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Mylee Billingham: Murder accused father kicked out at police giving him first aid, court told

William Billingham denies murdering Mylee Billingham and making a threat to kill her mother, Tracey Taundry.

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Mylee Billingham

A father accused of murdering his eight-year-old daughter kicked out at a police constable giving him first aid for self-inflicted wounds, a court has heard.

William Billingham allegedly remained silent and offered no help to police officers who found him “whimpering” and lying across Mylee Billingham, who had suffered a fatal stab wound.

On the third day of a trial at Birmingham Crown Court, Pc Stacey Banbery described how she and a colleague entered Billingham’s bungalow in Brownhills, near Walsall, after finding a door key in the letterbox.

Jurors heard that Pc Banbery and Pc Samantha Gray saw Mylee on the kitchen floor and kicked away a blood-stained knife, which was about ten inches from Billingham’s head.

The officer, who took hold of Billingham by the hoodie and dragged him off Mylee, told the court: “I said ‘what’s happened?’ and ‘tell me what you have done’.”

Mylee Billingham funeral
Mylee Billingham’s mother Tracey Taundry held a doll at the funeral of the eight-year-old (Aaron Chown/PA)

Describing how she treated Billingham while another constable tried to revive Mylee, Pc Banbery added: “When I was speaking to him his eyes were flickering and every so often he would open his eyes and look at me, but when he saw that I was looking back he would close them again.”

Telling jurors that at one point the 55-year-old father-of-six had kicked out at her, the officer said: “When I dragged him into the living room, he then started resisting.

“He had got control over his arms and I felt that he could control his body.”

Asked by prosecutor Karim Khalil QC if Billingham had responded verbally or tried to help officers, Pc Banbery said: “He wasn’t trying to assist in any way. I never heard his voice.”

In a statement read to the jury by Mr Khalil, paramedic Mark Smith, who also gave medical help to Billingham at the scene, said: “Over the period of time I was treating him, he was saying the odd word but the odd words didn’t make sense other than COPD.

“I believe he was making a reference to a respiratory condition.”

CCTV footage of Billingham and Mylee visiting a local Costcutter store about two hours before the fatal stabbing were also shown to jurors on Thursday.

Billingham, appearing in the dock in a grey top, covered his eyes with his hands and leaned forward in his seat as the footage was played.

Jurors have been told that the defendant and Mylee entered the shop at 6.53pm and left shortly before 7pm.

Police attended reports of Billingham wielding a knife after a 999 call made at 9.14pm.

Billingham, of Valley View, Brownhills, denies murdering Mylee and making a threat to kill her mother, Tracey Taundry, as she arrived to take her home.

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