A mother has recounted the horror of watching her eight-year-old daughter dragged into a bungalow where she was mercilessly stabbed to death by her father.
William Billingham was today jailed for life for the murder of his daughter Mylee, who he killed in a ‘brutal and cowardly’ act of revenge, to get back at his ex Tracey Taundry, after she began another relationship.
In a victim impact statement at today’s sentencing, Miss Taundry told the court her life ‘fell apart’ when her daughter’s life was taken away and she continues to suffer from nightmares and hears Mylee’s voice in her sleep.
She said: ‘I realise my Smiley Miley, my baby has gone. How can I ever explain how the murder of my beautiful daughter 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. I trusted him with my most perfect girl.
‘Mylee, you were perfect. He took your life with the same hands he used to pick you up. None of us will ever get over what has happened.’
William Billingham (pictured in his police mugshot, left, after he was treated for a superficial knife wound to his neck and other injuries) was found guilty of killing his daughter Mylee (right) today
The court heard Billingham knifed Mylee to death just 15 minutes after posting a photo on Facebook of her smiling and eating pizza on a bed (pictured)
Miss Taundry (shown outside court at an earlier hearing, left) desperately tried to bang the door down as she screamed for help while her daughter (right) was stabbed
Miss Taundry also described how Mylee’s death has affected her two daughters.
‘Both of the girls have had to have counselling. None of us will get over this.’
Ms Taundry added: ‘On January 20, 2018 my life and that of my children fell apart.
‘I was helpless outside unable to hold her hand to comfort her. She loved to dance and sing. No more dance shows.’
In January this year, Billingham waited for Tracey to collect Mylee from his home, where he callously armed himself with a kitchen knife.
As the youngster left his house, the father-of-six pulled his daughter back indoors by her hood as she screamed ‘mummy, mummy’ and ‘please daddy, no daddy, stop it’.
Crazed Billingham then ‘violently’ thrust the blade Mylee’s chest in a ‘swift, deliberate and brutal’ manner as a ‘final act of revenge’ against his ex.
Tracey meanwhile desperately tried to bang the door down as she screamed for help while her daughter was stabbed with such force the knife penetrated her entire body.
Detective Inspector Jim Colclough, of the West Midlands Police homicide unit, said the ‘selfish’ killer showed no remorse and only sought to help himself as Mylee lay dying.
The evil thug, who is the brother of TV’s SAS Who Dares Wins star Mark Billingham, had grown resentful of 34-year-old Tracey’s relationship with her new partner Lindsey Andrews and feared she would stop him seeing his children.
As he passed sentence the judge told Billingham: ‘This was an act of revenge.
‘Alternately, this was the brutal, cowardly, killing of a defenceless and much-loved child who had her whole life ahead of her.’
The evil thug is the brother of TV’s SAS Who Dares Wins star Mark Billingham (pictured, right, with his brother, left)
Police arrived at the property in Brownhills, near Walsall, West Midslands, to find Billingham ‘whimpering’ and lying on top of Mylee, whose face was covered in blood.
Detective Inspector Jim Colclough, of the West Midlands Police homicide unit, believes Billingham was unhappy with Tracey Taundry’s new relationship, despite claiming he had no problems with it.
Speaking after Billingham was convicted of murder, Mr Colclough said the 55-year-old had shown no remorse when interviewed – and only sought to help himself as Mylee lay dying.
The killer’s trial was told that officers kicked a knife away from near Billingham’s hands, moving it underneath a rug, as they tried to treat him and his daughter.
During their efforts, Billingham kicked out at one officer, ignored repeated requests for information about what had happened to Mylee, and only related information about his own breathing problems.
Shortly after Billingham was found guilty of the horrendous crime, the investigating officer described his actions as ‘the most selfish act you can think of’.
Mr Colclough said: ‘The initial attending police officers demonstrated real bravery in going into the premises, where the information was that there was a man armed with a kitchen knife.
‘They were confronted by extremely upsetting scenes [with Mylee lying injured under her father] and everybody worked together tirelessly to try and save her.
‘The first responders were an absolute credit to their respective services.’
Commenting on the murder, Mr Colclough 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.’
Just 15 minutes before the murder Billingham had posted a photo on Facebook showing his smiling daughter eating pizza on his bed.
Officers and paramedics performed CPR on the youngster who was rushed to Birmingham Children’s Hospitals where she was pronounced dead at 11.30pm.
Billingham had a superficial knife wound on his neck and stab injuries to his stomach. He was taken to hospital and underwent surgery for his injuries. Once fit, he was taken into police custody and interviewed.
Last month Billingham went on trial at Birmingham Crown Court accused of murder, which he denied on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
Mylee Billingham (left) was stabbed to death at a house in the West Midlands on January 20 by her father Billingham (right)
Chilling footage played to the court shows Mylee Billingham laughing with her father in a shop just over two hours before she was stabbed to death
Tracey Taundry (far left) is pictured outside court during a previous hearing as jurors were told that Billingham was suffering from depression at the time of the death
But yesterday a jury of four men and eight women found him unanimously guilty following just an hour of deliberations at the end of a nine-day trial.
Following the verdict, it can also be revealed how Billingham tried to take his own life midway through the trial by cutting both his wrists with razor blades in his cell.
The court was told how he was rushed to Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital where he underwent an operation after attempting to kill himself on September 21.
The 55-year-old was assessed by a leading psychiatrist as aggressive, controlling and prone to violence towards women, particularly at the end of relationships.
Billingham, who had six children by three partners, was convicted of causing actual bodily harm in 1990 following an attack on his then girlfriend.
Billingham told a psychiatrist he had no memory of hiding under the previous partner’s bed armed with a knife – or of dangling his legs off a balcony while holding their young son.
Although Billingham told police he was a ‘brilliant’ dad, he was assessed by a leading psychiatrist as aggressive, controlling and prone to violence towards women, particularly at the end of relationships.
Police also cautioned Billingham in 2007 after Mylee’s mother alleged that she had been slapped in the face.
Another caution was handed to the factory worker in May 2012 after Miss Taundry knocked on a neighbour’s door and said he had been hitting her – with their three children in the house.
Although two previous partners of Billingham opted not to give statements to police, they both gave accounts to officers of his behaviour during their relationships, which were assessed by defence and prosecution psychiatrists.
One of the women claimed she had returned home to find Billingham hiding under her bed with a knife.
The former partner alleged that Billingham then went on to sit on a balcony holding their son and asked: ‘Haven’t you forgotten something?
Billingham is also alleged to have headbutted the ex-partner in the face and bothered her for two years after they broke up.
Forensic psychiatrist Philip Joseph, who assessed Billingham, told Brmingham Crown Court that the killer did not become distressed during their discussions.
Dr Joseph said of Billingham’s account of the events surrounding the killing: ‘He told me that had not been sleeping too well, had poor finances and was stressed at Christmas.
‘He didn’t show features of anxiety or depression in his thinking. He has a particular difficulty in coping with the end of relationships and is likely to behave in an aggressive and intimidating manner.’
The balcony incident could be considered as a ‘pointer’ towards the defendant’s difficulties, and his apparent willingness to use children to ‘get back’ at a former partner, Dr Joseph said.
‘I disagree with the notion that he would need to be extremely unwell to do this,’ Dr Joseph said of Billingham’s decision to stab Mylee. ‘People can kill when they are not mentally unwell.’
Ms Taundry saw her ex take their daughter back into the house with a knife, the court heard
Asked for his view on the possible motivation for the killing, Mr Colclough said: ‘Tracey had embarked on a new relationship. This is a relationship she was open and honest about.
‘It’s our view that actually Billingham was not as happy with that situation as he’d made out. Whether that be through jealousy … he decided on that evening to take actions into his own hands.’
The trial was told that Miss Taundry was outside Billingham’s address for a number of minutes, not knowing what was taking place inside.
Mr Colclough said: ‘The 999 call is a terrible thing to listen to. Tracey was beside herself with concern.
‘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.’
Miss Taundry had taken great comfort from support from the Brownhills community, but she and other family members were absolutely devastated by Mylee’s death, the officer said.
He added: ‘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.’
During the trial, jurors were told how Billingham had increasingly grown jealous of his ex’s new relationship and feared losing his children.
He sent Tracey messages speaking about Lindsey in crude terms saying: ”I wouldn’t f**k it but I wouldn’t fight it either’.
Billingham also sent Tracey photographs of him wearing her bra and knickers with the caption: ”Your new knickers which I have broken in for you and Lindsey.
‘You might want to wash them.’
But matters came to a head on the evening of January 20, when Tracey went to collect Mylee from Billingham’s bungalow.
Chilling footage from earlier in the day was also played to the jury showing Mylee laughing and joking with her father in a shop just two hours before he killed her.
But later on Billingham flew into a rage and threatened to kill Tracey telling her ‘I’m going to slice your neck off you dirty lesbian’ – before stabbing Mylee.
Tracey watched on in horror as Mylee was dragged to her death before she frantically called 999 and told operators: ‘He’s got my baby.’
The court heard how Billingham had placed his hand over crying Mylee’s mouth as she tried to defend herself before he stabbed her ‘straight through’ her body.
A police officer wept in the witness box as she described to jurors finding Mylee lying in a pool of blood still in her pyjamas with her father on top of her.
Prosecutor Karim Khalil QC said: ‘It was a violent, jealous rage. The killing is most likely explained by the jealousy mixed with the rage that he felt towards Tracey and her new partner.’
Billingham was also taken to hospital after he stabbed himself twice in the liver and tried to cut his own throat.
He had told police he never meant to cause Mylee any harm and had wanted to ‘protect her from the internet’ so she could ‘remain a child.’
He admitted to officers he stabbed his daughter to death but claimed he could not remember doing so.
But his version of events was rejected by the jury and he was convicted this afternoon in front of relatives who called out ‘yes’ from the public gallery as the guilty verdicts came back.
Billingham was also found guilty of making threats to kill his former partner.
People laid tributes at the scene after the eight-year-old died. Her father denied murdering the little girl
Killer father sent vile text messages to his ex-partner before brutally stabbing their eight-year-old daughter to death
Billingham sent toxic, vitriolic texts to his ex
An earlier court hearing heard how Billingham sent bitter, toxic messages to Tracey Taundry.
Prosecutor Karim Khalil QC, told jurors how Billgingham’s jealousy ‘was merely in abeyance’ and he sent ‘direct and sometimes unpleasant text messages’ referencing Ms Taundry’s relationship with Lindsey.
He said: ‘He spoke about her in crude terms. I wouldn’t f*** it but I wouldn’t fight it either’. On December 12 he took photographs of her knickers. He sent the photos to her.
‘The following day, December 13, he took photos of himself dressed in her knickers and bra. He texted ‘your new knickers which I have broken in for you and Lindsey. You might want to wash them’.’
Jurors heard Billingham lied to Ms Taundry about being outside her home and began secretly recording their conversations on his phone.
Mylee Billingham’s mother Tracey Taundry holding a doll as she arrived at the funeral of the eight-year-old in April
Mr Khalil said: ‘He was again winding her up, trying to intimidate. It’s a sure sign he had become increasingly obsessed and possessive towards her.
‘He is plainly using emotional manipulation. He texted ‘you are f***ing, so what? Let me finish you. I want you to f*** me before school’.’
Mr Kalil added: ‘This is not a man suffering from depression. This is a man absolutely determined to have his own way. He wasn’t going to let her go.’