Kian Moulton, who has been named after a successful application to the judge by news organisations, was previously excluded from mainstream education and a specialist pupil referral unit
The 15-year-old jailed for the brutal murder of schoolboy Leo Ross, 12, was exposed to domestic violence from an early age, it has emerged. Kian Moulton had been expelled from mainstream education and a specialist pupil referral unit for assaulting a teacher and bringing a knife to school.
The teenager’s identity was revealed following the lifting of reporting restrictions. Earlier this week, he was sentenced to 13 years’ detention, however there have been calls to raise the term which some have deemed “too lenient.”
Moulton was described as having a “troubled childhood” with his own parents saying he “liked violence and gained enjoyment from it”.
When he was born, his dad, a former electrician, was working as an HGV driver, while his mum was a site manager. He grew up in a terraced house in Yardley Wood, a stone’s throw away from Trittiford Mill Park, where he murdered Leo and brutally assaulted three elderly women over three consecutive days in January last year.
The court heard his parents split when he was extremely young, he witnessed domestic abuse, and had virtually no contact with his mother from age four onwards.
Reports indicate he was kicked out of mainstream schooling and a specialist pupil referral unit after smashing a teacher’s nose and taking a knife into lessons. He was already familiar to officers prior to Leo’s killing after becoming a suspect in four different attacks, including two targeting police constables, between October and December 2024.
He also allegedly lobbed a brick through a shop window close to his home roughly six months before the fatal incident, with locals claiming he had a “reputation for violence”.
In court, Moulton’s defence team painted a picture of him as a “disturbed young man” plagued by “formidable mental health problems”, including a personality disorder, severe conduct disorder, and ADHD. They also highlighted his “bizarre behaviour”, such as hitting himself in the face and trying to catch the blood.
They revealed that he has claimed to hear voices commanding him to carry out actions. The court was informed that he has also voiced suicidal thoughts and made “occasional attempts” at taking his own life.
However, he has refused therapy and has shown “scant progress” towards rehabilitation since being incarcerated, where he has been involved in numerous violent incidents, including an assault on another child.
During his trial, it emerged that at one point during his imprisonment, Moulton was embroiled in serious acts of disruption and violence “almost every few days”. He has also been implicated in other disruptive incidents that have endangered himself, fellow inmates, and staff.
None of Moulton’s family or friends were present in court during his sentencing, and one close relative has completely disowned him. They expressed that the court case had been a difficult period “because of my name being attached to what that scumbag did”.
They voiced their opinions on who and what failed to prevent the tragedy and revealed there “is a lot” they could say about his upbringing.
Nevertheless, they made it abundantly clear they had no intention of defending or making excuses for the killer, stating: “I couldn’t care less what happens to him.”
High Court judge Mr Justice Choudhury KC initially announced his decision to allow Moulton’s naming just before sentencing him at Birmingham Crown Court on Tuesday (February 10) afternoon.
The judge stated that he considers Moulton’s crimes to be “of very substantial public interest”, adding “knife crime among youths is of particular public concern.”
He also believes that publicly naming Moulton will act as a deterrent.
Earlier, Leo Ross’ father Chris, 39, voiced his fury towards Moulton and insisted that he should never be freed from prison. Speaking to the Mirror, he said: “He should be in jail for life. He has shown no remorse, but could be out in his 20s. How is that justice? That ain’t justice. If you kill someone you should do life yourself. I think that’s fair.”
Moulton was a stranger to Leo, who police praised as an exemplary student with a flawless behavioural record. Chilling footage captured Moulton cycling around as Leo journeyed home from school in Yardley Wood, Birmingham, on 21 January last year.
Moulton then launched a “completely random and unprovoked” attack, stabbing Leo in the stomach with a kitchen knife while out “hunting” for a victim, according to police. Detectives have described the assault as senseless violence for the sake of it.
They suspect the cowardly murderer, who was just 14 at the time, singled out Leo because he was “much physically bigger” than him and presented an “easy target” while walking home alone.
Chris was left shattered by the experience of confronting Moulton in court.
He recalled: “At the first hearing he came up out of the dock. I looked him in the eyes through the glass and he just started laughing.
“It was just total disrespect. He clearly didn’t care.”
In court, Chris read a statement after instructing Moulton to “look up” at him while he was reading it, which Moulton did. Chris told him: “It breaks my heart that I will not be able to see my boy grow up and the man that he would become.”
Leo’s mother, Rachel Fisher, courageously delivered a victim impact statement to her son’s murderer, stating: “Leo was truly the most kind, caring and funny little boy. You have taken my nine-year-old daughter’s best friend.
“Leo went to school and never came back. Can you imagine what that does to a little girl? Losing my beautiful boy the way I did will haunt me forever.”