Man charged with murder and seven counts of attempted murder after Birmingham stabbing spree

Zephaniah McLeod, 27, has been charged after mass stabbings

A man has been charged following multiple stabbings in Birmingham.

A man has been charged with murder and stabbings after a knife rampage in the UK city of Birmingham.

The incident, which took place in the early hours of Sunday morning, killed one man and wounded seven people.

West Midlands Police on Tuesday said they charged Zephaniah McLeod, 27, of Birmingham, with murder and seven counts of attempted murder.

"We've charged a man with the murder of Jacob Billington, who was one of eight people stabbed in Birmingham city centre in the early hours of Sunday," police said.

"Zephaniah McLeod, 27, of 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 Wednesday morning."

Billington, 23, was attacked while on a night out with friends. A postmortem examination revealed he died of a stab wound to the neck.

A man, 23, remains in hospital in a critical condition and a woman, 22, is in a critical but stable condition.

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

Billington's family said they were "devastated" by his loss.

"Jacob was the light of our life," they said. “He was a funny, caring and wonderful person who was loved by every single person he met.

“He lit up every room with his boundless energy and witty humour, and the loss of such a special person will be felt by all who knew him for years to come.”