Killer who stabbed eight at random in knife rampage sentenced to life

Published

4 years ago

November 16, 2021

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A man who stabbed people at random, killing one and seriously injuring seven others, has been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 21 years.

Zephaniah McLeod carried out the series of attacks in the early hours of 6 September last year, as people were enjoying a night out in Birmingham City Centre.

CCTV and dashcam footage captured him walking calmly through the streets, stabbing people, then moving on.

McLeod pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility, as well as four charges of attempted murder and three charges of wounding with intent.

He was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court.

After the first three stabbings, he disposed of his knife down a drain, took a taxi to his home in Selly Oak, four miles away, where he re-armed himself and headed back to the city centre.

It was then that he came across Jacob Billington, 23, from Liverpool, and his friend Michael Callaghan.

They were part of a group of seven friends returning to their hotel after a night out.

McLeod asked the group if they had a lighter before attacking Mr Billington and Mr Callaghan.

Mr Billington was stabbed through the neck. He was rushed to hospital but pronounced dead at 2.57am.

His mother, Jo, had last seen her son as he left to celebrate a friend’s birthday.

“I can still see him leaving the house with the lads in the car outside beeping the horns getting him to hurry up, and he skipped out, and we just thought he was going for a lovely night out with his friends,” she recalled.

She was woken in the early hours by police knocking on the door to tell her that her son had been killed.

“It was absolutely awful. You feel like you had all the breath sucked out of you is the best way to describe it,” she said.

She then had to wake his sisters to tell them.

Abbie Billington, 22, remembered the moment she found out her brother was dead.

“There are just no words to describe the sadness that I felt,” she said.

Mr Callaghan had suffered catastrophic injures.

McLeod’s knife had severed his jugular vein and carotid artery. He lost so much blood he had a stroke.

His mother, Anne Callaghan, was woken by a call from the hospital.

“We were called in the morning about 5.30am by a nurse to say that he was in theatre, and he was stable, and obviously that was terrible to hear.

“We didn’t know what she was talking about, and I said, ‘what’s happened?’ She said, ‘he’s been stabbed’. I couldn’t grasp it at all.”

They travelled to Birmingham and were told that if he survived, he would have life-changing injuries.

It was 10 days before they were confident he would make it.

Before the stabbing, Mr Callaghan and Mr Billington were in a band. They both loved music, and the former enjoyed sport too. But over the last 14 months, he has had to relearn to walk and still can’t use his left hand.

His mother said life is difficult for her son, who is mourning the loss of his best friend.

“Michael is just devastated at the loss of Jacob,” she said. “They were totally on the same wavelength, and you know he misses him every day.”

The court heard McLeod had been suffering with paranoid schizophrenia since 2012 and these were not his first offences.

He had previous convictions for robbery, escaping from lawful custody, possession of a firearm in a public place and possession of class A drugs.

He had spoken to a psychiatrist on the phone on 3 September, days before the attack.

“On release from prison in April 2020, we were unable to make contact with him as we were not informed of his whereabouts. I spoke to Zephaniah briefly on the phone whilst he was with his Care Coordinator…” Dr Ezzine Onuba, the psychiatrist, wrote in a statement to the court.

“Zephaniah continues to hear voices which he told me is there all the time and can be distressing.

“It was difficult to do a full assessment. He was due to be seen face to face on 24 September 2020.”

Superintendent Jim Munro from West Midlands Police told Sky News: “He wasn’t under any license conditions and actively being managed, so he’d come back out having served his sentence.”

Mrs Callaghan believes he should never be released.

“All I want is for him to be off the streets because I don’t think he can be ever trusted again,” she said.

“He’s not answered any questions, he’s not talked about it, we don’t know anything about why he did what he did. How can anybody say he’s safe again? I don’t think anybody can.”

Mr Billington’s mother says she believes mistakes have been made by the authorities and hopes a serious case review under way looking into the agencies that were aware of McLeod will provide answers.

“For me, there’s quite a lot of unanswered questions about what happened on that night,” she said. “And what led up to that night in terms of… this was somebody well known to lots of different agencies in many different sectors, and yet still it appears that he was in a position where he did this.

“The fact that he didn’t appear to have been monitored in the way that you would imagine he would.

“As somebody who was known to be dangerous and had a long previous history of being dangerous, had a known mental health condition, none of which seems to have been taken into account at all in terms of how he was monitored.”

UK

Lammy, Cooper and Mahmood get new jobs in major reshuffle after Rayner’s resignation

Published

3 hours ago

September 6, 2025

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Lammy, Cooper and Mahmood get new jobs in major reshuffle after Rayner's resignation

David Lammy has been stripped of his role as foreign secretary, and given the job of justice secretary, along with the role of deputy PM.

Mr Lammy‘s move was one of the most momentous of Sir Keir Starmer‘s ministerial reshuffle on Friday afternoon, which saw a whole host of roles change hands, and two departments partially combined.

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The PM moved him away from one of the great offices of state, despite his apparently burgeoning ‘bromance’ with US vice president JD Vance. But Mr Lammy benefited from Angela Rayner‘s departure.

The deputy prime minister and housing secretary resigned from government on Friday morning, after it was found she had breached the ministerial code over her tax affairs. Sir Keir regretfully accepted her resignation, leaving her roles vacant.

Thus began the ministerial reshuffle, brought forward by several weeks as a result of Ms Rayner’s departure.

Mr Lammy has been given the role of deputy prime minister, and appeared cheery on Friday afternoon – strolling up Downing Street in the sunshine with a big smile on his face.

His move from the Foreign Office to the Ministry of Justice then allowed Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, to take on Mr Lammy’s previous job. She has never served in any role involving foreign affairs before, bar a three-month stint as shadow foreign secretary in 2010.

Her pivot to foreign affairs then allowed the biggest promotion of them all, with then justice secretary and key Starmer ally, Shabana Mahmood, being appointed as home secretary.

This means that for the first time in British history, all three great offices of state, after the prime minister, are held by women.

With those roles rejigged, and Number 10 insisting from the start that Rachel Reeves was safe as chancellor, it was time to tinker with the rest of the cabinet.

It appears that while the reshuffle was carried out unexpectedly early, a lot of thought had gone into it.

Sir Keir began by creating a new ‘super ministry’, combining the skills remit of the Department for Education with the Department for Work and Pensions.

Pat McFadden, on Friday morning the chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (the highest ranking Cabinet Office minister), has been given responsibility for this new ministerial empire. It also means that Bridget Phillipson, who was and remains the education secretary, has had her responsibilities slimmed down.

Officially, Mr McFadden has become the work and pensions secretary. This meant the current occupant of that role, Liz Kendall, also needed to be reshuffled.

She has now been appointed as the science, innovation and technology secretary. Her predecessor in that role, Peter Kyle, in turn received a promotion to lead the Department of Business and Trade.

Mr Kyle made incorporating and using AI a key part of his first year in office, and had been seen to be doing well in the job. His promotion, though, has led to the current business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, being left without a department.

While he remains in the cabinet, his appointment to the job of chief whip is unlikely to be viewed as a promotion.

The reshuffle brought better news for Darren Jones, who was only promoted on Monday to the newly created role of chief secretary to the prime minister.

He got to keep his role, but was gifted Mr McFadden’s old job – chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster – to add to his growing political portfolio.

Steve Reed, another long-time Starmer ally, benefitted alongside Mr Lammy from Ms Rayner’s departure. He has been given her former role of housing secretary, leaving behind the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Also ending in a better position than they started off on Friday morning are Emma Reynolds, a Treasury minister who has now received Mr Reed’s old job, and trade minister Douglas Alexander, who has now become the Scotland secretary. Sir Alan Campbell, previously chief whip, has now become leader of the House of Commons.

On the other side of the spectrum, former leader of the Commons Lucy Powell, and ex-Scotland secretary Ian Murray, joined Ms Rayner in leaving the government. Both were sacked, and both made clear their desire not to lose their roles.

Ms Powell said it had been “an honour” to serve but warned that “the future of our democracy looks uncertain”, citing rising levels of “abuse, misrepresentation…. and the call for easy answers”.

Mr Murray also echoed this sentiment, stating that politics in the UK “is at a dangerous crossroads”. He called on MPs to bring “prosperity, hope and our communities together, rather than furthering division and despair”, and said he would support Sir Keir’s government from the backbenches.

UK

Cabinet reshuffle: Who’s on Keir Starmer’s new team and who’s out?

Published

6 hours ago

September 5, 2025

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Cabinet reshuffle: Who's on Keir Starmer's new team and who's out?

Sir Keir Starmer has reshuffled his cabinet following Angela Rayner’s resignation after admitting she had not paid enough stamp duty on the purchase of a new home.

The prime minister’s former right-hand woman stepped down as deputy prime minister, housing secretary and deputy leader of the Labour Party after standards adviser Sir Laurie Magnus found she had breached the ministerial code.

Politics latest: Reshuffle after Rayner quits

She paid standard stamp duty on a flat she bought in Hove, East Sussex, in May after taking advice that it counted as her only home due to her disabled son’s trust owning the family home in Ashton-under-Lyne – but it was established she should have paid more.

Her resignation has left a hole around the cabinet table, which Sir Keir is now filling.

It was stressed early on Chancellor Rachel Reeves would remain as chancellor, in an attempt to stop the markets moving.

This is who is moving and where to:

David Lammy – foreign secretary to justice secretary and deputy PM

After flexing his diplomatic muscles with Donald Trump and his deputy JD Vance over the past year, Mr Lammy will now move to the justice brief.

The move is likely to be a blow as the PM had promised, most recently in November, he would be foreign secretary for the whole parliament until 2029.

Although he is no longer holding one of the four great offices of state, he has also been made deputy prime minister, presumably to soften the blow.

Mr Lammy is close to Sir Keir, both as a friend and in his next door constituency, and was seen grinning as he went into Number 10 after being appointed.

Yvette Cooper – home secretary to foreign secretary

The Labour stalwart had made tackling illegal migration a priority, so the move could be seen as a disappointment for her.

However, she remains in one of the four great offices of state – PM, chancellor, foreign and home.

Shabana Mahmood – justice secretary to home secretary

A big promotion, the straight-talking Labour MP will be tasked with tackling the small boats crisis and asylum seeker hotel protests.

She is no stranger to making difficult decisions, deciding to free criminals early to reduce prison overcrowding as justice secretary.

Her move makes it the first time all three great offices of state, after the prime minister, are held by women.

Pat McFadden – chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and intergovernmental minister to work and pensions secretary and head of “super ministry”

Often seen as Sir Keir’s “number two”, Mr McFadden will take over a newly formed “super ministry”.

It will include the department for work and pensions and the skills remit of the department for education – taking a large part of Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson’s brief and taking over from Liz Kendall as work and pensions secretary.

While it is not a promotion at first glance, it is a much wider role than he has had as chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster – the highest-ranking Cabinet Office minister after the PM.

Darren Jones – chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

It is the second new job in the space of one week for the new chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. The close ally of the prime minister was promoted from chief secretary to the Treasury on Monday to chief secretary to the prime minister. And now he gets another new job.

Steve Reed – environment secretary to housing secretary

A promotion for the man who has consistently defended the government lifting inheritance tax relief on farmers.

He takes over one of the two major vacancies left by Ms Rayner and will have the massive task of building 1.5 million new homes during this parliament, as promised by the government.

Jonathan Reynolds – business and trade secretary to chief whip

A slightly odd move for the MP seen as a steady pair of hands in his business secretary role.

He takes over from Sir Alan Campbell and will now have to hustle Labour MPs to vote with the government – something that has sometimes proved difficult with the current cohort.

Mr Reynolds will also attend cabinet, as is necessary so he can liaise between the party and No 10.

Peter Kyle – science secretary to business and trade secretary

A promotion for Mr Kyle, who is taking over from Jonathan Reynolds.

He is seen as a rising star and impressed Labour MPs when he refused to stand down after suggesting Nigel Farage was on the side of people like Jimmy Savile by opposing the government’s online safety law.

Mr Kyle will be in charge of getting trade deals with other countries over the line.

Emma Reynolds – economic secretary to the Treasury to environment secretary

Probably the biggest promotion of the reshuffle, Ms Reynolds is taking on Mr Reed’s role after serving as a junior minister in the Treasury.

She will have to take on farmers and deal with the water companies – a big undertaking.

Liz Kendall – work and pensions secretary to science, innovation and technology secretary

Pat McFadden has taken her role as work and pensions secretary, while Ms Kendall takes over Peter Kyle’s brief.

He has made AI a major facet of his role so we will wait to see which direction Ms Kendall takes the job in.

Douglas Alexander – trade policy minister to Scotland secretary

A promotion for the Blair/Brown minister who returned to politics last year after being ousted in 2015 by then 20-year-old SNP MP Mhairi Black.

He takes over from Ian Murray, who has been removed from the cabinet.

Sir Alan Campbell – Chief whip to Lord President of the Council and leader of the House of Commons

An MP since 1997 and part of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown’s frontbench, Sir Alan is taking over Lucy Powell’s role.

He will be in charge of organising government business in the Commons – a sizeable job.

Who is out?

Lucy Powell has been sacked as leader of the House of Commons.

Ian Murray has been sacked as Scotland secretary.

Not out – but

Bridget Phillipson remains as education secretary but her brief has narrowed as Mr McFadden has taken over the skills part of her job.

UK

From denial to resignation: How Rayner’s position fell apart – and why tax row risks damaging public trust

Published

6 hours ago

September 5, 2025

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From denial to resignation: How Rayner's position fell apart - and why tax row risks damaging public trust

The damage is immense. In retrospect, it seems incredible that Sir Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner thought they could tough it out before establishing the facts.

But they did, and not for the first time.

Politics latest: Starmer starts cabinet reshuffle

So, before we assess this particular case, it highlights a pre-existing nagging doubt. Is speaking without checking a defining pattern of this government?

Tax promises. Welfare cuts. Tulip Siddiq. Waspi Women. The initial winter fuel plan. The vow there would be no winter fuel U-turn. A pledge that David Lammy would be foreign secretary for five years.

Even a cast-iron guarantee in July that there would be no reshuffle this month – now there might be three, if you include junior ministers next week.

Each one: an action taken or promise made, combined with fighting talk – before reality dawns and the government retreats into reverse.

Is the word of ministers and their advisers in this government worth less than it should be?

Starmer and Rayner casually tossed untruths

So now this.

For days, two of the most senior politicians in the UK have clutched at factually inaccurate (Rayner) and emotionally charged (Starmer) smears against media reports that are today vindicated, and in doing so, casually tossed untruths into the public domain – even though behind the scenes they were still checking the facts.

The issue hinged on whether Ms Rayner should have paid a lower level of stamp duty on her new Hove flat, because it was her main home, or whether the rate £40,000 higher was due because of her interests in property elsewhere.

After the Telegraph asked whether she had got it wrong last Friday, her spokesman said on the record she “paid the correct duty” and “any suggestion otherwise is entirely without basis”. Yet later the same day, on Friday night, they decided to check and get a second opinion from a tax barrister.

This led to a change of position from Ms Rayner on Wednesday, and the self-referral to the ministerial standards adviser.

Starmer’s defence

But in the interim, on Monday, while the tax barrister was re-checking the facts, Sir Keir was picking a side.

He attacked critics – who were asking if the housing minister had paid the main housing tax at the right rate – for pursuing a class war.

“Angela has had people briefing against her and talking her down over and over again. It’s a mistake, by the way,” he said.

By this point, No 10 also knew that Ms Rayner was trying to lift a court order which she claims prevented her from going public with the truth. There was no attempt to nuance from the top, however.

Only finally, on Wednesday, on Sky News, did Ms Rayner concede a mistake. The deputy prime minister’s defence was that lawyers had wrongly advised her to pay the lower stamp duty – it was all their fault and she should not be found culpable.

Even this has turned out to be a partial explanation, and that is why she’s gone.

Rayner took a chance

The conclusion by the Downing Street investigator was that she’d ignored clear warnings about her tax bill that she should have followed.

In his adjudication to the PM, Sir Laurie Magnus wrote: “In two instances, [the legal advice] was qualified that it did not constitute expert tax advice and was accompanied by a suggestion, and in one case a recommendation, that specific tax advice be found.”

So she took a chance on not following advice to get a proper tax lawyer, and took a chance a second time by claiming on telly that the advice to her was wrong – and has been caught out only because of media scrutiny.

Ministers take nuanced advice from professionals on a daily basis and have to use their political determination on whether they agree. Something very similar happened here in Ms Rayner’s private life, and she got it wrong.

And at no point did someone in No 10 or her team seek to challenge her explanations before multiple figures mounted a case for her defence in public, of things that proved later to be partial or untrue.

This is the sort of thing that damages public trust: making categorical statements that are untrue because the facts weren’t properly established in advance.

Will lessons be learned across the top of government?