Man charged with murder over stabbing of former Sheffield Hallam University student

A 27-year-old man has been charged with the murder of former Sheffield Hallam University student Jacob Billington.

The 23-year-old, who had been working as an intern at Sheffield Hallam's library, was one of eight people stabbed in Birmingham city centre in the early hours of September 6th.

He was on a night out with school friends when he was attacked in Irving Street. A postmortem concluded he died as a result of a stab wound to the neck.

 A 23-year-old man, who was seriously injured in Irving Street, remains in hospital in a critical condition. A 22-year-old woman, attacked in Hurst Street, remains in a critical but stable condition in hospital. 

Another man, aged 30, remains in a serious condition in hospital, while four others have been discharged. 

Zephaniah McLeod, 27, of Nately Grove, Selly Oak, Birmingham, is also accused of the attempted murder of the seven other victims of the knife attacks.  He will appear before Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on September 9th. 

Detective Chief Inspector Jim Munro is leading the investigation.

Sheffield Hallam University has said it is "deeply saddened" to learn that a former student and staff member was the victim of the fatal stabbing in Birmingham.

In a statement, Sheffield Hallam University said:

Jacob’s family have spoken of their loss. In a statement issued by West Midlands Police, they said: