15-year-old Kian Moulton has today been named as the cold-blooded killer of Leo Ross, 12, who was stabbed in a random attack as he made his way home from school
The “cowardly” teenager who fatally stabbed a schoolboy in the stomach in a random attack can today be named and pictured for the first time. Kian Moulton was detained for a minimum of 13 years for the unprovoked murder of Leo Ross, 12 as he made his way home from school in Birmingham on 21 January last year.
Moulton was 14 when he carried out the sickening attack. Now 15, a court order was lifted to allow him to be publicly named. The court heard he had tried to drown an 82-year-old woman and terrorised two other pensioners in the days before the fatal incident.
In chilling bodycam footage released by the police, he can be seen lingering at the murder scene to talk with officers, falsely claiming he had found Leo fatally wounded beside the River Cole.
In a final insult to dying Leo, he then stated he raised the alarm by alerting others. West Midlands Police said he “got a kick out of seeing the chaos he’d created.”
Earlier this week, Mr Justice Choudhury KC sentenced him to at least 13 years behind bars. The judge told him he will be on licence for the rest of his life. He said: “That means you will be in custody until you are 27 years old.”
The judge described Leo as “an innocent boy” who was “loved by all who knew him.” He said: “He had his whole future ahead of him.
“What you did last January was horrific, shocking. You went around a park looking for people to hurt. You chose people weaker and smaller than you, three elderly ladies and a little boy.
“I hope you realise how cowardly your actions were in picking such victims to attack and kill.”
Leo had no ties to Moulton and was subjected to what senior officers believe was a completely random and unprovoked stabbing.
The court heard details of Moulton’s dark past with a ‘difficult childhood’ which involved being exposed to domestic abuse and the separation of his parents while he was very young.
He has had little meaningful contact with his mother since the age of four and his primary carer was his father. Both later told psychiatrists he had liked violence and seemed to derive enjoyment from it.
His behavioural problems started when he was as young as two. But it was not until the age of seven that he was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as well as oppositional defiance disorder (ODD).
That resulted in disruptive behaviour, anger and resentment towards figures in authority.
Occasionally, he directed violence towards himself with episodes of self-harm. The court was told he had a habit of beating himself in the face and saving his blood.
Moulton repeatedly said his parents would be ‘better off’ if he were dead and he previously attempted to take his own life.
Not long before he committed the offences in January last year, the police removed him from railway lines where he had gone intending to commit suicide.
He was resistant to officers when they tried to help him. Moulton has not had access to consistent support services throughout his childhood.
He claimed to be hearing voices around the same time as he committed the attacks. His barrister said he was ‘surprised’ he had not been diagnosed with schizophrenia, but added he may be ‘too young for that’.
Psychiatrists concluded he had a severe ‘conduct disorder’ but stated it did not provide him with any defence for his actions.
In a chilling note found in his custodial room in July last year he wrote: “I’m not going to lie. I will hold my hands up and say that I done it. I stabbed him. Lower right stomach.”
Leo’s dad Chris, 39, said Moulton smirked at him when he told him to look him in the eye as he read his victim impact statement in court.
Mr Ross told him: “You killed my son, Leo Ross. Your horrendous act has destroyed me. I will never be the same again after telling Lily that her big brother would never be home again.
“The sleepless nights are too frequent to count, the nightmares and endless tears will not stop any time soon. Leo was loved by everyone, everyone said how special he was.
“He was the kindest little boy that you could ever hope to meet. He loved school and going home to his sister and playing on his PS5 console.
“It breaks my heart to think Leo was alone and I wasn’t there to protect him. He was so gentle and little, he must have been so scared. The heartbreak will never go away. There are no celebrations in my home, no birthdays, Christmas, just memories.
“My life has been a living Hell since the 21st January last year. Leo would have never hurt a soul, Leo never did anything bad to anybody. He always had a positive effect on everybody around him.“As a result of your actions that day, it has meant that I am living a life sentence without my special little boy. However, there is no minimum term to my sentence. There will always be a hole in my life where Leo should be.
“It breaks my heart that I will not be able to see my boy grow up and the man that he would become.”