Leo Ross murder case features in new documentary

The forensic evidence that helped jail a teenage killer for the murder of 12-year-old Leo Ross is the focus of a new BBC documentary.

Officers from West Midlands Police feature in the first episode of the new series of Forensics: The Real CSI, which examines how scientific evidence is used to solve complex crimes.

The programme, first broadcast on Sunday, focused on the investigation that led to Kian Moulton being jailed on 10 February for murdering Leo in Hall Green.

Forensic testing proved crucial in linking Moulton to the attack, blood found on his shirt and on the knife used in the killing was matched to Leo, providing what detectives described as a vital breakthrough.

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

Det Insp Joe Davenport, who led the investigation, said officers had gathered CCTV showing Moulton riding to and from the scene and body worn footage of him speaking to police.

"But what we really needed was that key forensic link between him and Leo," he said.

"The examination of the blood samples showed he had some of Leo's blood on him, which was key to linking him with the crime."

After the attack, Moulton discarded the knife near a stream a short distance away. Investigators said had it been thrown into the water, the evidence might have been lost.

The series was filmed in co-operation with West Midlands Police and follows five major cases investigated across the region.

The first episode is available on BBC iPlayer.

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