'He enjoyed hurting people': Teen attacked others before murdering schoolboy, 12

A teenage killer who murdered a 12-year-old boy in Birmingham "enjoyed hurting people" and had a history of targeting vulnerable victims.

The 15-year-old, who pleaded guilty to murder at Birmingham Crown Court on Thursday, fatally stabbed Leo Ross in the stomach as he made his way home from school in Yardley Wood on 21 January last year.

Det Insp Joe Davenport said the teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, would attack victims for "violence sake".

"He enjoyed hurting people and he enjoyed watching the chaos that unfolded," he said.

In footage shared by West Midlands Police after the guilty plea, the youth is shown telling an officer how he had found Leo's body and told another member of the public to raise the alarm.

Before the murder, the teenager had attacked people in the same area on the 19, 20 and earlier on 21 January 2025 - the same day he killed Leo.

In the most serious incident, he beat an elderly woman with her own walking stick and then threw her in a river.

Davenport said the killer had targeted people "he knew he could beat and would easily overpower".

After stabbing Leo, the killer returned to the scene to observe the aftermath and even spoke with police officers who had responded to the attack.

Davenport said they found his behaviour "odd" with some interactions standing out as "being really unusual".

"For example, he said that he didn't touch him, so he's not involved in the case. Just a really unusual thing to say," the officer explained.

"He was wearing dark clothing with his hood up - it felt unusual to be dressed in that way.

"The fact that he's continued to do it and has hung around afterwards, waiting to see what happens, it's like he was enjoying seeing what he's done."

Tim Boyes, the acting head teacher at Leo's school at the time, said he had been in the office when the call came through to say a student had been stabbed.

"It was unreal. I've dealt with fatalities before, but never one quite as horrible and shocking as this," he said.

While at the scene, he said other members of staff had pointed out the youth to him.

Paying tribute to Leo, Boyes described him as a "quirky, lovable" boy who was passionate about fossils.

"For a 12-year-old he was quite young and he had a naivety and simplicity," he said.

After the stabbing, West Midlands Police said the killer tried to throw his weapon into the river but it landed on the river bank.

The knife was later recovered by police with the killer's DNA on it as well as the DNA of Ross.

"That proved to be the critical evidence in the case," said Davenport.

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