A knifemaker stabbed to death a university staff member and wounded seven others in a violent attack. He has been sentenced to at least 21 years in prison and will initially be serving his sentence in a heavily guarded hospital.
Zephaniah McLeod, who was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 2012, pleaded guilty to manslaughter after stabbing Jacob Billington to death in the early morning of September 6, 2020.
McLeod also pleaded guilty to four counts of attempted murder, including an assault that partially paralyzed the victim, and three separate counts of assault with intent to cause serious bodily harm.
Ordered the detention of the 28-year-old man, initially at Ashworth Hospital, Birmingham On Wednesday, Royal Court Judge Mr. Pepperl said: “Your victim enjoyed a night or went home from get off work to varying degrees.
“They didn’t offend you, they chose it at random.”
“Whenever possible, you point the knife at the victim’s neck,” he added.
“During your brutal rampage, you killed a man, left another man and woman to fight for their lives, and wounded five others.”
He added: “I have no doubt that you are a very dangerous person, posing a major risk of serious harm to the public.”
The sentence means that McLeod will be transferred to prison for the rest of his term. If his mental health improves enough-but if the situation deteriorates again, he may be sent back to a safe hospital.
The judge said: “Such a sentence ensures that you get treatment first, but it means that if you are assessed as suitable for discharge, you will be transferred to prison rather than simply released.
McLeod from Nately Grove of Celiok in Birmingham carried out an apparently random and unmotivated attack within 90 minutes.
He took a taxi home to get another knife, and then returned to the city center, halfway through his carnival.
McLeod suffered from paranoid schizophrenia at the time of the attack and was “well known” in the mental health service.
The court learned that he was released from prison without supervision in April 2020, only met face-to-face with the mental health team on September 3, and then “refused” to participate in a psychiatric assessment-just three days before he was killed.
Mr. Billington’s mother, Joanne Billington, stated that there are still many “unresolved issues” regarding the prior treatment and monitoring of McLeod by various state agencies, and believes that “mistakes have been made” before launching the attack.
