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FRESH APPEAL OVER MURDER Police are making a fresh appeal for witnesses to the murder of a father-of-three shot dead in a Birmingham street nearly a year ago. Jason Spence, from Kingstanding, West Midlands, was gunned down in Great Barr on November 13, 2002 after a disturbance at a city pub. Police officers will be distributing posters in a bid to trace his killers. AIR RIFLE VICTIM IN HOSPITAL A 12-year-old girl is seriously ill in hospital after she was shot in the neck with an air rifle while playing with her brother in Oldbury. The youngster was on playing fields in Oldbury, West Midlands, when the pellet hit a main artery just below her collar bone, causing a severe loss of blood. Any witnesses to the incident have been urged to contact West Bromwich CID. CAPTIVE'S FATE TO BE MADE KNOWN The family of a Birmingham man believed to be in custody in Pakistan on suspicion of al-Qaeda links is hoping his whereabouts will be revealed. As a result of lobbying by lawyers for Tariq Mahmood, 30, a Rawalpindi judge has ordered the region's home secretary to say where Mr Mahmood is being held. Mr Mahmood was arrested on October 4, but his fate is currently unknown. TEACHER CHARGED WITH ASSAULT The headteacher of a Smethwick school is due to appear in court accused of assaulting a six-year-old pupil. Pamela Mitchelhill, 50, from Oldbury, will face Warley magistrates after allegedly striking a girl at Crocketts Lane Primary School. Ms Mitchelhill has pleaded not guilty to one charge of assault following the alleged incident. POLICE CRACK DOWN ON BUS CRIME Police officers and bus inspectors are involved in a three-month operation tackling criminals on public transport in the West Midlands. Officers are travelling on bus routes around Birmingham and Solihull which have been identified by analysts as being used by criminals. A spokesman said the aim is to reduce offences and reassure the public. ARMED THIEVES RAID CITY STORE A gang of thieves threatened staff at a Birmingham store with a handgun before escaping with an undisclosed amount of cash, police have said. Three men wearing scarves round their faces burst into Farmfoods on Chester Road in Castle Bromwich when a worker opened a back door to the closed shop. One of the trio fired a shot into the ceiling before the gang fled. VIRTUAL COTTAGE TOUR DEVELOPED A virtual tour of one of the West Midlands' leading tourist attractions has been developed to ensure as many visitors as possible can enjoy it. Anne Hathaway's cottage in Stratford-on-Avon, the childhood home of Shakespeare's wife, is inaccessible to one in seven visitors. The narrow doorways, passageways and steps are a problem for many people. PLAN TO CUT ROAD DEATHS A campaign to cut the number of drug-related road deaths has been announced by West Mercia Police. The initiative will target clubbers and pub-goers in an attempt to reduce a national figure showing 18% of people killed on the roads had taken drugs. Police spokesman Bob Rooke said: "Drug-driving continues to be a problem, with many people showing little concern." ID KITS ISSUED TO CUT BURGLARY Police have issued more than 500 burglary victims in North Warwickshire with special SmartWater kits in a bid to boost their security. The colourless liquid contains unique DNA-style indicators which are invisible to the naked eye but cannot be washed or wiped off. The SmartWater tag means the rightful owners of goods can be easily traced. £4.5m SCHEME FOR RURAL BUSINESS Rural businesses across the West Midlands are being targeted in a £4.5m scheme to help them modernise and diversify. Companies in the Rural Regeneration Zone - Herefordshire, Shropshire and Worcestershire - are invited to take part in the project. It will initially focus on the food and drink, tourism and creative industries.
TWO FREED OVER SHOOTING Two people have been freed by police after they were arrested in connection with a shooting which left a Smethwick girl, 12, seriously ill in hospital. A 37-year-old man and a 13-year-old boy from Smethwick were granted police bail pending inquiries into the incident at Londonderry playing fields. The girl was shot with an air rifle while playing with her brother. ATTEMPT TO IDENTIFY MAN Police are trying to identify a man who was killed when he was struck by a train in Staffordshire. The victim was hit by a London Euston to Holyhead passenger service near Lichfield Trent Valley station. The death is not being treated as suspicious but witnesses or anyone with information should contact British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40. HEADTEACHER TO GIVE EVIDENCE The headteacher of a Smethwick school who is on trial accused of slapping an unruly pupil is set to take the stand. Pamela Mitchelhill, 50, allegedly struck the six-year-old girl twice after her behaviour became too much for three members of staff to cope with. The teacher from Crocketts Lane Primary School denies assault at Warley Magistrates' Court. MAN IN COURT OVER GIRL'S MURDER A father-of-three is due to stand trial accused of killing an A-level student from Sutton Coldfield who was attacked while walking to a New Year party. Colin Waite, 42, of Ketley Croft, Highgate, Birmingham, pleaded not guilty to the 1996 murder of Nicola Dixon, 17, at an earlier hearing. The trial at Warwick Crown Court is expected to last two weeks. CRASH VICTIM TAXI DRIVER NAMED A taxi driver who died after his vehicle was hit by a car being tracked by Staffordshire Police has been named. Martin Geoffrey Owen, 44, from Sutton Coldfield, was one of two drivers killed in the collision on the A5127 at Shenstone near Lichfield. A 16-year-old boy who was driving a second suspected stolen car involved in the chase has been arrested. BLOOD DASH DRIVER CASE DROPPED Staffordshire prosecutors have dropped a speeding charge against a National Blood Service driver who was caught travelling at 41mph in a 30mph zone. Staffordshire CPS said it had decided to discontinue its summons against Paul Stockbridge, 37, after he proved he was making an emergency delivery of blood. Mr Stockbridge, of Great Barr, had pleaded not guilty to the charge. FAMILY IN NEW PLEA OVER MURDER The family of a father-of-three who was shot dead near a pub in Birmingham have made a fresh appeal for witnesses nearly a year after the murder. At a press conference in Birmingham, Geraldine Spence urged anyone with information regarding her son Jason's killing to come forward. Mr Spence was gunned down in the Great Barr area on November 13 last year. MURDER ACCUSED NURSE IN COURT A nurse accused of trying to kill five elderly patients at a hospital in Crewe has appeared in court. Barbara Salisbury, 47, of Pontybodkin, North Wales, is charged with the attempted murders of five pensioners at Leighton Hospital. Salisbury was given conditional bail at Chester Crown Court. The trial is expected to begin in April next year. BID TO LOCATE AL-QAEDA SUSPECT Pakistan's deputy attorney general has appeared in court as part of an attempt to find a Birmingham man arrested on suspicion of involvement with al-Qaeda. Mansour Sultan Choudary faced questions at the High Court in Rawalpindi about Tariq Mahmood, 30, who was arrested in the country on October 4. Mr Mahmood's family fear he may have been taken to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. ASSAULT VICTIM COULD LOSE EYE A 43-year-old assault victim could lose an eye after being pistol-whipped during a dispute in a Shrewsbury pub. The victim, who has not been named, was attacked in Brady's Bar, Castle Gates, and taken to the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, police said. He may lose the sight in his left eye and could even require surgery to remove it, added the spokesman. HEAD CLEARED OF SLAPPING GIRL The head of a Smethwick school has walked free from court after being cleared of hitting a six-year-old girl. Pamela Mitchelhill, 50, was found not guilty at Warley Magistrates' Court of assaulting the pupil with behavioural problems at Crocketts Lane School. The court said Mitchelhill, of Pottery Road, Oldbury, had turned the girl's face in an "appropriate" reprimand. SLAP CASE GIRL 'NEVER STRUCK' A Smethwick headteacher has been cleared of slapping a pupil after the six-year-old girl in question denied she was ever hit while at school. A recorded interview with the child was shown at Warley Magistrates' Court in the trial of Pamela Mitchelhill, 50, who was cleared of an assault charge. The Crocketts Lane pupil said "no" 11 times when asked if she had been hit. TEACHERS UNION CALL FOR REVIEW The union which backed a headteacher accused of hitting a pupil has called for a review of child investigation procedures in the borough of Sandwell. The NAS/UWT said headteachers in the borough are two to three times more likely to undergo an inquiry concerning child allegations than anywhere else. Pamela Mitchelhill was found not guilty of assaulting a Smethwick pupil. MAN ACCUSED OF RAPE AND MURDER A 17-year-old A-level student from Sutton Coldfield was raped and battered to death by a stranger as she walked to a New Year party, a court has heard. Warwick Crown Court was told how Nicola Dixon was "left in the snow to die" by 35-year-old Colin Ian Waite. A DNA sample links Waite, now 42, of Ketley Croft, Highgate, Birmingham, to the murder on December 31, 1996. WARNING OVER WATER PRICE RISES Customers across the West Midlands are being urged to speak out about proposed water price increases. The watchdog WaterVoice Central is encouraging people to have their say about plans by Severn Trent and South Staffordshire Water to raise prices. A spokesman said Severn Trent plans a 17.5% price rise while South Staffs Water proposes a 13.5% increase. VILLAGE BUILDING WORK TO BEGIN Building work is set to get under way on the new £1.25m business village at Staffordshire University. The development will provide units for 40 start-up technology firms, and business leaders say it will provide job opportunities for local people. Vice-Chancellor Professor Christine King is due to cut the first piece of turf at a special ceremony. COUNCIL EMPLOYS PROPERTY FIRM Wolverhampton City Council has signed a £3m deal with a private consultancy to design and maintain local properties. The Babtie Group beat 80 other applicants to win the five-year contract providing a range of property services for the local authority. The firm's abseiling engineers have already been commissioned to inspect 16-storey tower blocks. COUPLE THREATENED WITH KNIFE Two men tried to rob a couple at knifepoint in Stoke-on-Trent. The victims were walking in Hanley when they were approached. The woman was pushed to the ground while one of the thieves tried to grab her handbag. Both men are white, mid-20s and around 5ft 9in. One had dark hair with a long fringe, thick eyebrows and a thin face. Police are appealing for information. MILLIONS NEEDED TO SAVE GORGE Millions of pounds need to be spent on Ironbridge Gorge in Shropshire to prevent it sliding into the River Severn, councillors have said. According to a new report, the gorge is slipping into the river - and Telford and Wrekin Borough Council does not have the money to stop it. Up to £1.2m is being sought to contain instability at the World Heritage Site. TEENAGER CHARGED OVER DEATHS A teenager has been charged with causing the deaths of two men in a head-on collision in Staffordshire. The 16-year-old faces two counts of causing death by dangerous driving and two counts of taking a vehicle without consent in the incident near Lichfield. The youth, from Stechford, Birmingham, is due to appear at Burton upon Trent Youth Court. YOUTH DENIES BURNING STATUE A Birmingham teenager accused of burning down a public statue valued at £500,000 has denied the charge. The 16-year-old pleaded not guilty to arson during a hearing at Birmingham Crown Court. The youth, from Bartley Green, is accused of setting fire to the Forward statue, which was situated in the city's Centenary Square. FOUR CHARGED OVER SHOOTINGS Four men have been charged with the murders of Letisha Shakespeare and Charlene Ellis, who were gunned down outside a Birmingham New Year party. Police said four Birmingham men - aged 19, 22, 23 and 24 - are to appear before magistrates in the city. Each of the men is also charged with three counts of attempted murder over the shooting at an Aston hair salon. MERSON ACCUSED OF WIFE ASSAULT Walsall footballer Paul Merson has spent a night in the cells after he was arrested on suspicion of assaulting his wife, it has emerged. Police arrested the 35-year-old former England and Arsenal midfielder after his wife Louise, 33, called for help, according to a newspaper report. Merson was taken to a police station near his home in Sutton Coldfield. RAILWAY STATION 'AN EYESORE' New Street railway station in Birmingham has been voted second in a poll to discover the worst architectural eyesores in Britain. The top ten most hated eyesores, selected by readers of Country Life magazine, ranked the structure second behind wind farms. The station was referred to as an "airless and confusing warren". WHAT DO YOU THINK? CLICK HERE to let us know YOUR opinion! BOY APPEARS OVER CRASH DEATHS A 16-year-old boy charged with causing two deaths by dangerous driving after a crash near Lichfield has been remanded in custody. The Stechford boy, who cannot be named, is accused of killing Sutton Coldfield taxi driver Martin Owen, 44, and John McQueen, 20, of Stechford. Burton-on-Trent Youth Court adjourned the case to November 19. OFFICER TO GET COMPENSATION A former Shropshire RAF police officer who won an employment tribunal claim against the MoD is set to learn how much compensation she will receive. Catherine Brumfitt is expected to attend a remedy hearing in Birmingham. Brumfit, of Albrighton, successfully argued she was persecuted following a complaint about foul language and lewd comments made at a training session. RECYCLING SCHEME EXTENDED A kerbside recycling scheme in Redditch is set to expand to include more residents in the town from December. The move will see the scheme serve 2,250 homes in Callow Hill, Crabbs Cross, Ipsley, Lodge Park, Matchborough West, Southcrest and Woodrow South. At present almost a fifth of homes in the borough receive a weekly collection of recyclables from their homes. MAN ADMITS BURYING WIFE'S BODY A Coventry man has admitted burying his wife's body in a London coal shed after she was killed more than 40 years ago. John McHugh, 69, admitted perverting the course of justice at the Old Bailey by disposing of wife Bridget's body following her unlawful killing in 1961. McHugh, a former bus driver, of Stoke Aldermoon, was remanded on bail for sentencing on December 12. THREE RELEASED IN INJURY PROBE Three men have been released by police investigating an incident in which a fourth man suffered life-threatening head injuries in Worcester. The injured man is critical in Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham. A police spokesman said: "Three men have been released from police custody without charge. Police will continue to appeal for witnesses." PROTESTERS 'ATTACKED AIRBASE' Three protesters, including an Evesham woman, allegedly broke down a gate during an anti-war demo at an airbase where US B-52 bomber planes were kept. The damage to the main gate at RAF Fairford in Gloucs "cost thousands" to repair, Gloucester Crown Court heard. Katherine Holcombe, 42, and two others deny causing damage to property owned by the Ministry of Defence. THIEVES TAKE POPPY APPEAL FUNDS Police have condemned burglars who broke into a Royal British Legion shop in Nuneaton to steal funds collected as part of the charity's Poppy Day appeal. An estimated £5,000, some of it still in distinctive Poppy Day collecting tins, was taken in the break-in in Congreve Walk, Bedworth. Inspector Mike Naughton said the theft would "sicken all respectable people". FIFTH MAN REMANDED IN CUSTODY A fifth man accused of the double murders of Charlene Ellis and Letisha Shakespeare in Aston, Birmingham has been remanded in custody. Tafarwa Theodore Beckford, 21, appeared before Birmingham Magistrates' Court charged with two counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder. Four other men on the same charges have already been remanded in custody. CASE PROMPTS COMPLAINTS REVIEW West Midlands education officials are to work with unions after a headteacher was charged with assault although her alleged victim denied any attack. Sandwell Council is setting up a review of the way it deals with complaints against teachers in the wake of the acquittal of Pamela Mitchelhill. A review of procedure among teaching unions is also due to take place. MATERNITY PROBE AFTER DEATHS Former patients, families and staff at a Wolverhampton hospital have been asked to talk about their experiences as part of a probe into infant deaths. The Commission for Health Improvement made the appeal after it was called in to examine practices at New Cross Hospital's maternity unit. The trust has already apologised to one mother whose baby died at the unit. POLICE AWARDED HATE CRIME GRANT Four police forces in the region have recieved £90,000 Home Office funding to support the victims of hate crime. The scheme aims to encourage victims of racist and homophobic crime in the West Midlands, Warwickshire, Staffordshire, and West Mercia to come forward. The True Vision project will provide the public with prepaid, addressed and self-reporting forms. FACTORY BOSS ROBBED AT GUNPOINT A Birmingham factory owner was held at gunpoint by two armed robbers who pistol-whipped him and assaulted his partner before stealing jewellery. The owner of the engineering works in Rea Street South, Highgate, received head injuries in the incident and his partner suffered a cut lip. The two robbers made off with expensive wedding and engagement rings. COLLAPSED FIRM'S BOSS BANNED The former boss of a Stourbridge cheese company which collapsed with debts of £7.5m has been banned from directing any firm for eight years. The Insolvency Service took action against Keith Mulholland after British Creameries went into receivership. Mr Mulholland agreed not to be involved in the "promotion, formation or management of a company". BEHAVIOUR ORDER FOR TEENAGER A Dudley teenage car thief who made life hell for his neighbours has been given an anti-social behaviour order. Dudley Council said 19-year-old Richard Pargeter repeatedly swore at residents around his Kingswinford home, and drove stolen cars at high speed in the area. He admitted 13 offences of anti-social behaviour at Dudley Magistrates' Court where he was issued with the order. POLICE HUNT TWO AFTER ROBBERY Police investigating an armed robbery at a shop in Worcester want to speak to two men seen near the scene. A hammer and a bladed instrument were used in the incident at the Ombersley Road shop and a member of staff was slightly injured. The men were seen walking along Colin Road around the time of the robbery. One was wearing a striped baseball cap. MAN BAILED IN POPPY CASH THEFT A man arrested over a Warwickshire break-in during which up to £5,000 in Poppy Day appeal funds was stolen, has been freed pending further inquiries. The 27-year-old suspect was detained in Bedworth, Warwickshire, by officers investigating the burglary of premises occupied by the Royal British Legion. The man has been bailed to return to Bedworth police station in December. OPPOSITION MP PROMOTED Lichfield MP Michael Fabricant has been made minister for economic affairs in the new-look Tory Opposition. The expanded brief makes the former shadow minister for trade and industry responsible for scrutinising areas of taxation covered by the Treasury. Mr Fabricant said: "I regard this as quite a promotion. It includes a number of new responsibilities."
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