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FOOTBALLER DUE IN COURT Wolves soccer star Adam Proudlock is to appear in court charged with affray after an alleged incident in Newport. The 20-year-old Wolverhampton Wanderers striker was arrested in connection with an incident in the Shropshire town during the Christmas period. The footballer, who has recently been sidelined through injury, is due to appear before magistrates in Telford. NON-CATHOLIC LEADS ABUSE PROBE A non-Catholic has been named as the head of the Catholic Church's new Birmingham-based national organisation to stamp out sex abuse. Eileen Shearer will head the Catholic Office for the Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults (COPCA). Ms Shearer has a 25-year career in children's services, including 16 years working for the NSPCC. NEW SOFTWARE TO CATCH THIEVES Police in Birmingham are making use of a sophisticated piece of software that enables CCTV cameras to read vehicle number plates. The system allows officers to check number plates against vehicles known to have been involved in crimes. So far the database has led to the arrest of three people for a suspected armed robbery. COUNCIL DISMAY AT GIPSY RULING Council chiefs in Warwickshire have expressed dismay after a court ruled that travellers living near Nuneaton can stay there for the time being. Walsall County Court has quashed key elements of a Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council injunction that gipsies had unlawfully occupied a site. A public inquiry will decide if the Bulkington site should be cleared. POLICE VOW ON KERB-CRAWLERS West Midlands Police say they will take full advantage of stringent laws against kerb-crawlers after arresting a man in north Edgbaston, Birmingham. Officers are making use of legislation which came into effect last October that made the offence arrestable. The man arrested in the notorious hang-out for prostitutes will appear before Birmingham Magistrates' Court. VANDALS ATTACK 20 GRAVESTONES The rector of a Birmingham church says families have been left devastated after vandals desecrated gravestones. Father Robert Warren, of St Lawrence's Church, Northfield, said 20 graves were smashed up by vandals. West Midlands Police have launched an investigation to find those responsible for the damage at the church, which is one of Birmingham's oldest. COUNCIL BACKS PENSION CAMPAIGN Stoke City Council has thrown its weight behind a campaign for a £5bn pension surplus to be given back to retired miners. Council chief Barry Stockley has called on the Chancellor of the Exchequer for the cash to be distributed rather than remain in Treasury coffers. The Coalfield Communities Campaign believes the fund has been in surplus. SINGER'S DREAMS STILL ALIVE Birmingham singer Hayley Evetts' dreams of becoming Britain's Pop Idol have moved a step closer after she made it to the final five of the contest. The 25-year-old from Quinton won praise from the panel for her performance when she was first up on the ITV1 show. The eventual winner, voted by the public, will receive a recording contract with a major record company. ICY TREK FOR CHARITY FUNDS A University of Birmingham researcher has raised hundreds of pounds for research into meningitis after completing a half-marathon in Siberia. Doug Richards, 53, from Redditch, is a pharmacology research fellow at the medical school, and is set to raise £700 for the Meningitis Trust. The race was run around the city of Omsk and through icy forest trails. VEHICLE SURGERY IN STIRCHLEY Police from the Kings Heath operational command unit are to hold a vehicle surgery in a bid to cut down on car crime in the Stirchley area of Birmingham. Officers will be at the Focus Do It All car park on Ashtree Road, Stirchley, on Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 January from 9am to 5pm. "We'd like as many residents and shoppers as possible to come along and see us, " said Sergeant David Lamerton. "This will be a perfect opportunity for locals to speak to officers about any issues of concern." Police will offer free vehicle etching, advice on car security and Halfords will have a display offering people a selection of discount vouchers for car security products. Sgt Lamerton added: "I would urge members of the public to be more vigilant and purchase approved car security products such as crook locks where possible. People shouldn't leave personal belongings in full view and should always lock their cars even when away for only a few minutes." Anyone with information about car crime should contact their local police station or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. CALL FOR LAW ON POTTERY LABELS Stoke-on-Trent City Council is calling on the Government to clarify the law on stamping pottery as "Made In England". The council wants new laws to cover instances when much of the manufacturing process is carried out abroad but finished in England. Officials assembled evidence against a Staffordshire pottery firm on the issue but were advised not to pursue it. BUSINESS CHIEFS 'DISAPPOINTED' Business leaders in the West Midlands have reacted with disappointment to the news that the SRA's original plans for rail investment could be "scaled back". Carolyn Hannah, CBI director for the region, said: "We are very disappointed that the investment is not likely to be available within the next decade." He added: "We are not just a region, but a national crossroads." APPEAL OVER SEX ATTACK ON BOY Detectives have appealed for information after a teenage schoolboy was subjected to a serious sex attack in Worcestershire. The victim, whose exact age has not been released, was attacked in a toilet block at the bus station in Market Street, Bromsgrove. Police are urgently appealing for two people seen nearby to come forward. WARNING OVER MACHINE SAFETY The Health and Safety Executive has warned manufacturers over machinery safety after a Kidderminster firm was fined £45,000. Carpets of Kidderminster Ltd was found guilty of breaching health and safety at work laws at Worcester Crown Court. The company was investigated after an accident involving a yarn reeling machine in December. STRIKER IN COURT OVER BRAWL Wolverhampton Wanderers' striker Adam Proudlock has appeared in court in connection with an alleged brawl in his home town of Newport in Shropshire. The 20-year-old former England under-16 is charged with committing affray in December. A plea has not been entered. Proudlock and two others were remanded on bail to reappear before Telford magistrates on January 28. FOOTBALLER 'REFUSED TESTS' Wolves footballer Mark Kennedy twice refused a breath test after being arrested on suspected drink-driving charges, a court has been told. Northwich magistrates heard that the player had been "waiting to speak to a solicitor" before giving a specimen. Kennedy, from Cheshire, denies failing to provide a breath specimen. The case has been adjourned until February 1. JOB THREATS AT LAND ROVER Land Rover is threatening to lay off thousands of workers in Solihull and suspend production of the Discovery in a row with receivers at a supplier. The firm is in dispute with auditors KPMG acting for insolvent chassis supplier, UPF-Thompson. KPMG are said to have demanded payments of £45m which Land Rover says is in breach of existing contracts. 270 COOKER JOBS THREATENED Around 270 jobs are under threat at kitchen equipment firm Aga Foodservice in Leamington Spa as it prepares to reshuffle its manufacturing business. The group is considering pulling out of production of eye-level and slot-in gas cookers and focusing on prestige units. Aga employs 800 staff at its Leamington Spa site, out of a total workforce of 3,000 in the UK and the US. COMEDIAN STANLEY UNWIN DIES Stanley Unwin, the comedian who made an art of talking nonsense, has died in Daventry aged 90. The former BBC engineer, who invented his own nonsense language, Unwinese, died peacefully at the Dantre hospital. Professor Unwin, as he became affectionately known to the public, found fame in the 1940s and 1950s on BBC radio and later television. NEW JOBCENTRE STAFF ON STRIKE Workers at a new-style job centre in Birmingham are staging a strike in a long-running row over safety. The recently-opened £3m JobCentre Plus office aims to deliver advice and benefit help under one roof. But members of the Public and Commercial Services Union have walked out, claiming the removal of safety screens puts staff at risk. FEBRUARY RE-LAUNCH FOR WALSALL FM Walsall FM - which enjoyed a successful first trial broadcast in August 2001 - returns to the town's airwaves from Monday February 25th to Sunday March 24th. The new frequency will be confirmed by the Radio Authority after February 1st. The station - run by the Walsall Independent Broadcasting Company - will again operate from studios at The Quality Boundary Hotel on the Birmingham Road. All the presenters who proved so popular in the recent transmission will be back and there are interesting schedule developments on both ends of the experience scale. Steve Welch formerly with The Wolf in Wolverhampton will host several midweek late shows whilst 14 year old Bloxwich schoolboy David Salt is elevated from the youth team to present his own programme 'Salt without Pepper' on a Sunday evening at 7pm with local 'What's On' information and celebrity gossip linked with David's music choice. The Sports output will be well represented from 2pm on both Saturday and Sunday with evening coverage of Walsall matches where required. Community issues will be given time and attention as part of the Sunday schedules with a dedicated slot presented by Walsall College lecturer Joy Bennett-Broad plus the youth programme 'Turn it up!'. The day time mainstream presentation team from monday to Friday is re-confirmed as Lee Fry and Julie Liviabella with the Breakfast show from 6am to 10am; Steve Pigott from 10am to mid-day; Pete Cheney with his 'Light Lunch' from noon to 3pm; and David Salmon with Drivetime from 3pm until six. The Walsal Independent Broadcasting Company have registered their intent with the radio Authority to seek a full licence for the town based on the criteria of quality broadcasting which reflects the diversity of the Walsall community. NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH AWARDS RECOGNISE EXCELLENT SCHEMES Top Neighbourhood Watch schemes from across the West Midlands have been recognised in an awards ceremony which was attended by the Chief Constable, Sir Edward Crew. The awards, which took place on Friday (Jan 11) at the Travel West Midlands - The Stadium Club, Wheelers Lane, Kings Heath, Birmingham, honoured many of the region's finest campaigners for better neighbourhoods. Awards presented included: Neighbourhood Watch Association awards, Neighbourhood Watch Coordinator award, Neighbourhood Watch Member award, Police award, Chief Constable's award for Young People, and the Chief Constable's Neighbourhood Watch award. Two winners who both came out on top were Mrs Joanne Stonier, who took the Neighbourhood Watch Coordinator award and the Chief Constable's Neighbourhood Watch award for her work in the Bushbury Hill area of Wolverhampton working mainly with drug issues in the community. Her most recent success was helping a local 17 year old to get off heroin, gain employment and be brave enough to talk in front of others to show the positive effect of Joanne's work. Also awarded was Mrs Maureen Meehan, whose work with the Gravelly Hill and Slade Road Neighbourhood Watch Association in Erdington won her two awards; the Neighbourhood Watch Association award and an extra commendation from the National Neighbourhood Watch Association. Her work has involved initiatives in bringing down crime in the local area and reducing fear of crime for local residents. Chief Constable Sir Edward Crew, said at the awards: "Neighbourhood Watch is such a valuable part of the local community which can often get overlooked. We need to all make sure that Neighbourhood Watch schemes keep developing. To all those here, keep up the good work!" BUDDING STARS BID TO BE "TOP OF THE COPS" Dozens of pop wannabes from across the UK travelled to West Midlands Police headquarters in Birmingham to take part in the "Cop Idol" charity event. The talented 16 to 26-year-olds performed before a panel of police judges to try and win a place on the entertainment bill. Darren Yates, organiser of the charity event said: "We auditioned some great singers who had travelled from as far as Glasgow, Cleveland and Leeds to take part. It was very tough trying to decide who went through to the next round". The judges selected 25 budding showbiz stars who will now go through to the second stage of auditions on Friday 8 February. The contestants will then be whittled down to a final line-up of 10 who will perform on "Top of the Cops" - a special charity show to be hosted by BRMB's Les Ross at the Tally Ho! police conference centre in May. All proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to the Marie Curie Cancer Care organisation. An agent, manager, record company representative and the audience will decide who is the best performer at "Top of the Cops". The winner will be given the chance to work with a songwriter and bring out a record. MINISTER WARNS FAILING COUNCIL Walsall Council has been threatened with the possibility of Government intervention after a report highlighted "deep-seated" failings in performance. Leaders are being summoned by Local Government Minister Nick Raynsford following an Audit Commission report detailing "significant weaknesses". Mr Raynsford warned the council poor performance will not be tolerated. 300 JOBS MAY GO IF PLANT CLOSES Precious metal-to-catalyst group Johnson Matthey is considering closing a Staffordshire site which may lead to more than 300 job losses, it has said. The group said it is considering closing one of its colours and coatings sites, based in Meir, Stoke-on-Trent. The site makes products for the tablewear market, but the sector has suffered a slump in demand. TEACHER FACES NEW WATCHDOG A Shrewsbury teacher is to appear at the first professional conduct hearing held by the General Teaching Council since it assumed the role of watchdog. John Anthony Cole, 54, resigned as a maths teacher from The Grange School after misconduct allegations. The Birmingham hearing is the first by the GTC as it carries out a role akin to that of the General Medical Council. PREGNANT WOMAN RAPED IN STREET A pregnant woman has been raped by one of three men who attacked her in a street in Coventry city centre. The victim, who is four months pregnant, was attacked on Monday evening as she walked underneath the inner ring road at Ringway Hillcross. Police said the incident occurred as the 23-year-old local woman walked away from the city centre. VANDALS DAMAGE MEMORIAL GARDEN Vandals have caused £1,000 of damage to a memorial garden in Kidderminster dedicated to 12 pupils and a teacher who died in a crash. The St Ambrose's Roman Catholic Primary School garden commemorates the Hagley Roman Catholic High School children who died in a minibus accident in 1993. The garden was funded by the parent-teacher association and parents. COURT TOLD FATHER WAS BITTEN The father of an England rugby player was bitten on the face as he lay on the ground after being punched and kicked, Birmingham Crown Court has heard. Peter Cohen, 58, collapsed after a fight broke out in the nightclub he ran in Northampton. He died a month later. Three men deny killing Mr Cohen whose son, Ben, plays rugby for England and Northampton Saints. ARSON ATTACK INVESTIGATED West Midlands Police are conducting an investigation into an arson attack on a newsagent's in Walsall. Fire swept through Badhans News, Green Lane, while the owner Sukhiwinder Kumar was counting his takings. Mr Kumar was not hurt in the incident, police said. The blaze forced the closure of the shop and is being treated as a possible racist attack by West Midlands Police. DEPARTMENT STORE TO EXPAND Department store chain Debenhams is to open a branch in Redditch as it focuses on expansion after a surge in sales. Debenhams reported a positive start to 2002, with like-for-like sales slightly ahead of expectations. Debenhams, which has 97 stores across the UK, said all of its outlets had performed well and all major product categories had seen "strong growth". EXPERTS ADVISE ON AFGHANISTAN Experts from the University of Birmingham have been called up to give advice on the formation of an interim government in Afghanistan. Governance Resource Centre researchers have been asked to provide information for the Department for International Development, led by Clare Short MP. The information is being used at the United Nations talks in Bonn, Germany. POLICE CLAMP DOWN ON UNLICENSED VEHICLES Police in West Birmingham have joined forces with the DVLA to target car crime using a database which will indicate whether a particular vehicle is unregistered or has been involved in a crime. Any vehicles confirmed to be breaking the law will be clamped and then taken to a secure pound. Owners will be charged £80 fee to remove the clamp and also a surety of £120 to cover any tax owed to the DVLA before the vehicle is returned. Police Constable Ian Barton from Winson Green police station, said: "We have identified several vehicles in this area that are breaking the law in one way or another, and by working in partnership with the DVLA, we can ensure that owners are forced to rectify the problem. "Our main aim is to keep the streets safe for members of the public who legally own and use their vehicles." The operation will run Monday 14 and Tuesday 15 January in the Winson Green area with up to ten officers both patrolling on foot and using the mobile CCTV van. Three DVLA operators and vehicle will also be utilised. CITY JOBLESS 'TWICE UK AVERAGE' Unemployment in Birmingham is still running at more than twice the UK's national average, the city's Economic Information Centre has revealed. The seasonally-adjusted claimant count fell by just over 300 last month. Economic adviser Sandy Taylor said: "The adjusted rate for Birmingham also fell slightly to 7.3% but this is still more than double the national rate." £221,000 FOR DISTRICT SOCCER A project aimed at revitalising the roots of soccer in Sandwell is to receive a £221,000 grant from the Football Foundation. The Foundation said the cash was to back a move by the West Bromwich Albion Football in the Community scheme, which aims to involve 60 schools. The body is funded by the Premiership, FA, Sport England and the Government. TEACHER 'SWORE AT PUPILS' A teacher who allegedly swore at pupils at a Shrewsbury school and tried to undermine colleagues is the first to go before a new standards watchdog. John Cole, 54, who resigned from The Grange School after misconduct allegations, appeared before a General Teaching Council panel in Birmingham. He was accused of having sworn in both maths and RE lessons. MAN'S JAW BROKEN IN RACE ATTACK An Asian man suffered a broken jaw when he was attacked by four white men in Birmingham in what police described as a racially-motivated attack. The 20-year-old victim was hit across the face with an iron bar when he was set upon in Chattaway Street, Nechells. A West Midlands Police spokesman said: "This incident was unprovoked and gratuitously violent." JAPANESE STORE TO OPEN BRANCHES Japanese clothes store Uniqlo is to create 400 jobs and open 10 new shops, with branches in the West Midlands, during the first half of this year. Shop openings in the region are scheduled for Solihull and Merryhill, near Wolverhampton. Uniqlo is a new arrival on the UK high street, although the company has more than 550 stores in Japan. ONE DEAD, ONE INJURED IN CRASH A Staffordshire man has been injured in a road accident in Leicestershire in which another man was killed. Tim Cotterall, 37, from Tamworth, was taken to hospital after his Vauxhall Astra was involved in a collision with another car on the B4114 at Croft. The driver of the other car, a Renault 21, suffered fatal injuries. He has not yet been named. MEP SUPPORTS NEW PRESIDENT West Midlands MEP Liz Lynne has backed the new president of the European Parliament after he pledged to make the institution more democratic. Ms Lynne said she is delighted that Irishman Pat Cox has vowed to introduce reform of the Parliament. She said: "I greatly welcome Pat Cox's focus on making the Parliament more democratic and more open." GIRL INJURED IN COLLISION A 14-year-old girl is fighting for her life in hospital after she was in collision with a van while crossing a road in West Bromwich. The teenager, from the Wednesbury area, is in a critical condition at Birmingham's Diana, Princess of Wales Children's Hospital, police said. The girl suffered a head injury in the incident in Walsall Road, Stone Cross. DEPARTMENT STORE'S NEW BRANCH Discount department store chain Big W is to open an outlet in Birmingham in March, creating more than 250 jobs. The company, part of the Woolworths Group, is investing £7m in its site on the St Andrew's Retail Park in Small Heath, a spokesman said. The new shop, stocking more than 55,000 product lines, will open in March and be the 14th Big W store in Britain. CRIME LEVELS FLUCTUATING Burglaries and car crime have fallen in Wolverhampton but incidenfs of domestic violence and racial harassment have increased, according to a report. The Wolverhampton Crime Audit 2001 was carried out to identify the crime and community safety concerns of residents and to measure city crime levels. A council spokesman said the findings for the city reflected national trends. FEAR FOR WORKING CLASS STUDENTS Wolverhampton University has the highest number of working class students on its roll, a survey claims. The figure came as the National Audit Office claimed working class students are leaving university with more debt than their wealthier counterparts. The body said more should be done to help with costs and universities should help students find part-time work 'HANDBOOK USED TO MAKE BOMBS' Two men plotted to cause explosions using home-made devices built using a "terrorist's handbook", Birmingham Crown Court has been told. It was claimed Moinul Abedin, 31, and Dr Faisal Mostafa, 37, both Muslims, bought materials for bombs but were foiled by a security forces operation. Abedin, of Birmingham, and Mostafa, of Stockport, deny charges against them. MAN 'MURDERED VULNERABLE OAPs' A 29-year-old man murdered two men in their 80s during a series of attacks on the homes of vulnerable pensioners, Birmingham Crown Court has heard. Andrew Simon Aston attacked 28 elderly people, two of whom later died, during a violent campaign, prosecutors said. Aston, formerly of the city's Station Road, denies murdering George Dale and Francis Hobley, and other charges. CITY CALLS FOR NAMESAKE VESSEL Coventry's Lord Mayor has called for a new Royal Navy ship to be named after the city after the decommissioning of its seafaring namesake. The last HMS Coventry was one of the final Type 22 frigates to be built and the sixth ship to bear the city's name. Lord Mayor Dave Chater said: "It would be the end of a proud tradition if this was the last ship with our name." RADICAL PLANS FOR MOTORWAY The region's busiest motorway, the M6, could be widened in places and drivers forced to pay tolls, it has emerged. Consultants working on the West Midlands to North-West Conurbations Multi-Modal Study have recommended the measures to ease congestion. Proposals include the widening of the M6 between junctions 11a and 20 to four lanes and the introduction of tolls. ROAD PLANS CRITICISED Environmental group Friends of the Earth has attacked Government proposals to widen the M6 and construct the Birmingham Northern Relief Road. It has criticised a new study's emphasis on road building rather than other, more integrated solutions for the region's towns and cities. FoE also expressed disappointment at a proposed road toll scheme. WORKER CRUSHED AT WATER PLANT A man has died after he was apparently crushed under a consignment of steel at a water treatment plant near Lichfield. The victim, who has not yet been identified, suffered serious head and chest injuries in the accident at the Seedy Mill site. A spokesman said the accident was believed to have taken place as the steel was being unloaded at the plant. RATES REBEL, 83, MADE BANKRUPT A Worcestershire pensioner locked in a fight on non-payment of business rates is to be made bankrupt, it has emerged. The order was made against Nellie Copson, 83, who refused to pay rates on her derelict High Street shop in Droitwich Spa, since 1999. The district council won a bankruptcy bid at Worcester County Court and is waiting to receive £1,644 the OAP owes. SCHOOL PRAISED BY TORY LEADER Britain's largest comprehensive school has been praised by Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith in a visit to Birmingham. Mr Duncan Smith said Great Barr School, which has nearly 2,500 pupils on roll and more than 150 teachers, had a "real sense of direction." The Conservative made his remarks in a speech to business leaders after his visit to the school in Aldridge Road. POLICE IN COURT ON DRUG CHARGES Three Derbyshire and Notts police officers appeared in Leicester Crown Court on charges of supplying and possessing drugs. Derbyshire Sgt David Redfern, 40, is charged with possession and supply of cocaine and cannabis, and perverting the course of justice. Sgt Mark Jennison, 40, and PC Heather Bossart, 39, also faced drugs charges.
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