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| Mylee Billingham: Dad found guilty of daughter's stab murder | Mylee Billingham: Dad found guilty of daughter's stab murder |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A man who stabbed his eight-year-old daughter in the chest in an apparent act of revenge against his ex-partner has been found guilty of murder. | A man who stabbed his eight-year-old daughter in the chest in an apparent act of revenge against his ex-partner has been found guilty of murder. |
| William Billingham, 55, used a kitchen knife to kill Mylee after ignoring her screams as he dragged her into his bungalow near Walsall on 20 January. | |
| Birmingham Crown Court heard he killed her moments after holding the blade to the neck of her mother Tracey Taundry. | Birmingham Crown Court heard he killed her moments after holding the blade to the neck of her mother Tracey Taundry. |
| Billingham was convicted of murder and making a threat to kill Miss Taundry. | Billingham was convicted of murder and making a threat to kill Miss Taundry. |
| The jurors deliberated for about 80 minutes before unanimously convicting Billingham of the two charges. | The jurors deliberated for about 80 minutes before unanimously convicting Billingham of the two charges. |
| Prosecutors said he had "turned his anger" on Mylee to spite Miss Taundry after she began a relationship with a woman. | Prosecutors said he had "turned his anger" on Mylee to spite Miss Taundry after she began a relationship with a woman. |
| For news and updates from the West Midlands | For news and updates from the West Midlands |
| The trial had heard how Billingham had produced a knife when his ex-partner arrived at his home in Brownhills to pick up their daughter. | |
| He told Miss Taundry "I'm going to kill you" before dragging Mylee back inside as she screamed "mummy, mummy" and "please daddy, no daddy, stop it", prosecutors said. | |
| The unemployed factory worker opted not to give evidence and claimed he had no memory of stabbing his daughter. He said he was guilty of the lesser offence of manslaughter due to depression. | The unemployed factory worker opted not to give evidence and claimed he had no memory of stabbing his daughter. He said he was guilty of the lesser offence of manslaughter due to depression. |
| But, at the start of the trial, prosecutor Karim Khalil QC said of the killing: "It was swift, deliberate, clinical, brutal. | But, at the start of the trial, prosecutor Karim Khalil QC said of the killing: "It was swift, deliberate, clinical, brutal. |
| "It was not some manic, unfocused assault. | "It was not some manic, unfocused assault. |
| "This was no accident and it was not a slight injury. It was a deep, violent thrust of a lethal weapon into the most vulnerable part of his young daughter's body." | "This was no accident and it was not a slight injury. It was a deep, violent thrust of a lethal weapon into the most vulnerable part of his young daughter's body." |
| Det Insp Jim Colclough, of West Midlands Police, said: "It's the most selfish act you can think of. It is the greatest breach of trust that you can imagine as a father. | |
| "Mylee was an eight-year-old girl. She had every reason to believe that Billingham was the most trusted person in the world. To carry out an act and actually take Mylee's life ... it's terrible." | |
| The guilty verdict led to a cry of "yes" from the public gallery, where members of Mylee's family, including her mother, were watching. | The guilty verdict led to a cry of "yes" from the public gallery, where members of Mylee's family, including her mother, were watching. |
| After the verdicts, Judge Paul Farrer QC said Billingham underwent an operation part-way through the trial after injuring his wrists while on remand. | After the verdicts, Judge Paul Farrer QC said Billingham underwent an operation part-way through the trial after injuring his wrists while on remand. |
| The jurors had earlier been told to ignore bandages covering his lower arms. He missed three days of his trial due to a stay in hospital after the apparent attempt to end his own life. | The jurors had earlier been told to ignore bandages covering his lower arms. He missed three days of his trial due to a stay in hospital after the apparent attempt to end his own life. |
| After the trial, Mr Colclough described the 999 call as a "terrible thing to listen to". | |
| "Officers were in the address for tens of minutes working on Mylee and at that time Tracey was unaware as to how serious the events were that had unfolded inside that address." | |
| "She will never heal from this situation. Mylee will always be missing. She will always be missing a daughter and Mylee's sisters will always be missing a sister." | |
| Billingham will be sentenced on Tuesday. | Billingham will be sentenced on Tuesday. |