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NEW HOPE FOR CANCER PATIENTS People with head and neck cancer in Coventry can now be treated locally in a new £1m operating theatre complete with a specialist surgeon. The new ENT and maxillo facial theatre at the city's Walsgrave Hospital means patients no longer have to travel to Birmingham or Leicester for surgery. An NHS spokesman said the facility should also reduce waiting times. MAN CRITICAL AFTER SHOOTING A man is in a critical condition in hospital after a shooting incident in Staffordshire, police said. The victim was taken to Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham after officers responded to reports of an injured man in Littleworth Road, Cannock. A Staffordshire Constabulary spokesman said no-one else is being sought in connection with the incident. SEX ATTACK QUIZ YOUTH BAILED A youth has been released on bail after being questioned over a sex attack on a 16-year-old boy in Nuneaton. Warwickshire detectives said the 17-year-old male had been freed pending further inquiries into the assault at Anker Fields, Weddington. Police have asked anyone who was in the Anker Fields area between 1pm and 2pm on Thursday lunchtime to contact them. GM PROTESTERS HEAD TO CAPITAL Campaigners from the West Midlands are heading for London to join a protest against genetically modified crops. Two tractor drivers will team up in Coventry to head to the Friends of the Earth Tractors And Trolleys Parade in their vehicles. Regional Friends of the Earth activist Chris Crean is cycling from Coventry to London with other campaigners. PLANS TO ENHANCE RED ROUTE A multi-million pound plan to enhance the first Red Route in the West Midlands is being discussed by Birmingham councillors. They are considering a £4.2m scheme to cut congestion along the A34 Stratford Road - a vital city commuter route. The plans include improved parking, signals and pedestrian facilities on the road where stopping is an offence. FLOOD BARRIER PUT TO THE TEST The largest temporary flood barrier in the UK is being assembled and tested along the River Severn near Telford. On the eve of the Environment Agency's Flood Awareness Campaign, removable pallets are being installed along a stretch of the Wharfage in Ironbridge. The rehearsal is designed to give all parties a chance to see the barrier in action and understand its purpose. FAULTY HEALTH SOFTWARE RECALLED Hereford and Worcester-based software group Misys has been forced to withdraw faulty laboratory software from 466 US hospitals, it has emerged. The US Food and Drug Administration issued a statement saying Misys Healthcare Systems, from Evesham, was recalling the software due to a defect. The software is used to collate information from blood and urine tests. CITY DEVELOPMENT PLANS REVEALED The development of two city centre sites in Birmingham has been put out for consultation. City council planning chiefs have created a framework for developers to work within when considering the future of Bath Row and Holloway Head. The guidelines require developers to promote and support employment and refurbish certain listed building. POLICE HUNT MISSING GIRL Concern is growing for the welfare of a teenage girl missing from her home in Stoke-on-Trent for more than a month. Staffordshire Police say the disappearance of 16-year-old Joanne Elizabeth Herriman, from Burslem, is out of character. She is described as white, slim, with shoulder-length, straight, fair hair and green eyes with a pale complexion. SHOP WORKERS BARE ALL Supermarket staff in Bromsgrove have bared all in a charity calendar to raise cash for the elderly. Warehouse and freezer staff at Asda stripped off to be snapped around the store to raise funds for a minibus. But co-ordinator Rachel Dawes said the photos have not yet been compiled as no printing company has been found to run copies off within their limited budget. OAPs HURT AS CAR HITS BUS STOP Two Black Country pensioners waiting at a Walsall bus stop were injured when a passing car struck the shelter. A 74-year-old woman suffered head injuries and is in a serious condition in hospital. A 66-year-old woman escaped with minor injuries. The 65-year-old male driver of the red Vauxhall Astra which hit the shelter in Milton Street was not hurt. ABANDONED BABY'S MOTHER SOUGHT Police looking for the mother of a baby abandoned in toilets in a Kidderminster shopping centre have issued CCTV images of a woman they want to trace. The footage was taken from the Rowland Hill shopping centre where the six-week-old child, named Isobel by police, was left in a cubicle. The woman pictured appears to be in her late teens to 20s, with dark hair. MUSIC TEACHER HAS BOOKER HOPES A Birmingham music teacher is in the running for one of the literary world's most prestigious prizes. Clare Morrall is one of six writers on the shortlist for the £50,000 Man Booker Prize. Ms Morrall received a £2,000 advance for Astonishing Splashes Of Colour. Besides the cash prize, the winner is guaranteed a significant sales boost. See our special feature and competition - CLICK HERE FACELIFT FOR SHOPPING CENTRE A retail centre in Yardley is to undergo a £50,000 programme of environmental improvements as part of a scheme to improve shopping facilities. The council said the revamp of the Yew Tree area is being funded under its Flourishing Neighbourhoods initiative, which aims to regenerate local centres. A spokesman said new paving, seats and trees will be installed. MEP WARNS AGAINST FUEL TAX RISE A West Midlands MEP has warned the Government's latest rise in tax on fuel will destroy the road haulage industry Tory Philip Bradbourn said the freight industry was already shouldering a tax burden massively above the European Union average. "This can only end in companies going out of business and jobs being lost," he said. POLICE STATION GETS CASH BOOST The Home Office has approved a £500,000 grant to revamp Rugby police station under the Government's Premises Improvement Fund. Warwickshire Police said the cash will be used to ensure staff have modern surroundings, as well as upgraded links to the force communications network. Work on the station, which was built in the 1970s, will commence next year. BID TO KICK OUT SOCCER VIOLENCE Birmingham City Council is launching a poster campaign to try to stamp out the football hooliganism that marred last season's derby matches in the city. The posters come just five days before the Premiership clash between Aston Villa and Birmingham City. The posters, mounted across the city, encourage fans to report any violent behaviour they may witness. MOTORIST DELIGHTED AT BEAR HUNT A Worcestershire motorist whose beloved childhood teddy bears fell from the roof of his car has been reunited with them thanks to the Highways Agency. David Perry, 26, thought he had lost the cuddly toys, named Masher and Bruno, for good after they fell off his car as he drove to his Redditch home. But the Highways Agency rescued the bears from the A52 in Nottinghamshire. TV STAR VICAR QUITS JOB A vicar from Nuneaton who shot to fame in a TV show has resigned because of the pressures of his celebrity status. The Rev Jamie Allen, 32, was inundated with thousands of letters from viewers asking him for guidance after the success of the BBC's A Country Parish. The Bishop of Salisbury said viewers regarded Mr Allen as their own priest and his resignation was a "huge loss". APPEAL FOR MISSING TEENAGER The father of a Black Country teenager who disappeared after giving birth has appealed for her to get in touch. Natalie Putt, 17, went missing from Thornleigh in Lower Gornal, Dudley, on September 1, leaving her father and stepmother to care for her son Rhys. She is described as white, slim, about 5ft 1in with black shoulder-length hair, blue eyes and a Midlands accent. 11-YEAR-OLD DIES IN CAR CRASH An 11-year-old boy has died following a collision with a car in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire Police said. The youngster, who has not been named but who is from Chell Heath, was walking in Chell Heath Road when the accident took place. He was taken to the University Hospital of North Staffordshire with multiple injuries, where he later died. MAN ATTACKED BY ARMED ROBBERS A Telford man is in hospital with a fractured skull after four masked robbers attacked him on a footpath. The 26-year-old victim was set upon by the gang as he walked along a path between Cumberland Mews and Church Drive in Leegomery, police said. The robbers, who were all wearing dark clothes and balaclavas, stole his mobile phone, cigarettes and lighter. AUTHOR LOSES OUT ON PRIZE Birmingham writer Clare Morrall has lost out on winning the Booker Prize with her debut novel. The music teacher's Astonishing Splashes of Colour was one of six shortlisted for the prestigious award. Fellow debut novelist DBC Pierre, an Australian, walked away with the award and a cheque for £50,000 for his black comedy Vernon God Little. BRIDE MURDER TRIAL TO RESUME A jury is resuming its deliberations in the trial of a Birmingham man accused of helping to stab a young bride-to-be to death on her wedding day. Tafarak Hussain, 26, from Bordesley Green, allegedly helped Rafaqat Hussain, 38, from Surrey, murder Sahjda Bibi, 21, in her Birmingham home. Tafarak is appearing before Birmingham Crown Court. He denies murder. MP SET TO LAY FOUNDATION STONE Health Minister John Hutton is set to lay the foundation stone of an £18m treatment centre in Birmingham. Mr Hutton will visit the site of the Diagnostic and Treatment Centre at the city's Royal Orthopaedic Hospital during his regional tour. The minister will also open a new diagnositc and treatment centre at Cannock Chase Hospital. GUNS 'SOLD FROM CRUISING CARS' Community workers trying to stop gang violence in Birmingham have told researchers that guns are on sale from the boots of cars cruising the city. The allegations were made on a radio programme investigating claims of guns being trafficked from Northern Ireland to the mainland UK. Irish government minister Willie O'Dea said IRA groups were smuggling guns. ANTI-SOCIAL NEIGHBOURS TARGETED Nuisance neighbours in Birmingham are the focus of new measures to crack down on anti-social behaviour. A Nuisance Neighbour Panel will co-ordinate work to tackle at least 150 households in Birmingham by March 2005. Victims of nuisance neighbours will be invited to take part in the project, which is part of a £22m Government project to tackle yob behaviour. ALPAY CONSIDERS EXTRA SECURITY Turkey and Aston Villa star Alpay is reported to be considering hiring 24-hour security guards to protect his home in Sutton Coldfield. The 30-year-old defender came under fire after taunting David Beckham during Saturday's Euro 2004 qualifier. Alpay said he feared for his safety and was deciding if more security was required at his home. THIEF STEALS BAG FROM BLIND MAN Police have condemned a thief who stole a shopping bag from a blind man walking through Redditch with his guide dog. The victim, who has not been named, was in Bates Hill when he heard someone approaching him and his bag was then snatched out of his hand. A Redditch CID spokesman said: "This is a despicable case. It's difficult to believe that someone can sink so low." POLICE HUNT PUB ASSAULT MEN Police in Worcestershire are seeking six men in connection with a serious assault at a pub in Malvern. Three local men were injured in the incident at the Bakery Inn, Worcester Road, just after 11pm on Saturday. The offenders, who are thought to be from Yorkshire, escaped in a black van. A spokesman said: "We are anxious to trace these men as soon as possible." TRAIN DRIVER TRAPPED IN CRASH A railway worker escaped injury when he has been trapped in his cab after two freight trains collided in Staffordshire. The driver was rescued by firefighters using a ladder in the incident, which happened near Eccleshall. He was trapped in a freight train which collided with the back of another goods train, causing a derailment. MAN GUILTY OF 'HONOUR KILLING' A Birmingham taxi firm boss who helped his cousin fatally stab a bride-to-be has been convicted of murder. A jury at Birmingham Crown Court found 26-year-old Tafarak Hussain guilty of murdering 21-year-old Muslim Sahjda Bibi in a so-called "honour killing". He faces a mandatory life sentence on Monday, along with Rafaqat Hussain, 38, from Surrey, who had admitted murder. PARENTS SPEAK OUT OVER MURDER The parents of Sahjda Bibi, murdered in Birmingham, have called for her killers never to be released from prison. They said Tafarak and Rafaqat Hussain, convicted of the so-called "honour killing", had committed "a cowardly act on a harmless girl on her wedding day". They added: "We feel they should spend the rest of their days behind bars so they cannot do this to anyone else." MAN ON GROSS INDECENCY CHARGE A man, 22, who had sex with a under age girl from Leamington Spa, is due to be sentenced by the town's magistrates. David Hipperson, of Hitchin, Herts, has already pleaded guilty at a hearing last month to one count of gross indecency. Hipperson met the 14-year-old in an internet chatroom. He was arrested after her parents alerted police. ARCHBISHOP REJECTS SEX INQUIRY The Archbishop of Birmingham has said there is no reason for the Catholic Church to reopen its files on sexual abuse for independent investigation. The Most Rev Vincent Nichols was responding to calls made in the BBC1 programme Kenyon Confronts. The Archbishop said he was "profoundly sorry" by the damage done by the Church but its files should not be reopened. LAW FIRM SEEKS FORMER PATIENTS Lawyers acting for the family of an elderly woman who was raped at a mental health unit in Birmingham are to gather evidence of alleged staff incompetence. Law firm Irwin Mitchell is wanting to speak to former patients at the city's Avonside unit, where the rape occurred. A spokesman said officials had decided to establish an inquiry into complaints about the way the unit was run. PHONE BOSS DENIES £14m VAT SCAM A Birmingham mobile phone company boss cheated the public purse out of £14m in lost VAT revenue, London's Southwark Crown Court has been told. Monmohan Sandhu used a "shell company" and an array of bogus invoices to reduce his VAT bill, it was alleged. Sandhu, 36, from Walsall Road, Great Barr, denies one count of cheating the public revenue. CHILDREN'S HOME ABUSER JAILED The former head of a children's home in Bromsgrove has been jailed for 12 years for raping and indecently assaulting five girls who were placed in his care. Brian Gillam, 62, carried out the offences while principal of Uplands Children's Home between 1974 and 1983. In sentencing at Worcester Crown Court, Judge Michael Mott described Gillam's behaviour as "brutal" and "vile". AUCTION OF NAPOLEON ARTEFACT A scrap of wallpaper, thought to be from Napoleon's bedroom while he was imprisoned on St Helena, is expected to fetch £1,000 at auction in Ludlow. The souvenir of the French emperor's incarceration on the south Atlantic island will go under the hammer at a sale of historic documents. It is believed to be among the only surviving fragments from his bedroom. DENTIST SHORTAGE INVESTIGATED Prime Minister Tony Blair has promised to investigate a shortage of NHS dentists in Leicestershire. Tory MP for Blaby Andrew Robathan said that the Government had failed to meet a commitment to give everyone access to a state dentist by September 2001. The Leicestershire Strategic Health Authority has found that no dentists in Lutterworth are taking on NHS patients. CHILDCARE CENTRES TO BE BUILT A £20m scheme to build 17 new children's centres across Birmingham, creating 2,000 childcare places, has been announced by the city council. The facilities, comprising childcare and family health services, are to be developed in disadvantaged areas over the next three years. Councillors will be asked to agree locations for the new centres. CAR CRASHES ONTO RAILWAY LINES Police are looking for the driver of a car which crashed down an embankment on to railway lines in Birmingham. The vehicle, thought to be stolen, landed upside down on tracks near Highfield Road, Yardley Wood. The occupants of the car fled the scene. West Midlands Police spokeswoman said she was unaware of any disruption caused to train schedules. UNION CONDEMNS BANK PLANS Banking giant HSBC has been accused of putting "profit before people" over plans to cut 4,000 British jobs - many in Birmingham - and move them to Asia. The bank was condemned by finance union Unifi which said Birmingham would be worst hit by the plans as the company is the city's second biggest employer. Union official Rob O'Neill predicted 300 jobs would be lost in the city. MAN BAILED OVER PASSENGER DEATH A 19-year-old Bilston man charged with causing death by dangerous driving has been given conditional bail by magistrates in Wolverhampton. Joseph Nelson, 18, died when the car he was a passenger in struck a tree. Michael Wesley Alexander, who is also accused of drink-driving and driving without insurance, was committed to appear at Wolverhampton Crown Court. TWO CHARGED AFTER HEROIN FIND Police said they have smashed a large heroin supply due to be sold on North Staffordshire streets after uncovering £15,000 worth of the drug in a wood. Officers arrested a 60-year-old man and a youth, 16, after the discovery of the quarter kilogramme block in Biddulph. They are due before magistrates in Newcastle-under-Lyme charged with conspiracy to supply Class A drugs. MAN REMANDED OVER FATAL ROBBERY A 22-year-old man has been remanded in custody charged with conspiracy over a string of robberies, including one in which a Wolverhampton pensioner died. Ex-factory worker Kenneth Pritchard, 84, died at his home in Graiseley after confronting bogus officials. Johnny Doran was committed to Wolverhampton Crown Court when he appeared before city magistrates. SHOPPERS QUIZZED OVER BABY Police trying to trace the mother of a baby abandoned in Kidderminster toilets a week ago are conducting checks in the area where the youngster was found. Officers are to question shoppers near the Rowland Hill Shopping Centre where the baby - now named Isobel - was left. West Mercia Police will also hand out leaflets in a bid to find out who abandoned the six-week-old girl. FIRE DESTROYS 620 STRAW BALES Two children are thought to be responsible for an arson attack which destroyed 620 bales of straw at a Worcestershire farm, police have said. West Mercia Constabulary said the blaze was started in a barn at the property in Saintbury, near Evesham. Officers want to speak to the youngsters who were spotted by witnesses walking their dogs nearby. TORIES TO SUPPORT £113m STADIUM Coventry's Tory councillors have pledged to support the city's new £113m stadium, despite voting against providing a £21m loan for the scheme, The council voted in favour of funding the Foleshill project to provide a new 32,000-seat home for Coventry City FC. The Tories say they will still back the project despite all of its councillors voting against granting the loan. DIABETES 'SIDELINED' BY TRUSTS People with diabetes are being left undiagnosed because 75% of primary care trusts in the West Midlands do not have strategies in place, a study claims. The failure to create a process for early diagnosis exposes people to complications such as heart disease and blindness, Charity Diabetes UK said. Across England, 65% of trusts said they did not have strategies in place.
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