Birmingham Schoolboy Leo Ross Murder: Father Says ‘There’s No Justice’ After 15-Year-Old Killer Jailed for Life
The father of 12-year-old Leo Ross has spoken of his anger and disbelief after his son’s killer was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 13 years.
Leo, described by police as a model pupil with an unblemished record, was fatally stabbed in a Birmingham park while walking home from school in January last year.
His father, Chris Ross, says the sentence does not feel like justice and believes the teenager responsible should never be released.
The 15-year-old attacker, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to murder at Birmingham Crown Court last month.
He was also convicted of two counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and assault occasioning actual bodily harm in relation to previous attacks.
Despite the gravity of the crime, Chris says the behavior displayed by the teenager in court has deepened his pain.
“At the first hearing he came up out of the dock and I looked him in the eyes,” Chris said.
“He just started laughing through the glass, and it was total disrespect.”
Chris described feeling a surge of anger as he watched the teenager show what he saw as a lack of remorse.
At another hearing, the boy appeared via videolink from custody, where Chris said he was laughing and joking.
He told how the teenager gestured toward the camera and appeared to write a message on the table with his finger.
“It was horrible to see,” Chris said, adding that the experience left him feeling overwhelmed with emotion.
Leo had been walking home from Christ Church of England Secondary Academy in Yardley Wood at around 3 p.m. on the day of the attack.
He was wearing his school uniform, with his hood pulled up against the cold.
Police later revealed that the teenager had been cycling around the area before targeting Leo.
Detectives described the attack as random and unprovoked, stating that Leo did not know his attacker.
They believe the youth had been “hunting” for someone to target that afternoon.
Investigators suggested Leo was singled out because he was alone and appeared to be an easy target.
The killing followed a series of violent incidents in the same park over just three days.
Earlier that week, the same teenager had reportedly assaulted an elderly woman with her walking stick and pushed her into the River Cole.
The following day, he attacked another woman walking alone in the park, causing serious injuries.
On the day Leo was killed, police say he had also attempted to approach a woman before being interrupted.
Despite those incidents, he was not arrested before the fatal attack on Leo.
Chris believes more could have been done to intervene earlier.
“He should have been dealt with before he got to Leo,” he said.
Leo was living in foster care at the time of his death, having been placed with a family after Chris faced legal difficulties and served time in prison.
Chris has spoken openly about his own past and says his son was nothing like him.
“Leo didn’t have a bad bone in his body,” he said.
“He was gentle, kind, and shy.”
Chris described his son as a child who loved nature, fossils, crystals, and gemstones.
He said Leo enjoyed looking at rocks through his microscope and spending time on his PlayStation 5.
While Chris had tried to encourage him to take up boxing lessons, Leo preferred quieter hobbies.
“He was the opposite of me,” Chris said.
“He was always happy and he loved everyone.”
Hundreds of people attended Leo’s funeral in March last year.
He was carried into the church in a bright blue coffin decorated with artwork reflecting his interests, including images of games consoles.
Christ Church Secondary Academy closed for the day so pupils and staff could pay their respects.
Thousands of Birmingham City FC supporters, the club Leo loved and once served as a mascot for, observed a tribute during the 12th minute of a match in his honor.
Chris described the outpouring of support as overwhelming and heartbreaking.
He said he remained actively involved in Leo’s life, arranging days out and staying in regular contact.
However, he admits he feels deep guilt that his son was walking home alone that day.
“I wish I hadn’t messed up,” he said.
“If I had been there, I would have walked him home from school.”
Chris said he struggles with the thought that Leo may have been frightened in his final moments.
“That’s the hardest thing for me,” he said.
“I just can’t get it out of my head how scared he must have been.”
He recalled the moment he received a call from police asking him to come to the hospital.
“I knew from the way they worded it that he was gone,” Chris said.
At the hospital, he was not allowed to hold his son due to forensic procedures and could only see him through glass.
He described having to tell his daughter that Leo would not be coming home from school.
“I was heartbroken and destroyed,” he said.
Mr Justice Choudhury KC lifted an anonymity order protecting the identity of Leo’s killer, though his name will not be published until 24 hours after sentencing.
Chris said he wanted the teenager to be publicly identified.
“I don’t want him pretending he’s something he’s not,” he said.
“He’s in for murdering a little innocent boy.”
After the attack, the teenager initially tried to present himself as a bystander who had discovered Leo injured.
Body-worn camera footage showed him telling officers that he had seen Leo lying on the ground and called for help.
He claimed he had not touched him because it might implicate him.
However, investigators later linked him to the crime after finding clothing stained with Leo’s blood at his home.
The knife used in the attack was recovered from a river and contained both the teenager’s DNA and Leo’s.
Police believe he remained at the scene to observe the reaction to his actions.
He was arrested hours later and reportedly laughed at officers, telling them they would not find evidence against him.
Chris says he is grateful to police for securing the conviction but remains frustrated by earlier missed opportunities.
He has since dropped out of a college course and says he struggled with alcohol in the months following Leo’s death.
He is now supported by his partner, Emily Sheridan, and anti-knife crime campaigners.
Among them are parents who have also lost children to knife violence.
Chris has begun campaigning to raise awareness about knife crime and its impact on young people.
He has helped fund the purchase of bleed kits for schools in Coventry, where he now lives.
“We’ve got £10,000 worth of bleed kits for schools,” he said.
He believes that greater awareness and better emergency resources could prevent future tragedies.
Chris recently delivered a victim impact statement in court, telling his son’s killer that he is living a life sentence without Leo.
“There will always be a hole in my life where Leo should be,” he said.
“It breaks my heart that I will never see the man he would have become.”
Now surrounded by photos, mementos, and a blanket from Leo’s bed, Chris says he feels stuck in limbo since the day he received that call.
He hopes that by speaking out, he can help spare other families similar pain.
“I don’t want anyone else to go through the nightmare we have,” he said.
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