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17th.March 2003
INQUEST OF 'GRIEVING' INMATE An inquest is due to resume into the death of a prison inmate from Ledbury whose 18-month-old son died in the Bristol heart surgery scandal. Robert Loveday, 29, who was serving a three-year sentence for robbery, was found hanged at Birmingham's Winson Green prison in September 1998. His family claim he became mentally ill following the death of his son, Joshua. MURDER SUSPECT RELEASED A man of 25 arrested in connection with the murder of a Jamaican national near Wolverhampton has been released without charge, police said. The man, who had been helping with inquiries into the death of Kevin Nunes, 20, has now been handed over to immigration officials. Mr Nunes was found shot dead on a grass verge off Clive Road, Pattingham. ARMED RAIDER HITS POST OFFICE An armed raider wearing a balaclava escaped with cash and cigarettes after threatening a shop worker with a handgun near Dudley. Police said the thief struck at Stars News - which doubles as a Post Office -in Lake Street, Gornal, before escaping in a car. The red car, thought to be a a Mark 3 Fiesta, was driven off towards Sedgley. REGENERATION CHIEF CHOSEN The first chief executive for the West Midlands' Regeneration Centre of Excellence has been appointed. Sophie Churchill, formerly head of independent think tank Birmingham City Pride, has been chosen to lead the innovative regenWM project. Based in Birmingham, the project is aimed at breathing new life into the region's urban and rural areas. 100 NEW JOBS AT SERVICE STOP A new multi-million pound motorway service station which has created 100 jobs near Telford is being opened. The Welcome Break service area is sited on the M54 in Shropshire and has a 48-bedroom hotel and two restaurants. The service facility cost £12m to develop and is expected to be used by up to 750,000 visitors a year, according to a company spokesman. CREWS TACKLE FACTORY BLAZE West Midlands fire crews have been tackling a huge factory blaze which engulfed over 40,000 plastic crates before spreading to engineering works. Some 19 fire appliances attended, and water was pumped from the canal to extinguish the blaze in Newfield Close, Bloxwich, Walsall. A brigade spokesman said the crates were destroyed in the fire. MINISTER PRAISES TOWN PLANNING Government Minister Jeff Rooker has praised the efforts of a town in Shropshire to create sustainable communities and affordable housing. A plan has been agreed to refurbish 500 homes, providing 2,000 units for sale or rent in Telford's Woodside area. Mr Rooker said the plan would make a major contribution to Woodside's social and environmental regeneration. MAN ARRESTED OVER 1960s MURDER A 68-year-old man from Coventry has been arrested and released on bail along with two others over the murder of a woman in London 40 years ago. The flex-bound body of Bridget Logan McHugh was found in the coal cellar of a house in Notting Hill, west London, after a tip-off last February. Detectives have made a fresh appeal for information over the 1960s murder. CAR CRIME CRACKDOWN LAUNCHED Police in Wolverhampton have launched a month-long crackdown on car crime in a bid to stave off a seasonal increase in car-related offences. Police are setting up automatic number plate recognition in the city to track stolen, untaxed or uninsured vehicles and crimes associated with vehicles. A similar operation last year saw theft of and from vehicles plunge by 30%. PLEDGE TO TACKLE DISORDER West Midlands Police has pledged to increase the number of Anti-Social Behaviour Orders over the next year to tackle low level crime and disorder. The power to issue ASBOs was introduced in 1999 to target activities disrupting individuals, families or communities. Home Office figures show West Midlands Police lead the country in issuing ASBOs, successfully applying for 65.
18th.March 2003 LORD HUNT STEPS DOWN OVER IRAQ Junior health minister Lord Hunt of Kings Heath, who lives in Birmingham, is stepping down from the Government in protest at the looming war in Iraq. His resignation follows Robin Cook's decision to step down as Leader of the House of Commons. Lord Hunt said: "I have decided to resign because I don't support the pre-emptive action which is planned." TWO IN HOSPITAL AFTER SHOOTING Two men in their 30s are in hospital suffering from gunshot wounds after a shooting in Birmingham. The two men were shot in the Waveley Road area of Small Heath. A police spokeswoman said one of the men suffered a serious head injury. Police said they were releasing no further information at this time. Any witnesses are urged to come forward. FIREMAN DIES AFTER ACCIDENT A fireman has died in hospital a week after suffering severe head injuries in an accident during a training session at his Birmingham fire station. Andrew Clinton, of West Midlands Fire Service, died after surgery at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital. The 52-year-old father of two fell from the deck of a hydraulic platform at Bournbrook fire station on March 9. INQUEST INTO DEATH OF SOLDIER An inquest is opening into the death of a 23-year-old Worcestershire soldier who was found hanged at a British forces base in Germany. Michael Chapman was found dead at Athlone Barracks, Sennelager, on February 28. The Stourport-on-Severn hearing, being held by Worcestershire coroner Victor Round, is expected to be adjourned. PRINCESS OPENS POLICE BASE The Princess Royal is visiting Wolverhampton to open a new police base in the Low Hill area of the city. Princess Anne is being met by West Midlands Police officers including Chief Constable Paul Scott-Lee. More than 60 officers are stationed at the new 1.5-acre base, which has been built following 20 years of campaigning by local residents. COUNTING DOG IN LINE FOR PRIZE A German shepherd from Staffordshire which can do simple sums is one of the main contenders for a £1,000 prize at the Golden Bonio Awards. Dog owner Eddie Shafer, 71, from Newcastle-under-Lyme, spent 18 months training seven-year-old Tina. She can count to 10, add and subtract, and snaps her jaws open and shut the given number of times for the answer. WOMAN DENIES MURDERING SON A Leicestershire woman has denied murdering her young son more than 11 years ago in the grounds of their home. Sallie-Ann Loughran, from Ibstock, is alleged to have killed two-year-old Thomas Hunt who was found in a pond at St Anne's Manor in Sutton Bonington. Loughran, now called Hunt, pleaded not guilty to murder and was bailed until July 3 by Nottingham Crown Court. PROBE AFTER BODY FIND AT QUARRY Police officers have named a 55-year-old man whose body was found in a Worcestershire quarry. West Mercia Police said hotel porter Nicholas Noond, from Malvern, was found dead at the town's Hidden Quarry, known locally as Earnslaw Quarry. An inquest is expected to be opened at Worcestershire Coroner's Court in Stourport-on-Severn. 22-YEAR-OLD DIES IN COLLISION A 22-year-old Derbyshire man was killed when his car was in collision with a lorry and a police car. Ben Littlewood, from Swadlincote, was driving on the A511 in Leicestershire when he collided with a lorry travelling in the opposite direction. His Ford Ka was then in collision with three other cars, including the marked police vehicle. ARCHBISHOP HAILS PRIEST'S BOOK The journal of a young Coventry priest who was dying of cancer has been hailed for its "profound spiritual insight" by the Archbishop of Birmingham. Trainee priest Andrew Robinson - who was 31 when he died in 2001 - wrote Tears At Night, Joy At Dawn. The Most Rev Vincent Nichols said the book showed a tremendous humanity and enthusiasm for life.
MAN IN COURT ON MURDER CHARGE A 38-year-old man is due to appear in court charged with the murder of a bride-to-be stabbed to death in Birmingham hours before her wedding. The man, from Surrey, is to appear at Birmingham Magistrates' Court over the killing of Sahda Bibi, of Alum Rock. Another man, Tafarak Hussain, of Bordesley Green, Birmingham, has also been charged with her murder. FATHER IN DOCK FOR SECOND DAY A former soldier from Birmingham charged with the murder of his two sons is spending a second day in the witness box at the city's Crown Court. Steven Wilson, 44, is due to be cross-examined over his account of the deaths of his sons Brad, seven, and Brett, eight. Wilson, of Linden Avenue, Great Barr, denies two counts of murder. TWO ARRESTS OVER SHOOTINGS Police hunting the killers of two teenage girls shot at a New Year party in Birmingham have arrested two men. Charlene Ellis, 18, and Letisha Shakespeare, 17, were shot behind a hairdresser's salon in Aston. Two Birmingham men, aged 20 and 22, have been arrested in connection with the shootings. One has been released on police bail, the other is in custody. HUSBAND JAILED FOR MANSLAUGHTER A jealous husband who killed a 72-year-old widow in her West Midlands home has been jailed for five years. Stephen Buckle, of Amington, Tamworth, killed Doris Millward, of Bearwood, during a row over an affair between his wife Caroline and the pensioner's son. The 44-year-old mechanic denied murder but was found guilty of manslaughter at Birmingham Crown Court. IMAMS QUIZZED OVER SHOOTING Four sons of a highly-respected Muslim cleric are being questioned by police on suspicion of attempted murder after a Birmingham man was shot in the head. The brothers, two of whom are imams of mosques, were held after police raids in Leicester, a Muslim leader said. Two other men were held in Birmingham over the shooting, which left a 31-year-old man fighting for his life. POLICEMAN ON CHILD PORN CHARGES A Warwickshire police officer has appeared at Wolverhampton Magistrates' Court charged with downloading child pornography from the internet. Ivan David Howell, 39, from Rugby, was accused of five offences relating to indecent images of a child and was granted unconditional bail. He has been suspended from duty and the case was adjourned until March 28. SAVAGE DOGS OWNER MAY FACE JAIL A woman whose dogs escaped and almost killed a five-year-old girl in Wolverhampton may face a jail term. Sentence was adjourned at Wolverhampton Magistrates' Court for reports on Jean Harvey, 23, of Low Hill. Harvey pleaded guilty to two charges of allowing her two bull mastiff cross-breeds to illegally enter her next-door neighbour's front garden. WORRIES OVER MISSING TEENAGER Police are concerned for the welfare of a 15-year-old girl who has been missing from her Lichfield home for 12 days. It is thought Emily Rigby may be in the company of her 24-year-old boyfriend, who is understood to be sleeping rough in the Birmingham area. The schoolgirl was last seen leaving The Friary School in Lichfield on Friday, March 7, police said. JOBLESS FIGURE RISES BY 5,000 The jobless figure for the West Midlands rose by 5,000 in the three months November to January, compared with the same period a year ago. The number of people out of work stood at 148,000, according to the latest official figures. The unemployment rate was 5.6%. The number of people out of work nationally stood at 1,459,000. 22nd.March 2003
WEDDING MURDER: MAN REMANDED A 38-year-old man has appeared in court charged with murdering a bride-to-be hours before her wedding in Birmingham. Rafaqat Hussain, of Camberley, Surrey, was remanded in custody by Birmingham magistrates to appear before the city's Crown Court on Monday. Sahdi Bibi, 21, died of knife wounds to the chest shortly before she was due to marry at her family home in Alum Rock. BOTCHED ABORTION DOCTOR LET OFF A Birmingham doctor who pulled out a woman's ovary and part of her bowel in a botched abortion has escaped being struck off the medical register. Andrew Gbinigie, 47, was found guilty of serious professional misconduct over the incident at Calthorpe Clinic. But the GMC ruled he could continue carrying out abortions if he abided by a series of conditions for three years. MAN 'LYING OVER SONS' DEATHS' An ex-soldier from Birmingham on trial for killing his sons has been accused of repeatedly lying about their deaths. Steven Wilson, 44, of Great Barr, denies murdering his sons Brad, seven, and Brett, eight, last year. Cross-examining him at Birmingham Crown Court over his claims that gangsters killed the boys, David Crigman QC said: "You cannot tell the truth, can you?" ENGINEERING COMPANY RESCUED Almost 1,000 jobs have been saved following a management buy-out at Warwickshire-based Gardner Aerospace. The aircraft parts manufacturer has faced the possibility of closure since January when shares in its parent company L Gardner were suspended. Gardner Aerospace employs a total of 987 people in the UK at Nuneaton, Basildon, Ilkeston, Burnley and Hull. POLICE PROBING FARM CRASH DEATH Police are continuing their inquiries into how a teenager died in a crash on a farm near Redditch. The 17-year-old was a passenger in a Mercedes pick-up which overturned as it crossed farmland in Astwood Bank. West Mercia Constabulary said the driver was thrown clear but the teenager suffered serious head injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. ROADWORKS 'WILL CAUSE DELAYS' Motorists have been warned to expect delays for three weeks on the M42 near Tamworth while a new surface is laid. The Highways Agency is carrying out the motorway work, costed at £1m, between junction 10 and the B5000 bridge. A contraflow will operate for the duration of the project and a 40mph speed limit will apply. Drainage and safety fencing will also be improved. POP STAR BACKS IRAQ MISSION Stoke-on-Trent chart star Robbie Williams has said he backs the troops in the Middle East and wishes to see democracy brought to Iraq. He also insisted the B-side of his next single is not an anti-war song. He said Happy Easter (War Is Coming) was, "written long before war began in Iraq and is categorically not a personal response to it". MEN REMANDED OVER CHARGES Four men have appeared at Birmingham Magistrates' Court charged with
a number of criminal offences. The charges relate to incidents in which
it is alleged two men were shot and another falsely imprisoned. Mohammed
Sharafit Khan, Mohammed Arshad Khan, Ilyas Akram and Farook Abdul Dad
were remanded in custody to appear at Birmingham Crown Court on March
26.
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