The family of a 12-year-old schoolboy killed on his walk home from school have paid tribute to the “funny, sweet” boy who had “not one aggressive bone in his body”.
A 14-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of murder after the schoolboy was stabbed to death in front of traumatised classmates in a suburb of Birmingham.
The boy suffered a fatal knife wound to his stomach near Scribers Lane, Hall Green, shortly after 3pm on Tuesday, West Midlands Police said.
He was taken to hospital but died from his injuries, according to the force who described it as a “chaotic and traumatic” scene.
The 14-year-old suspect is also accused of an assault on an 80-year-old woman in the same area on Sunday, the Chief Superintendent Richard North said.
Speaking to reporters at the scene, he said: “At around 3.40pm we were called after a boy, 12, was found by a member of public after being stabbed on Scribers Lane.
“As a result of urgent enquiries, at 7pm yesterday a 14-year-old was arrested. The same 14 year-old has also been arrested for another, separate incident. I would ask the public not to speculate.”
He added there will be a review of the suspect’s whereabouts and contact with police in recent weeks.
In a written statement issued to BBC News, a member of the victim’s family described him as “the most beautiful, kind child”, and “the nicest kid you would meet”.
The family member added that the boy was “funny, sweet and had not one aggressive bone in his body”, and had been walking a ten-minute route home.
Some areas of the park where the attack happened, close to Trittiford Mill pool, had been plagued in the past by anti-social behaviour involving local youths, some riding quad bikes, one resident claimed.
“It’s been a weekly occurrence,” the woman said. “It’s a short-cut for school children before and after school, but sometimes there are people just hanging around near a car.”
The victim’s school Christ Church C of E Secondary Academy said in a statement: “Our condolences and deepest sympathies go out to the family and friends of one of our 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.”
Police said the boy’s family have been informed and are being supported by specially-trained officers.
The mother of a boy in the same form group as the 12-year-old visited a gate to the country park, near the River Cole, to place flowers at the police cordon.
She said: “He was a gentle, really kind-hearted boy that was never horrible to anyone. That was my son’s words.
“He said he didn’t have a bad bone in his body.”
She said of the stabbing and the victim’s age: “It’s shocking – it’s a horrible world. I worry for my son.
“He’s really upset and distressed and he’s scared. Him and his friends used to hang around here.”
“It’s affected all of them,” she added. “It’s just horrible and it’s hard to believe. My son said the boy was proper gentle, just walking home.”
Detectives said they were urgently reviewing CCTV and speaking to witnesses, as they urged anyone in the area at the time to contact them with any information or footage.
The fatal stabbing happened on the day MPs were told that a ban on knife sales to under-18s has not proved effective, after teenager Axel Rudakabana pleaded guilty to murdering three young girls and attempting to kill 10 others at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport last July.
The sale of knives with a fixed blade of more than three inches long to under-18s is illegal in England and Wales, with retailers facing fines or prosecution if they breach the law.
But home secretary Yvette Cooper revealed on Wednesday that the Southport killer was “easily able to order a knife on Amazon”, when he was still aged 17 and had been convicted over violence.
She told MPs: “That’s a total disgrace and it must change. So, we will bring in stronger measures to tackle knife sales online in the Crime and Policing Bill this spring.”
Figures published last April suggested that the West Midlands had the highest rate of knife crime in England and Wales in 2023.
There were 180 offences involving a blade per 100,000 people living in the West Midlands in 2023, compared with 165 in the Metropolitan Police area, according to the Office for National Statistics.
That totalled some 5,324 knife crime offences dealt with by West Midlands Police in 2023 – with more recent figures published in October suggesting that rate had remained largely unchanged.
Police are asking anyone with information about the fatal stabbing on Tuesday to use the MIPP or call 101 quoting log 3324 of January 21
