A knifeman who killed a man and injured seven other people during a violent stabbing spree has been detained for life.
Zephaniah McLeod, who was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 2012, has been handed a life sentence with a minimum term of 21 years, which he will initially serve at a high-security hospital.
The 28-year-old previously admitted the manslaughter of Jacob Billington along with four counts of attempted murder and three separate offences of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
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McLeod launched a seemingly random string of assaults in Birmingham city centre in the early hours of September 6 last year, Birmingham Crown Court heard.
He had been suffering from paranoid schizophrenia at the time of the attacks and was “well-known” to mental health services.
The court heard that he had a history of hearing voices telling him to “stab” and “kill”.
After slashing and stabbing three people in the city centre, McLeod dumped his weapon in a roadside drain and “ordered a taxi” home, the court heard.
He then got a new knife and returned to the city centre to carry out further attacks, including the one on 23-year-old university worker Mr Billington, who was enjoying a night out with friends.
Proecutor Peter Grieves-Smith previously said the first attack happened “just after 12.30am” when McLeod stabbed a 33-year-old man in the neck with force.
Twenty-five minutes later, a 25-year-old woman who had just left work was in nearby Livery Street, “looking at her phone”, when “she was struck to the face”, he said.
McLeod struck her again, between her neck and shoulders and she managed to move away, while flagging down passing cars, the court heard.
The third victim, a 29-year-old man, was attacked in Barwick Street, with “two severe stab wounds” leaving him in critical condition.
After returning home to pick up another knife, at around 1.50am, McLeod went to Irving Street, where he fatally stabbed Mr Billington.
Michael Callaghan, Mr Billington's friend and bandmate, was also attacked by McLeod and suffered a wound to his neck.
Mr Callaghan, who has been left partially paralysed by the attack, suffered injuries so serious his family said they “don’t really understand how he even survived”.
At 2am, two other men, aged 29 and 24, and a 23-year-old woman were attacked in Hurst Street, Mr Grieves-Smith said.
Officers identified and arrested McLeod in an armed operation in the early hours of the following day.
Sentencing McLeod on Thursday (November 18), the judge, Mr Justice Pepperall, told him: “Your victims were variously enjoying a night out or returning home from work.
“They gave you no offence and they were chosen at random.”
“Wherever possible you aimed your knives at your victims’ necks,” he added.
“In the course of your murderous rampage you killed one man, left another man and woman fighting for their lives and wounded five others.”
He added: “I have no doubt whatsoever you are a very dangerous man and pose a significant risk to members of the public of serious harm.”
McLeod will start his sentence at Ashworth Hospital, but will move to a prison to serve the remainder of his term if his mental health improves sufficiently.
The judge said: “Such a sentence ensures you first obtain treatment but means should you ever be assessed as fit to leave hospital you will be transferred to a prison and not simply released."
The court heard he was released from prison unsupervised in April 2020, was only seen face-to-face by a mental health team on September 3, then “refused” to attend a psychiatric assessment – just three days before he killed.
Mr Billington’s mother, Joanne Billington, has said there are still many “unanswered questions” about various state agencies’ prior treatment and monitoring of McLeod, and believes “mistakes were made”, before launching his attacks.
In sentencing, Mr Justice Pepperall said: “I find you were released from prison in April 2020 at the height of the first wave of the Covid pandemic without any appropriate follow up by mental health services.
“Indeed given your past medical history, it is a matter of considerable concern you were simply lost in the system for some weeks.”
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