Mylee Billingham: Father 'dragged daughter before killing her'

An eight-year-old girl called for her mother and shouted "no daddy" as she was dragged into a house by her father who murdered her moments later, a court heard.

Mylee Billingham suffered a fatal knife wound to her chest at her father's home near Walsall on 20 January.

William Billingham, 55, stabbed her as her mother dialled 999 from outside, Birmingham Crown Court heard.

Mr Billingham, of Valley View, Brownhills, denies murder.

Outlining events after the stabbing, prosecutor Karim Khalil QC told the court the defendant, a father of six, spoke only about his own welfare as police tried to revive his daughter.

Mr Billingham also denies making a threat to kill Mylee's mother, and his ex-partner, Tracey Taundry who had earlier arrived at his home to collect her daughter.

Giving evidence, Miss Taundry said she had gone to get Mylee, who felt unwell, from Mr Billingham who was "jittery in the mouth but normal".

As she waited at the front door for her daughter to collect a bag, she spotted a knife in her ex-boyfriend's hand before he held it to her throat, she told the jury.

"He said 'I'm going to kill you'. I started running backwards, away from the house... I slipped," she added.

She then saw Mr Billingham take hold of Mylee by her coat hood and drag her towards the bungalow.

"All the time Mylee was shouting 'mummy, mummy' and 'please daddy, no daddy, stop it'," Mr Khalil said.

Miss Taundry tried to get back into the property but was unable to and, as she shouted to her daughter, she dialled 999.

A transcript of the call was read out in court.

"He's got my baby inside," Miss Taundry said to the call handler. "Please, he's making her scream. I can hear her.

"He's off his head. I think he's had a drink... She wanted to come home. She was screaming 'please daddy don't, I want my mummy."

Police were able to gain entry quickly, the trial was told, and were confronted with a "terrible" scene.

The jury heard Mylee was stabbed with a 20cm kitchen knife and a pathologist believed severe force was used to inflict the wound, which "penetrated the entire depth of her chest from front to back".

The trial continues on Thursday.