🔴 BIRMINGHAM MURDER: TEEN FACES HIGH COURT TRIAL OVER LEO ROSS STABBING
A fifteen-year-old boy accused of murdering a 12-year-old boy in a knife attack in Birmingham has been told he will stand trial before a High Court judge early next year.
The defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons due to his age, appeared before Birmingham Crown Court via video link from a youth detention centre on Tuesday, 16 December. He has so far refused to enter a plea to the charges he faces. He is charged with the murder of 12 year old schoolboy Leo Ross, who suffered a fatal stab wound to the stomach while walking home from school on 21 January 2025.
During the twenty-minute procedural hearing, the youth—dressed in a grey tracksuit—spoke only to confirm his identity. He has not yet entered formal pleas to the indictment, which includes not only the charge of murder but also three counts of assault, two counts of causing grievous bodily harm, and one count of possession of a bladed article.
The court heard legal submissions from prosecution KC Rachel Brand and defence barrister Morgan Pirone regarding the management of the case. It was revealed that the additional charges relate to a series of alleged violent incidents involving other members of the public, including assaults on elderly women and police officers, spanning from October 2024 to the day of the killing.
Judge Andrew Smith KC formally adjourned the proceedings and remanded the teenager into continued custody within a youth detention facility.
Addressing the defendant directly, the judge stated:
"I am going to talk to you directly now. What you have heard being discussed is that your lawyers are going to seek to speak to you. At the moment your case is going to start as a trial in early February."
A provisional trial date has been set for 9 February 2026, with the hearing expected to last several weeks. The case centres on the death of Leo Ross, a pupil at Christ Church C of E Secondary Academy, who was discovered with critical injuries on a riverside path in Trittiford Mill Park, Hall Green.
Despite the efforts of emergency services, he was pronounced dead later that evening.
The tragedy sparked an outpouring of grief across the local community. Leo, a pupil at Christ Church C of E Secondary Academy, was described by his family as an "amazing, kind, loving boy" and by his headteacher as a "lively and happy" student who was adored by his peers. A commemorative mural was subsequently painted near the scene of the attack in tribute to his memory.
