Mylee Billingham murder: Father jailed for life for stabbing eight-year-old daughter to death
William Billingham told he must serve at least 27 years for ‘brutal and cowardly’ murder
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails
Sign up to our free breaking news emails
Sign up to our free breaking news emails
A father has been jailed for life for stabbing his eight-year-old daughter Mylee Billingham to death in a “revenge” attack to spite her mother.
William Billingham was told he will serve a minimum term of 27 years for the “brutal and cowardly” murder.
The 55 year old, who will be aged 82 before his release from prison can even be considered by the parole board, stared at the floor and shook his head as he was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court.
Passing sentence, Judge Paul Farrer QC ruled that Billingham had killed his daughter out of “jealousy and anger” after his former partner, Tracey Taundry, began a new, same-sex relationship.
He said: “As such, this was an act of revenge. Ultimately, this was the brutal, cowardly, killing of a defenceless and much-loved child who had her whole life ahead of her.”
Billingham was also given a concurrent two-year sentence for holding a knife to Ms Taundry’s throat before the murder, as she called at his home near Walsall on the night of the murder.
The father of six – who is the brother of TV’s SAS Who Dares Wins star Mark Billingham – sat with his head bowed in the dock as the judge told him: “When Tracey escaped you on the front lawn, you turned your anger upon Mylee.
“Your victim was your own eight-year-old daughter, who at the relevant time was in your care.
“Your motive was to cause pain to Tracey Taundry and as such this was an act of revenge.”
Accepting the decision to harm Mylee arose spontaneously, the judge added: “Within moments of stabbing Mylee, you realised the enormity of what you had done – you regretted your actions and you attempted to take your own life.
“Ultimately, this was the brutal, cowardly, killing of a defenceless and much-loved child who had her whole life ahead of her.”
The judge who sentenced Billingham heard a victim impact statement Ms Taundry describing the family’s loss and heartache.
In the statement, Ms Taundry described the actions of her former partner as “selfish and despicable”.
The statement added: “How can I ever explain how the murder of my beautiful daughter – smiley Mylee – has affected me, her sisters and her immediate family?
“Mylee was brutally taken from us by a man who was supposed to protect and to care for her.
“Since this incident I have struggled to sleep. I have constant nightmares and I relive that terrible night over and over again. I regularly hear Mylee’s voice and immediately start to look for her.
“None of us will ever get over what has happened.”
Before sentence was passed, Billingham’s barrister revealed the killer had been verbally abused in the cells before being brought into court.
Lawyer Balraj Bhatia told the sentencing hearing: ”Perhaps the biggest burden a parent can ever deal with is the loss of a child before they die. That burden must be magnified to an immeasurable degree when that child has died at your own hands.
“This court will punish him in terms of years. His punishment – to use his own words – is that he is still breathing.
“Your Honour knows, during the course of this trial, that he tried to take his own life. Just this morning as I was preparing him for the impact statement, there was a palpable rush of hatred from every prisoner that walked by the cell.
“To use his own words, he cannot live with this nor does he desire to live with this. As I say, his real punishment is that he is still breathing.”
A spokesman for the NSPCC said: “It is difficult to comprehend how a father could brutally and senselessly murder the eight-year-old daughter he was responsible for keeping safe from harm.
“Mylee’s family will be suffering unimaginable pain but we hope today’s sentencing will help them as they try to come to terms with what happened.”