leo Ross had been planning to meet a friend in a Birmingham park when he was stabbed in the stomach on 21 January 2025.

His killer, who was 14 at the time, pleaded guilty to murder last month at Birmingham Crown Court as well as admitting several other offences after he attacked three elderly women in the days leading up to the killing.

Leo's foster family were in tears as Mr Justice Choudhury KC gave the teenager a life sentence, telling him his crimes were "horrific and shocking".

After inflicting his fatal attack, the teenager asked a passer-by to call the police, claiming he had found Leo there and even speaking to officers at the scene.

Having lied to them about his involvement, he rode home on his bike until he was later arrested.

Leo is believed to be the youngest victim of knife crime in the West Midlands.

Mr Justice Choudhury KC said the 12-year-old was "loved by all who knew him with future ahead of him".

The killer cannot be named because of his age but the judge said he was minded to lift reporting restrictions allowing his identity to be published.

He has given Birmingham Children's Trust 24 hours to make submissions to the court before his final decision on Wednesday.

Speaking outside the court, Leo's mother, Rachel Fisher, said the 13-year term imposed by the judge was a "joke".

"Thirteen years is a complete and utter joke and it's just going to keep on happening and keep on happening until something's done about it," she said.

"These kids aren't scared. They aren't scared of the sentence. They're not worried.

"The local authority and the police have got a lot to answer for."

Birmingham Crown Court heard the defendant was "a young man with formidable mental health problems" but that he "knew and were aware of the consequences of your actions".

The judge said he chose Leo because he was a smaller boy and afterwards cycled around Trittiford Mill Park telling people a boy had been stabbed.

The defendant appeared to get "pleasure from seeing the consequences" of his actions", he said.

Leo's family said he had been walking a 10-minute route home from Christ Church CE Secondary School in Yardley Wood when he was targeted.

He had been speaking to a friend on the phone, arranging to meet near a certain tree in the park.

His friend turned up to meet as planned, but Leo did not.

The teenager encountered Leo in the park and stabbed him before discarding the knife in some bushes by the side of a nearby stream which was later recovered.

Reading a statement in court earlier, Leo's mother, Rachel Fisher, said her son was the most kind, funny and caring little boy.

"It should never have happened. Leo's life should be just beginning," she said, wiping tears from her face.

"I've lost everything I did have and would have with him, my first-born child."

Christopher Ross, Leo's father, spoke directly to the defendant when he gave his statement and told him: "Look up man... you killed my son."

"Leo was loved by everyone. Everyone said how special he was. He was the kindest little boy you could ever hope to meet," he said.

He described his life since Leo's death as a "living hell", adding: "Leo, I will always miss you and I will get justice for you."

Amy Weston, a member of Leo's foster family, also addressed the defendant and said: "Leo was a small defenceless child, as vulnerable as they come. It was sickening.

"What you did was wicked, senseless and unforgivable."

The teenager also pleaded guilty to two counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and one of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, over the separate attacks on three elderly women before the murder.

The women were pushed to the ground and hit by him - one with her own stick - all suffering serious injuries.

The judge said he had seen photos of the injuries inflicted.

The "savagery" required to attack and cause such injuries was "hard to imagine", he said.

Det Insp Joe Davenport, who led the investigation into Leo's murder, said it had been a "tragic and random act of violence which killed an innocent young boy".

He said there was no indication Leo and his killer knew each other, so it had been a "totally random attack".

"From our investigation, it seemed he liked to cause violence before calling the police and watching the chaos he had caused," he said.

He described the killer as a "truly dangerous individual" and added: "We will likely never know why he decided to attack Leo, who was completely innocent."

Alistair Webster KC defending said the killer's background showed episodes of self harm, beating himself in the face, catching his own blood and saving it, suicidal thoughts and occasional attempts at suicide.

He has also been hearing voices over a significant period along with "bizarre behaviour".

He also suffers from a "conduct disorder" and ADHD.

Outside court, Leo Ross's foster mother held a picture of him as Davenport read a statement on their behalf.

"Today's sentencing does not bring justice in the way our hearts long for," they said.

"No sentence can ever undo or compensate the loss of Leo nor return him to us. Our family will live with this pain forever.

"Leo was taken from us for no reason in a senseless and unprovoked act of violence. He was deeply loved and should still be here, laughing, living, and sharing life with us."

The family miss him every day and "his absence has left a permanent void in our family, one that can never be filled", they added.

"Our focus remains on remembering who Leo was, not how he was taken from us."