Off The Record
Tragic schoolboy, 12, was ‘in the wrong place at the wrong time’ when he was stabbed to death in park
A 12-year-old child who was ‘nice’ was fatally murdered in a park because he was ‘in the wrong place at the wrong time’.
At 3 p.m. on Tuesday, a member of the public discovered Leo Ross on the banks of the River Cole in the posh Hall Green neighborhood of Birmingham, suffering from a stab wound to the stomach.
He received immediate treatment and was tragically declared dead four hours later.
A 14-year-old Birmingham resident was detained by police on suspicion of murder after his death, and he is still being held there.
Leo’s distraught classmates paid their respects to the child by calling him “helpful and welcoming,” while his grieving relatives said he was “funny, sweet and had not one aggressive bone in his body.”
Leo is believed to have been targeted during the ten-minute drive home from school, and a local woman told BBC Midlands Today that he did not deserve what had happened to him.
Describing the youngster as a “lovely, caring, innocent little boy,” she added, “He was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Leo’s parents were informed on Wednesday by the administration of Christ Church Secondary Academy that the suspected attacker had never attended the school.
Writing on its website, the school said: “Dear parents and carers, to update everyone, now that we have clearance from West Midlands Police, we can confirm that the suspect has never been a student at Christ Church C of E Secondary Academy.”
“We are in close contact with the bereaved family and with their permission, we are opening a book of remembrance for students and the community to celebrate and honor his life. We are also working with the family to plan a memorial service and memorial.”
“We have had a team of educational psychologists, counsellors and mentors in school to support the students and staff and will continue to offer support for as long as the children and staff need this.”
Since his death, friends have been leaving flowers at the spot near Scribers Lane as part of the outpouring of tributes for Leo.
“He was a really good lad, a really nice lad, cheerful, not a bad bone in his body,” a family member of Leo who wished to remain anonymous told the Mail. He is a brilliant child.
Since many students use the trail as a cut-through, it is believed that Leo was targeted during the 10-minute drive home from school.
The person who discovered Leo pounded on doors in the area, requesting the postcode so that emergency personnel could be directed to the location.
The old woman had been attacked by an unknown person in the past, according to her neighbors, which suggested that both assaults may have been random.
On Wednesday, Leo’s devastated classmates went to the police barricade outside Trittiford Mill Park and gave flowers, candles, and condolences.
Riley, 13, was in the same class as Leo. He said, “He was a really nice lad. Never gets in trouble, he always attended lessons; he’s always in school. He had some friends. He’s just a quiet kid.”
Riley’s mother, Christine Barton, 42, said: “What happened to him is really, really sad. My kids were up most of the night crying over it.”
“They said what a sweet boy he was never ever in trouble. It’s definitely frightened my children.”
“If they feel uncomfortable going to and from school, I’m happy to drive them for a while and pick them up, because I’m worried about their safety at the moment.”
“It’s just so raw; it’s horrible. Something really, really needs to change—so many young lives have been taken. I just really feel for the little boy’s mother.”
It was said that Leo’s friends posted “LLL,” which stands for “Long Live Leo,” on social media.
On Wednesday, Christ Church School arranged a special assembly for the students to allow them to grieve for their departed classmate.
Speaking after laying flowers, one emotional school pal said, “He was a really good kid. He was nice, always a good kid.”
“We had an assembly and we did a little worship about Leo and how he was kind and all that stuff. And we prayed for him.”
“He was a good kid; he’d always do his work. He always liked science. And he was so nice to everyone and was always welcoming.”
“These boys, his close friends, told us what happened and he got stabbed, and I was really upset. Everyone was really upset and teachers I know were really upset too.”
A mother, whose child goes to the same school, added: “It’s just really shocking, isn’t it, because you hear about these things and then when it happens on your own doorstep in your children’s school, it’s heartbreaking.”
One note left at the scene read: “Rest easy; you were taken too soon. Hope you’re having fun up there; you will be missed and we will get justice.”
Another wrote, “Rest in peace, Leo Ross. You were loved by many people and your killer’s one sicko. I am thinking you are in a better place. I hope you are enjoying the afterlife.”
Another said, “RIP Leo Ross. We will miss you loads. Our lives won’t be the same without you. You will always be the kindest. Fly high, Leo. You never deserved this, ever.”
A member of the public attempted to assist the youngster at the scene, close to Scribers Lane, before emergency personnel arrived, Chief Superintendent Richard North said at a press conference today.
He said a passerby had attempted to administer aid amid the “chaotic and absolutely traumatic scene,” adding, “Sadly, despite the best efforts of police officers and paramedics who treated him at the scene, he lost his life later that day at about 7.30pm.”
Mr. North told reporters: “As a result of urgent inquiries, a boy aged 14 has been arrested. That happened at 7pm yesterday at an address in Birmingham.”
“He remains in custody and has been arrested on suspicion of murder. The same 14-year-old has also been arrested for another assault, for an unrelated matter. He is also in custody for that.”
Mr. North added: “This is an absolutely appalling incident. We have got specialist detectives working on the inquiry, but also supporting the loved ones of the 12-year-old that has very, very sadly and tragically lost his life.”
“I would ask the public not to speculate about what happened—this is a very early stage of the inquiry. We are obviously dealing with it with a tremendous amount of priority.”
“Detectors are working nonstop to uncover the truth about what transpired.”
He added: “What I would urge is that anyone who was in the area of Scribers Lane at around that time—the incident happened at 3.40pm—get in touch with us and let us know where they were, if they saw anything unusual or suspicious.”
“We have set up a major incident public portal, which can be found on our website. People can find that and they can upload information directly to that. It might be CCTV they have, phone footage or dashcam footage.”
Speaking to reporters next to a walkway under a railroad bridge that leads to the national park where the youngster was stabbed, Chief Spt North called the arrest of the 14-year-old in custody “significant” and “a key line of inquiry.”
When asked about the extent of knife crime in the Birmingham region, Mr. North stated that there was a “very high chance” that anyone discovered in possession of a knife who was older than the legal age of criminal responsibility would be taken into jail.
He continued: “On a day like today, it’s really difficult to talk about the progress that we have made about knife crime. Because it’s always going to look weak against the fact of what’s happened to this 12-year-old.”
“I don’t want to cause any additional stress to the people that knew him and loved him.”
The victim’s age and the fact that he had died from his wounds shocked the locals who lived close to a riverbank route that led into a forested section of the park.
One resident, who wished to remain anonymous, claimed that after 3 p.m. on Tuesday, a member of the public knocked on her door and asked for the postcode of the neighborhood so that emergency personnel could get to the situation.
She told reporters: “The first thing I knew was a gentleman came and asked for the postcode as somebody had been injured. He just came and knocked on the door.”
“We had two police cars and then a helicopter. I found out somebody had been stabbed last night but it wasn’t till this morning that I realised the poor little soul had died.”
In recent weeks, antisocial behavior has plagued the neighborhood near the murder scene; on Monday, a woman was knocked off her bike, and there have been allegations of another instance of indecent exposure.
“We have many drug dealers hanging around where the police car is now; I try to keep out of the way,” one neighbour said, gesturing in the direction of the nearby police cordon.
“You see groups of them late at night; you can tell they are up to no good. It’s definitely got worse recently. It happens on at least a weekly basis.”
“We were called to reports of a stabbing on Scribers Park Lane at 3.31pm yesterday,” a representative for the West Midlands Ambulance Service stated.
At the site were one ambulance, a paramedic officer, a MERIT trauma physician, and a critical care paramedic. When we arrived, we found a boy patient.
Before transporting the child to the hospital, ambulance personnel immediately provided emergency care.
Following the death of a 12-year-old student on Tuesday near Scribers Lane in Hall Green, Christ Church, Church of England Secondary Academy in Yardley Wood posted a statement on its website.
The statement said: “Our condolences and deepest sympathies go out to the family and friends of one of our CCSA students.”
“This is a very sad time for our school community and we are focusing on supporting our students, staff and families with professional support.”
“As this is a live police investigation, we are unable to share any further details with you.”
“At this difficult time, we would urge parents and carers not to contact the school office unless it is for an emergency.”
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