A teenage boy who murdered 12-year-old Leo Ross in a Birmingham park has been named after a judge lifted reporting restrictions.
Kian Moulton, who was 14 at the time of the attack and is now 15, stabbed Leo as he walked home from school through The Shire Country Park. The victim was still wearing his school uniform when he was fatally injured.
CCTV footage showed Moulton cycling around the park before the attack. After stabbing Leo, he disposed of the knife in a nearby river and remained in the area, falsely claiming to police that he had discovered the injured boy.
In recorded statements, Moulton told officers he had seen Leo lying on the ground and asked a passer-by to contact emergency services. He later repeated claims that he had not touched the victim.
Moulton pleaded guilty to murder and was given a life sentence but told he would be eligible for parole after 13 years and would remain on licence for life. He also admitted two counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm relating to earlier attacks on other victims.
Proceedings at Birmingham Crown Court heard that Moulton had a history of behavioural problems and an obsession with violence from an early age. In the days before the killing, he had carried out a series of assaults on women, motivated by a desire to inflict harm.
The court was told that he had been waiting in the park for another victim when he saw Leo walking home in his uniform.
Leo’s mother, Rachel Fisher, criticised the length of the sentence and said it did not reflect the seriousness of the crime. She said she feared further violence if young offenders were not properly deterred.
His father, Chris Ross, told the court in a victim impact statement that the killing had devastated his family. He described Leo as kind and loved by everyone and said it was painful to think his son had been alone at the time of his death.
Detective Inspector Joe Davenport, from West Midlands Police, said Moulton had remained near the scene because he wanted to watch the “chaos” caused by his actions.
He added that the teenager was known to police but did not have an extensive criminal record, and described the sequence of events leading to Leo’s death as unprecedented and shocking.