Teenager pleads guilty to murder of 12-year-old boy Leo Ross in Birmingham

A teenager has pleaded guilty to the murder of a 12-year-old boy from Birmingham.

Leo Ross suffered fatal injuries after he was stabbed in the stomach while on a riverside path in the Hall Green area of the city in January last year.

The 15-year-old killer, who was 14 at the time of the fatal attack, cannot be named for legal reasons.

The boy also admitted two counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent on 19 and 20 January 2025 and assault occasioning actual bodily harm on 21 January 2025 in relation to separate attacks on other victims, as well as having a bladed article on the day he murdered Leo.

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

Leo was walking home from the Christ Church, Church of England Secondary Academy in Yardley Wood when he was stabbed in the random and unprovoked attack.

His foster family, the Westons, said his loss had impacted them "deeply and his absence is felt constantly".

Leo's birth mother, Rachel Fisher, described her son as the "sweetest, most kind-hearted boy".

She added: "My baby's life was stolen for no reason whatsoever. My life will never be the same again without him."

Subsequent police inquiries established that the murder weapon was thrown into a nearby river. The killer, riding a bike, was also found to have previously hunted down and attacked several women in local parkland.

West Midlands Police also found that the killer 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.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it built a comprehensive case using witness statements, forensic evidence and detailed analysis of CCTV to track the defendant's movements, "which left him no option but to plead guilty".

CCTV placed the boy near the scene immediately before and after Leo's murder.

A knife matching the dimensions of Leo's injury was recovered near the scene and forensic examination linked it to both the murder and the defendant, and clothing seized from the boy's home also contained Leo's blood.

Senior Crown prosecutor Jonathan Roe said: "This was a senseless act of violence that has devastated a family and robbed a 12-year-old boy of his life.

"Leo Ross should have had his whole future ahead of him, and he should have been able to walk home from school without harm.

"It seems unimaginable that a 14-year-old would use a knife to intend to murder another, or seriously injure them causing their death, but that is what occurred on that day.

"The defendant's guilty plea today means Leo's loved ones have at least been spared the ordeal of a trial. Our thoughts remain with them as they continue to cope with this unimaginable loss."

Sentencing will take place at Birmingham Crown Court on 10 February, with Judge Paul Farrer KC remanding the boy into youth detention meantime.

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Detective Inspector Joe Davenport described it as a "heartbreaking and senseless attack".

He added: "Because of this boy's actions, Leo and his family have been robbed of the life he could have lived.

"I'd like to thank the members of the community who tried to save Leo's life, as well as the paramedics at the scene.

"Thanks to the public, who responded to our appeals for information and provided witness accounts and images, we were able to piece together the events which led to Leo's death.

"Our thoughts remain with Leo's family and we hope they can gain some closure knowing justice has been done."

(c) Sky News 2026: Teenager pleads guilty to murder of 12-year-old boy Leo Ross in Birmingham