A court order protecting the anonymity of the teenager who murdered 12-year-old schoolboy Leo Ross has been lifted, allowing Kian Moulton to be publicly named.
Moulton, who was 14 at the time of the fatal attack in January 2025, stabbed Leo in the stomach as the boy walked home from school in Birmingham. The killing took place in Trittiford Mill Park.
Now 15, Moulton was sentenced to life imprisonment at Birmingham Crown Court on Tuesday, with a minimum term of 13 years before he can be considered for parole. He will remain on licence for the rest of his life. He had pleaded guilty to murder the previous month.
The court also heard that in the days leading up to Leo’s killing, Moulton carried out a series of violent attacks on three elderly women in the same area. He admitted two counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. Two of the women suffered severe injuries.
Mr Justice Choudhury KC described Moulton as a “young man with formidable mental health problems” but ruled that he was fully aware of the consequences of his actions. The judge noted that Moulton deliberately targeted Leo because he was a smaller, more vulnerable boy.
After the stabbing, Moulton cycled around the park telling people a boy had been stabbed, returned to the scene to watch events unfold, and even spoke to police officers—behaviour captured on their body-worn cameras. The judge said Moulton appeared to derive “pleasure from seeing the consequences” of his actions.
Police recovered the knife Moulton tried to discard into a river; it was found on the bank and contained DNA from both Moulton and Leo.
The attacks shattered a once close-knit community near the park, where Moulton lived less than half a mile away. A former family friend of the teenager described how neighbours who once socialised together on summer evenings now no longer speak. She recalled years of police visits to his home, frequent reports of him running away and going missing, and even taking him on family holidays in the past.
Another long-time resident remembered Moulton as a “kind and nice kid” who used to bring her food and drinks when he was younger, but said his behaviour deteriorated as he grew older.
During the sentencing hearing, Moulton showed little emotion, mostly keeping his head bowed. When Leo’s father, Christopher Ross, began reading his victim impact statement and told him to “look up man, you killed my son,” Moulton briefly raised his head.
Amy Weston, from Leo’s foster family, told the defendant: “Leo was a small defenceless child, as vulnerable as they come. What you did was wicked, senseless and unforgivable.”
Leo’s biological mother, Rachel Fisher, condemned the 13-year minimum term as “a complete and utter joke” and warned that similar tragedies would continue “until something’s done about it.”
Tim Boyes, acting headteacher at Leo’s school, Christ Church C of E Secondary Academy, remembered him as “a quirky, lovable, bright, unusual little boy” with a passion for fossils and a naivety uncommon for his age.
Detective Inspector Joe Davenport described the attack as “totally random,” with no prior connection between Leo and Moulton. He called Moulton a “truly dangerous individual” who appeared to enjoy causing violence and then observing the resulting chaos.
The decision to lift reporting restrictions followed applications by Birmingham Live, the Daily Mail, the BBC, and other media organisations. Mr Justice Choudhury ruled that strong public interest—particularly around escalating knife crime and the pattern of Moulton’s offending against vulnerable people—outweighed arguments for continued anonymity. He noted Moulton had shown no clear remorse or positive signs of rehabilitation.
Birmingham Children’s Trust had sought a temporary extension to protect his identity but said it would not pursue a judicial review. The trust will instead take part in a local child safeguarding practice review with other agencies to identify lessons from the case.
