Teenager arrested in connection with boy’s death, also held for assaulting woman

Police said a teenager arrested on suspicion of murdering a 12-year-old boy in Birmingham is also being held in connection with an attack on an elderly woman on Sunday in the same part of the city.

At a press conference on Wednesday, West Midlands Police Chief Superintendent Richard North, the chief constable of Birmingham Police, said a 14-year-old suspect accused of stabbing a boy in the stomach near Scribers Lane in Hall Green shortly after 3pm on Tuesday was also being held. in connection with the attack on an 80-year-old woman that took place on Sunday afternoon, which was reported to the police.

The 12-year-old boy, who has not been named but was a pupil at Christ Church, Church of England Secondary Academy in Yardley Wood, is said to have been walking through Shire Country Park on his 10-minute walk home when he returned home. he was stabbed.

Chief Superintendent North said a passer-by tried to help the boy in a “chaotic and absolutely traumatic scene”, adding: “Sadly, despite the best efforts of police officers and paramedics who treated him at the scene, he later lost his life at around 7.30pm that day.

North told reporters: “Following an urgent investigation, a 14-year-old boy has been arrested. It happened yesterday at 7pm at an address in Birmingham.

“He remains in custody and has been arrested on suspicion of murder. The same 14-year-old was also arrested for another assault in an unrelated case. For this reason, he is also in custody.”

In a written statement provided to BBC News on Wednesday, a family member described the stabbing victim as “the most beautiful, kindest child” and “the nicest child you could ever meet.”

The family member added that the boy was “funny, sweet and didn’t have a single aggressive bone in his body.”

Appealing for witnesses and information, Chief Inspector North said: “This is an absolutely terrifying incident.

“We have specialist detectives working on the investigation but also supporting the loved ones of a 12-year-old boy who very, very sadly and tragically lost his life.”

The officer said: “I would ask the public not to speculate on what happened – this is a very early stage of the investigation. Of course, we deal with it with great priority.

“Detectives are working around the clock to uncover the truth about what happened.”

He added: “I would urge anyone who was in the Scribers Lane area around this time – the incident occurred at 3.40pm – to contact us and let us know where they are if they see anything unusual or suspicious.

“We have created a public serious incident portal which can be found on our website. People can find it and submit information directly to it. These may be recordings from CCTV, recordings from a telephone or a car camera.

One resident claimed that some of the areas of the park near Trittiford Mill Swimming Pool where the attack occurred had been plagued in the past by anti-social behavior by local youth, some of whom were riding quad bikes.

“It happened every week,” the woman said. “It’s a shortcut for school children before and after school, but sometimes you get people who just hang around the car.”

Police have cordoned off several entrances to the country park, which covers a stretch of the River Cole.

Residents living near a riverside path leading to a wooded area of ​​the park spoke of their shock when they discovered the victim’s age and news of his death.

One resident, who declined to give her name, said that shortly after 3 p.m., a regular resident knocked on her door asking for the area’s postcode to help emergency services reach the scene.

She told reporters: “The first thing I knew was that a gentleman came in and asked for the postcode because someone had been hurt.

“He just came and knocked on the door.

“We had two police cars and a helicopter. I found out last night that someone had been stabbed, but it wasn’t until this morning that I realized that this poor soul had died.

Another woman, who stated that her son was in the same class as the deceased 12-year-old, stated that she believed the victim was walking home through the park.

In a statement, the boy’s school said: ‘Our condolences and deepest sympathies go out to the family and friends of one of our CCSA students.

“This is a very sad time for our school community and we are focused on supporting our students, staff and families with professional help.

“As this is a live police investigation, we are unable to share any further details with you.

“During this difficult time, we urge parents and guardians not to contact the school office unless it is an emergency.”

Police are asking anyone with information to use the public serious incident portal or call 101, quoting alert 3324 of January 21.