Church vigils held in memory of stabbed 12-year-old schoolboy Leo Ross

Simultaneous vigils of prayer for 12-year-old Birmingham schoolboy Leo Ross have taken place at two churches in the Hall Green and Yardley Wood areas of the city.

The two-hour services, held a day after a youth aged 14 was charged with Leo’s murder and six unconnected assaults, saw prayers offered at five-minute intervals for Leo, his family and friends.

West Midlands Police confirmed on Saturday that Leo’s alleged killer, who cannot be named because of his age, has been remanded into custody to appear at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on Monday, having also been charged with possession of a bladed article.

Sunday’s services at Christ Church in Yardley Wood and St Peter’s Church in nearby Hall Green took place to allow the churches to “unite with the whole community to surround Leo and his family and friends with our love and prayers,” according to a social media post issued by St Peter’s.

The services offered well-wishers the opportunity to lay flowers and light candles in memory of Leo.

Speaking at a Sunday service held before the vigil of prayer, the vicar of St Peter’s, the Revered Canon Martin Stephenson said: “There is a certain solemnity in our community at this time, after the tragic and appalling killing of Leo Ross.

“Our hearts, and our prayers, our love pours out for his family and friends.”

Leo, a “lovely and bright” pupil at the Christ Church, Church of England Secondary Academy in Yardley Wood, died in hospital on Tuesday after being stabbed in The Shire Country Park.

The school has confirmed that the boy charged with murder was not among its pupils and has not studied there previously.

Meanwhile, a GoFundMe fundraising page set up by a relative of Leo’s foster carers to raise funds for The Daniel Baird Foundation, an anti-knife crime charity, has attracted donations of more than £9,700.

The foundation, set up after Mr Baird, aged 26, was fatally stabbed in the Digbeth area in 2017, works to raise awareness of the importance of having publicly accessible bleeding control packs available.

Published: 26/01/2025 by Radio NewsHub