Birmingham stabbing victim, 23, confirmed as Sheffield Hallam University employee

Jacob Billington, 23, worked as a library intern at the university, where he had also completed a degree. He was visiting a friend in Birmingham with a group from his home city of Liverpool when he was attacked.

A major incident was declared after eight people were stabbed in the city centre in 90 minutes. A man has since been arrested.

Jacob was also a keen drummer who belonged to a band.

A Sheffield Hallam University spokesperson said: “As a university community we are deeply saddened to learn that a member of our staff was a victim of the major incident in Birmingham over the weekend.

“Jacob was a Sheffield Hallam graduate and had joined the library as a graduate intern, where his warmth and enthusiasm made him a greatly valued member of our team.

“Our thoughts and condolences are with his family, friends and colleagues at this very difficult time.

“We are providing support to those in our community who have been affected by this tragic incident.”

His friend and bandmate Michael Callaghan, also 23, was seriously injured in the attack.

Both men had previously attended Sacred Heart Catholic College in Crosby, where prayers were said on Monday evening for their families.

In a statement the school said: “We are saddened at the events in Birmingham which took Jacob’s life and left Michael critically injured.”

It added: “We are praying for Michael’s recovery and will never forget Jacob, his life touched so many in our school.”

West Midlands Police chief constable David Thompson also hit back at what he described as 'ill-informed criticism' over the amount of time it had taken for officers to respond to the incident, despite the suspect's rampage lasting for an hour and a half.

The head of the force said there would be a 'time and place to the review the actions' of police following the attacks.

But he said: “Engaging in an ill-informed critique of this investigation, particularly at such an early stage, is both unhelpful and simply makes the job of the police harder.”

Khalid Mahmood, the Labour MP for Birmingham Perry Barr, said in The Times: “Potentially, had the alarm been set up early enough, the individual who is now deceased could have been saved.”

There has also been criticism from the public about the time taken to issue CCTV images of the suspect before his arrest.

Three people remain in hospital with critical injuries, including a man who was stabbed in Livery Street at 12.40am, and a woman who was knifed in Hurst Street.

Four others, three men and a woman, were also injured in the attacks, which began with a stabbing on Constitution Hill north of the city centre, at about 12.30am, and ended with incidents in Hurst Street at about 2am.

A 27-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murder and seven counts of attempted murder following the string of knife attacks remains in custody.

He was detained at an address in the Selly Oak area of the city at 4am on Monday.

Chief Superintendent Steve Graham, of West Midlands Police, said: “It’s utterly shocking that a friends’ reunion should end so brutally.”

He said detectives were working to establish what led to the 'apparently random attacks', adding there was no suggestion of a racial, gang-related or homophobic motive.

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