Mylee Billingham murder: Dad jailed for 27 years

A controlling man who murdered his eight-year-old daughter in an act of revenge against his ex-partner has been jailed for a minimum of 27 years.

William Billingham, 55, stabbed Mylee to death with a kitchen knife at his home near Walsall on 20 January.

Judge Paul Farrer QC told him it was an act of "revenge" which was "driven by jealousy and anger".

Mylee's mum, Tracey Taundry said her daughter was "taken by a man who was supposed to protect and care for her."

Unemployed factory worker Billingham was convicted of murder and making a threat to kill Miss Taundry.

"How can I ever explain how the murder of my beautiful daughter - 'Smiley Mylee' - has affected me, her sisters and her immediate family?," Miss Taundry said.

"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. None of us will ever get over what has happened."

The jury at Birmingham Crown Court heard Billingham "turned his anger" on Mylee after Miss Taundry began a relationship with a woman.

Judge Farrer said he "killed her in order to cause pain to her mother".

"As such, 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 judge added.

Billingham opted not to give evidence during the trial and claimed he had no memory of stabbing Mylee.

He claimed he was guilty of the lesser offence of manslaughter due to depression.

Jurors deliberated for about 80 minutes before unanimously convicting him on Monday.

The trial had heard how Billingham, who had six children with three women, produced a knife when Miss Taundry arrived at his home to pick up their daughter.

She said she heard the "tink" of the blade as she waited for Mylee to get a bag from inside.

He then told Miss Taundry "I'm going to kill you" before dragging Mylee back inside as she screamed "mummy, mummy" and "please daddy, no daddy, stop it", prosecutors said.

The court heard accounts from two former partners about Billingham's history of violence.

Forensic psychiatrist Philip Joseph told jurors: "He has a particular difficulty in coping with the end of relationships and is likely to behave in an aggressive and intimidating manner."

Billingham was convicted of causing actual bodily harm in 1990 for an attack on his then girlfriend. He was also cautioned in 2007 after Mylee's mother alleged he slapped her in the face.

As well as his sentence for murder, he was given a concurrent two-year sentence for making a threat to kill Miss Taundry while holding the knife to her neck.

Billingham's barrister Balraj Bhatia said the killer had been verbally abused in the cells before being brought to court.

"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," he said.

"This court will punish him in terms of years. His punishment - to use his own words - is that he is still breathing."