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BOY KILLED IN BICYCLE ACCIDENT A 14-year-old was killed when he crashed his bicycle into a parked car and was thrown through the rear windscreen of the vehicle near Dudley. West Midlands Police said Thomas Joseph Hickinbottom, from Netherton, died from his injuries after colliding with an unattended Mercedes Vaneo. The accident happened in Church Street, Brierley Hill, the spokesman said. DOCTOR RETURNS TO POST A gynaecologist cautioned by police for downloading child pornography has been reinstated at a hospital in Stoke-on-Trent. Charles Redman, 46, admitted accessing a pornography website. Dr Redman was placed on the Sex Offenders' Register, but has returned to his £80,000-a-year post at North Staffordshire Hospital. GREEK POLICE QUIZ HOLIDAY REPS A Birmingham man is one of two British holiday reps to be arrested in the Greek resort of Faliraki. Police have got tough following last week's fatal bar brawl. The reps are accused of encouraging binge-drinking. First Choice Holidays said their rep Thomas Battista, 31, was questioned by police about the activities of sunseekers in his care. £101,000 FOR CCTV CAMERAS Birmingham Chamber Of Commerce and Industry has allocated £101,000 to install CCTV cameras in premises in the Aston area of the city. Forty internal cameras are to be fitted at businesses in Aston in an attempt to ease a problem that companies have identified as a top priority. Businesses have been concerned over the amount of crime in the area. SOCCER CLUB JOINS DRUG SCHEME Birmingham City FC have teamed up with West Midlands Police to encourage young people to steer clear of drugs. The Kick Drugs Into Touch campaign will involve initiatives, including visits to local schools and events, and could be expanded to other clubs in the area. Pc Tony Baker said: "The aim of the partnership is to educate young people and help keep them away from drugs." BOY DROWNS IN SEA TRAGEDY A 10-year-old boy from Staffordshire has died in hospital after getting into difficulties in the sea at a Lincolnshire resort. Liam Geary, from Burton-upon-Trent, was airlifted to hospital in Grimsby after passers-by pulled him from the sea at Mablethorpe. Liam was on holiday with his parents at the time of the tragedy. POLICE LAUNCH MURDER INQUIRY Staffordshire Police have launched a murder inquiry after a man was found dead at an off-licence in Hartshill, Stoke-on-Trent. The victim was discovered by police officers who forced entry to the premises in Hartshill Road. Detectives from Newcastle-under-Lyme, are keen to hear information about a white Transit van seen parked outside. ARRESTS MADE AT MUSIC FESTIVAL A total of 52 pop fans were arrested at the V2003 music festival at Weston Park, Staffs, police have confirmed. The weekend event passed off without major incident, although traffic was a problem with an estimated 27,000 vehicles at the sell-out event. A spokesman said the majority of the people arrested had been cautioned for minor drugs offences. POLICE CONFISCATE QUAD BIKE Police in Nuneaton have used new powers for the first time to confiscate a quad bike from a nuisance rider. The new legislation gives officers the authority to seize vehicles being driven in a dangerous, reckless or anti-social manner. The quad bike was seized from a teenager as it was being ridden in a play area in Queen Elizabeth Road. AUTHOR'S BOOK SHORTLISTED A Birmingham author's debut novel has made it on to the long-list for the Man Booker Prize for Fiction 2003. Clare Morrall's Astonishing Splashes Of Colour joins works by well-known names such as Martin Amis and Melvyn Bragg in the running for the literary honour. The 23-strong longlist was compiled from 117 entries and will be whittled down to a shortlist next month. MAN IN SHOOTING INCIDENT NAMED Detectives have released the name of a teenage victim shot in the head and chest in the West Midlands. Daniel Bogle, 19, was placed under armed guard after being targeted in Drake Road, Smethwick, as he chatted with friends in the street. A spokesman for West Midlands Police said they had been impressed by the community response to the incident. SOCCER STARS GIVING AWAY SHIRTS Aston Villa soccer stars are handing over football shirts to the British Army as part of a drive to brighten up the lives of youngsters in Iraq. The shirts are being collected by the Army Training Regiment at Whittington Barracks, Lichfield, from Villa stars Lee Hendrie and Gavin McCann. Shirts from several West Midlands clubs will eventually be sent out to Iraq. 'BAD EXAMPLE' OVER IMPRISONMENT The treatment of four men from the West Midlands held in Cuba could encourage other countries to breach prisoners' rights, Amnesty International claims. President George Bush's imprisoning people without trial is setting a bad example, the charity has warned. Moazzam Begg, from Sparkhill, and Ruhal Ahmed, Asif Iqbal and Shafiq Rasul, of Tipton, are held at Guantanamo Bay. TWO ARRESTED IN MURDER INQUIRY Detectives have arrested a man and a woman in connection with the death of a Stoke-on-Trent off-licence owner. A murder inquiry was launched after the body of Frank Bayley, 66, was found in the shop, also used as a cheque-cashing business. Detectives want to hear from anyone with information about a white Transit parked outside the shop on Saturday. CYCLE TRIP TO SAY THANK YOU A man who smashed his skull and his legs in a paragliding accident is cycling 400 miles to thank the Stoke-on-Trent team who saved him. Colin Seditas, 33, from Edinburgh, hopes to raise thousands for the County Air Ambulance team who plucked him off a rocky outcrop in Staffordshire. He plans to cycle from North Staffordshire Hospital to Edinburgh. CASH TO CUT WAITING TIMES More than 2,300 people waiting for cataract operations in Shropshire and Staffordshire are set to benefit from a £2.5m cash boost. The Shropshire and Staffordshire Strategic Health Authority said the money would be shared between primary care trusts to reduce waiting times. The windfall is part of a £73m Department of Health initiative. FEWER ARRESTS AT FOOTBALL GAMES Staffordshire Police have said they are encouraged by a 40% drop in the number of arrests made at football matches in the county last year. Supt Mick Harrison said that 115 people had been arrested during the 2002/2003 season, compared with a figure of 193 in 2001/2002. A significant number of those arrested have received banning orders. FALIRAKI HOLIDAY REP CLEARED A Birmingham holiday rep arrested with four colleagues under a crackdown on alleged drunken disorder in Rhodes has been cleared of all charges. Thomas Battista, 31, who works for Club 18-30 in Faliraki, was accused of organising banned bar crawls. Club 18-30 spokesman Paul Little said talks were planned with local authorities to resolve the problems. NEW APPEAL IN MURDER INQUIRY Detectives investigating the murder of a teenager stabbed on a Birmingham street have again appealed for witnesses one month after his death. Jahmaine Ezron Downer, 16, died in hospital three days after being stabbed in the side during a "domestic-related" argument in Ladywood. Police are keen to trace Anthony Blair, 34, in connection with the incident. MURDER QUIZ PAIR FREED ON BAIL A man and woman arrested in connection with the murder of a 66-year-old Stoke-on-Trent off-licence owner have been released by Staffordshire Police. The pair were granted police bail after helping detectives with inquiries into the death of Frank Bayley, whose body was found at his premises in Hartshill. A post-mortem examination found that he died as a result of asphyxiation. MAN KILLED IN LORRY COLLISION A man has been killed in a collision between his car and a 7.5-tonne lorry in Derbyshire. The victim, who has not yet been named, died as a result of the accident on Walton Road in Walton-on-Trent. It is not yet known what caused the blue Citreon car and the goods lorry to collide but witnesses are asked to contact police on 01773 572 929. MENINGITIS SCARE AT NURSERY More than 100 nursery school children in Bromsgrove are being treated with antibiotics after a boy died following a suspected meningitis outbreak. Public health workers are anxious to trace parents of all youngsters who attend the Penny Cottage Day Nursery. A girl from the nursery is also in a serious but stable conditon in the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch. VAN MAKER SWAMPED BY JOB CALLS Birmingham-based LDV has been inundated with calls over its plans to create up to 1,000 jobs as part of proposals for a new light commercial vehicle range. The van maker said the switchboard at the Drews Lane plant in Washwood Heath has been besieged by jobseekers eager to obtain details of the expansion. The plan depends on the model hitting annual sales of 50,000 in five years. MP BACKS NEW RAIL STATION Mid-Worcestershire MP Peter Luff is calling for a station east of Worcester to integrate rail and road networks. Tory MP Mr Luff said a station should be constructed at the spot where the Birmingham to Bristol line crosses the railway from Worcester to London. He said the move "would achieve the integration that really matters now -between car and train". ARSONISTS BLAMED FOR HOUSE FIRE Arsonists have been blamed by West Midlands Fire Service for starting a severe blaze at a house in Dudley. Crews were called to tackle the fire on the ground and first floors of a two-storey, end-of-terrace property on Grove Street, Kate's Hill. Police officers are investigating the scene along with structural engineers from the council. PRIVATE FIRM TO RUN HOSPITAL A failing NHS hospital in Sutton Coldfield has become the first in the country to be run by a private company. The board of the Good Hope Hospital has signed a three-year franchise agreement with Secta in a contract worth £1.3m which will bring a new chief executive. Good Hope was one of 14 acute trusts awarded zero stars in the last round of NHS performance ratings. CITY'S HONORARY ALDERMAN DIES Birmingham's first black councillor, Honorary Alderman Egbert Sylvester Carless OBE, has died at the age of 70. Mr Carless was elected in 1979 for the Aston Ward, a position he held until 1994, and returned to the council from 1998 to 2002 for the Ladywood Ward. He was made an Honorary Alderman in 1994. His funeral will take place on August 29 in Handsworth. MOTHER INVENTS INFLATABLE COT A Shropshire mother-of-three is due to meet representatives from Mothercare next week to discuss plans to market the world's first inflatable cot. Jo Bradford, 36, from Telford, could make a fortune after inventing the crib while studying computer-aided design at the University of Wolverhampton. Mrs Bradford said the cot, made in China, will go on sale later this year. SHOOTING VICTIM LEAVES HOSPITAL One of two women who suffered gunshot wounds at a barbecue in Wolverhampton has been discharged from hospital. The 17-year-old was shot in the thigh at an address in Park Village. A 23-year-old woman remains in hospital after suffering a leg injury. Police said no arrests have been made in connection with the incident but have appealed for witnesses. MAN FOUND DEAD WAS A POLICEMAN A body found in a burnt-out car in a Shropshire lay-by was a 43-year-old police officer, it has emerged. Michael James John Casey was pronounced dead after emergency services were alerted to a Jaguar which was on fire beside the A4169 near Shifnal. Police are not looking for anyone else in connection with the death of Mr Casey, from Sutton Hill, Telford. NEW APPEAL IN MURDER INQUIRY Detectives have marked the second anniversary of the murder of a Black Country businessman by re-appealing for information about the crime. West Midlands Police said officers are still attempting to trace a fugitive armed robber, Vincent Michael Palmer, for questioning about the shooting. Martin Silvester, 34, was shot in the chest in Pikehelve Street, Wednesbury. BUS DRIVER PREVENTS ABDUCTION Police are appealing for witnesses following the attempted abduction of a 12-year-old girl in Birmingham. The girl was waiting at a bus stop in Edgbaston when a man pulled up in a car and tried to drag her into his vehicle, West Midlands Police said. The driver of a bus, headed for the city centre, stopped to intervene and the man let her go and drove off. FAMILY IN DOUBLE LOTTO WIN A retired father of three from Bridgenorth, Shropshire, is celebrating an £85,248 Lotto windfall just two months after his son scooped £179,137. Anthony McDonnell, 59, and his son Ian have defied odds of 339 billion-to-one to complete the double win. Mr McDonnell said: "I had to go and double-check the numbers on Teletext before it finally sank in." TWINS NOTCH UP 21 GCSEs Twin brothers from New Oscott in the West Midlands have notched up 21 A* and A-grade GCSEs between them. Henry and Ken Zhang almost got the same results, said their headteacher David Iddon, of Bishop Vesey's Grammar School in Sutton Coldfield. Ken just pipped his brother as he scored an A* in Chinese to take his tally to 11 GCSEs. SCHOOLS CELEBRATE EXAM SUCCESS The five Birmingham grammar schools belonging to the King Edward VI Foundation are celebrating the success of their GCSE students. A trio of Helen Sharpe, David Hewings and Alex Wallace took three of the top five positions in their English Literature GCSE. Two-thirds of entries from the schools were awarded A*s or As. MP IN FURTHER EDUCATION CALL A Worcestershire MP has urged students receiving their GCSE results to stay in education or training. Michael Foster, Labour MP for Worcester, claims the UK has a poor record of encouraging youngsters to continue their studies post-16. Mr Foster said: "Only through education and training will individuals be able to realise their dreams." MOST INFANT DEATHS RECORDED Birmingham and the Black Country had the highest rate of infant mortality, in the country at 7.9 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2002. The Office for National Statistics said the number of still births in England and Wales increased for the first time in 10 years. The number of children dying under the age of one continued a downward trend. MAN KILLED IN MOTORCYCLE CRASH A 46-year-old motorcyclist from Solihull has been killed in a road accident near Leamington Spa. The victim suffered fatal injuries when his bike was in collision with a Land Rover on the B4100 at Harwood House, near the junction with the Fosse Way. A police spokesman has appealed to witnesses to the accident, at 6pm on Wednesday, to come forward. MAN SHOT IN ATTEMPTED ROBBERY A 20-year-old Smethwick man has been shot in the shoulder with a pellet gun while walking through a park. Police said the weapon, which may have been a ball-bearing gun, was fired at the victim during a robbery in West Smethwick Park, off Victoria Road. The gunman was approximately 6ft, aged about 21, of medium build and has what is described as very dark skin. BURGER VAN STOLEN Thieves have stolen a burger van from a site close to Daventry, police said. The catering unit, emblazoned with the slogan 'Burgers and Hot Dogs' and with an image of a monk holding a cup of tea, was taken from Lamport Hall. Inside the unit were 35 plastic chairs and seven plastic tables. Anyone with information should call Northants Police on 01604 700700. BIRMINGHAM DAD IS THE UK'S TOP TEATIME CHEF A father of 4 from Birmingham has been voted the UK's top tea time chef following a nationwide search by Heinz. Colin Rigby, 41, won the inaugural Heinz Cupboard Lover competition, beating off competition from 56 other finalists. This canny cook came up with simple culinary tricks that make all the difference at meal times. His delicious recipes, including a twist on the traditional cottage pie, wowed the judges, including TV chef Peter Vaughan, seen most recently on Five's Dinner Doctors. Colin's winning recipes will soon be reproduced on cans of Heinz Quick and Easy Meals, as well as online at www. heinzandfive.co.uk. Inspired by Dinner Doctors, Heinz set out to find the UK's 2003 Cupboard Lover; a cooking guru who can add a few touches to simple ingredients to make tasty meals! The 57 finalists were challenged to come up with three recipe ideas, each incorporating a can from the Heinz Quick and Easy Meals range plus other everyday store cupboard ingredients. Speaking about Colin's winning recipes, Peter Vaughan, said: "The basis to each of Colin's recipes is superb. He really makes the best use out of everyday store cupboard ingredients. Commenting on being crowned Heinz Cupboard Lover Colin Rigby states: " I can't believe my recipes will be available for all to see on Heinz tins. My philosophy has always been to keep things simple but tasty, and I hope that my recipes will inspire people to put some imagination into meal times." RAIL TRAVELLERS FACE DELAYS Travellers to and from Birmingham should expect disruption on the trains over the bank holiday as a massive weekend engineering programme begins. Part of the West Coast Main Line will be closing from Saturday for essential maintenance to be done by Network Rail. The work will also result in closure of parts of the Midland Main Line and East Coast Main Line. BUMPER NUMBERS HEAD FOR THE SUN Birmingham Airport is expecting huge numbers of people through the doors over the bank holiday period as holidaymakers head for the sun. Figures from the Association of British Travel Agents estimate 65,000 passengers will travel through the airport over the weekend. Nationally 1.6 million Britons are expected to head overseas. PAIR IN COURT OVER CAR THEFT Two people are due in court accused of the attempted murder of a Dudley grandfather who was run over as he tried to stop thieves stealing his car. Darren Abraham, 25, and Cheryl Ashwin, 19, will appear at Wolverhampton Crown Court charged with attempting to kill father-of-three Terence Bowen. They are also charged with aggravated vehicle-taking and driving offences. LIGHT AIRCRAFT CRASH LANDS A light aircraft has crash landed in a farmer's field next to woods near Newborough, Staffordshire. The 66-year-old male pilot from Cheshire was airlifted to hospital in a police helicopter. The Piper light aircraft was severely damaged in the accident which happened shortly after take-off from nearby Tatenhill airfield. BIG BROTHER STAR HURT IN ATTACK Big Brother contestant Nush Nowak, from Malvern, Worcestershire, has suffered a suspected broken knee and thigh bone after being mugged in London. The 23-year-old was pounced on at 4am on Thursday morning by a man in his 20s who tried to snatch her bag. The yoga fanatic fought back but was pushed to the floor, a Metropolitan Police spokeswoman said. MP WELCOMES CANNABIS TRIALS News that Walsall Manor Hospital has been chosen to trial the use of cannabis as a painkiller has been welcomed by a local politician. Michael Fabricant, Tory MP for Lichfield, said he was pleased the £500,000 research project had begun. He said: "It seems a nonsense to me that MS sufferers who use cannabis as a medicine have to fear prosecution." CASH BOOST FOR RECYCLING SCHEME Stoke-on-Trent Council is receiving part of a £4.3m grant to boost recycling in the city. The council will be given money to set-up a kerbside recycling scheme and buy 10 new collection vehicles. The £764,000 award was announced by the environment minister Elliot Morley who said: "We are recognising the scale of the waste problem nationwide." POLICE TO REPEAT DRUGS SWOOP Police in north Warwickshire have pledged to repeat a high-profile anti-drugs crackdown in which nine people were arrested. The operation in Nuneaton town centre involved more than 30 police officers backed up by a drug sniffer dog. A police spokesman said the operation, codenamed Operation Danish, is one of a series planned for the town. CHILD SERVICES 'SATISFACTORY' A countrywide review of children's services following Victoria Climbie's death has revealed that Walsall Council offers a "satisfactory" service. Walsall Council met all seven standards of practice it was required to, but concerns were raised about four. The review followed an inquiry into the death of the eight-year-old, who was tortured and killed by her great-aunt. FORGOTTEN STATUE AT AUCTION A carving of a bagpiper sitting on a whisky barrel which spent years in a West Midlands cellar is expected to fetch up to £5,000 at auction. The 19th-century wooden figure is due to go under the hammer at Bonhams' auction house in Edinburgh after it was discovered in Leamington Spa. It is thought the 6ft statue was carved for a distillery over 100 years ago.
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