Dad ‘stabbed girl to death in a jealous rage after her mum left him for a woman’
A FATHER stabbed his eightyear-old daughter to death in jealous fury after her mother left him for another woman, a court heard yesterday.
William Billingham, 55, is accused of knifing little Mylee Billingham once through the chest when his ex-partner came to collect her from his home on January 20.
A court heard he used a kitchen knife to stab the defenceless schoolgirl after he argued with Tracey Taundry about her new relationship.
Billingham, a father-of-six, had moved out of the home he shared with Ms Taundry, 34, a month earlier after finding “flirty” text messages on her phone, jurors were told.
He became increasingly hostile when he found out she had a new female partner, and was said to have hacked into Ms Taundry’s Facebook account to read her private messages, the court heard.
On the night before Mylee’s death, she and Billingham had slept over at the home of one of his older daughters where they enjoyed a takeaway.
But he is accused of plunging the blade into the chest of “defenceless” Mylee the next morning, before allegedly threatening to kill Ms Taundry, who fled the scene.
Emergency services were called to the property in Brownhills, near Walsall, West Midlands, at 9.15am and rushed the youngster to hospital, where she died.
Unemployed Billingham went on trial yesterday at Birmingham Crown Court, where he denied murder. Karim Khalil QC, prosecuting, told the jury in his opening statement: “This is a particularly distressing case. Mylee Billingham was the defendant’s daughter – she was trusting of him and defenceless.
“He stabbed her to death by plunging a kitchen knife into her chest when she was alone with him in his house.”
Billingham claims he cannot remember what happened.
His brother Mark is an instructor on Channel 4’s SAS: Who Dares Wins, who spent 27 years in the special forces unit.
He has been awarded an MBE, won the Queen’s Commendation for Bravery and was a private bodyguard for Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Tom Cruise.
The trial continues.