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MAN IN COURT OVER POLICE CRASH A 27-year-old motorist is to appear in court accused of mowing down a police officer who was struck by a car during an anti-drugs operation in Birmingham. Shabaz Ali, of Edgbaston, is to appear via video-link for a preliminary hearing at Birmingham Crown Court. He is charged with causing grievous bodily harm with intent to resist arrest after the incident in Quinton. MAN FOUND INJURED AT ROADSIDE A 19-year-old Leamington Spa man is critically ill in hospital after being found suffering from head injuries at the roadside. The man was found unconscious in The Butts, Warwick, although it is unclear how he was injured. A Warwickshire Police spokesman appealed for anyone with information to contact 01926 415000. WOMAN'S DEATH INVESTIGATED The sudden death of a woman whose body was discovered at an address in Stoke-on-Trent is being treated as suspicious, detectives have confirmed. The woman, who has not been identified, was found after emergency services were called to a property in Tunstall. A Staffordshire Police spokesman said inquiries are on-going. No other details have yet been released. CAFE TARGETED IN DRUGS RAID Four people have been arrested and cautioned following a drugs raid at a Kidderminster cafe. Officers and sniffer dogs swooped on the Crystal Cafe in Horsefair where they recovered cannabis. A police spokesman warned that cannabis is still illegal if smoked in a public place and said raids on the cafe would be continuing. TEENAGER HELD OVER STORE FIRE A 17-year-old youth has been arrested in connection with an arson attack on a Stoke-on-Trent supermarket which caused damage estimated at £300,000. Staffordshire Police said the teenager had been detained by officers probing the cause of a blaze at Kwik Save in Milton. The fire was started maliciously at the rear of the premises, officers believe. MINISTER OPENS FIRE SAFETY SITE Fire Safety Minister Phil Hope is to visit Birmingham to open a fire safety education centre and meet the children who won a competition to name it. The Red Hot Information Station at Handsworth Community Fire Station includes a burnt-out house to show youngsters the aftermath of a blaze. Visitors will also be able to learn how to make effective 999 calls. BARN FIRE IS TREATED AS ARSON A Shropshire barn blaze that took fire crews more than six hours to bring under control is being treated as an arson attack, police said. A West Mercia Police spokesman confirmed that the blaze in Buntingsdale, near Market Drayton, was of "doubtful" origin. It is estimated that the fire caused around £25,000 of damage. UNIVERSITY BRACED FOR PROTESTS The University of Warwick is bracing itself for a week of chaos as student protests against top-up fees combine with lecturers striking over pay. More than 20 universities across the country could shut down when students stand on picket lines with lecturers, the National Union of Students claims. Protests are expected on Tuesday and Wednesday this week. WARNING OVER LASER POINTERS Consumer protection experts in Sandwell have given a warning about potentially harmful laser pointers being sold in the borough. The devices, which emit a laser beam, could injure the sight of anyone targeted by them and have failed safety tests, officials say. The items are being sold at markets in West Bromwich and Wednesbury. SOLDIER MEMORIAL TO BE CREATED Local schoolchildren have been invited to help create a permanent tribute to a Newcastle-under-Lyme war hero. Pupils from Hassell Primary School have submitted designs for a memorial to Sergeant Fred Kite, an ex-pupil of the school, who died in 1993. Sgt Kite was the only soldier to win the Military Medal three times during World War Two. DNA EVIDENCE WAS UNDERESTIMATED DNA allegedly linking a rape suspect with an attack on a 10-year-old girl in Birmingham involved conservative figures, Maidstone Crown Court heard. An expert agreed the chance of DNA from anyone unrelated to Antoni Imiela matching the attacker was "probably in excess of hundreds of billions to one." Imiela, of Appledore, Kent, denies raping eight women and girls. PROSTITUTE DEATH PROBE TO OPEN An inquest into the death of a Wolverhampton prostitute whose body was discovered in a Warwickshire village is set to open at Leamington town hall. Aleesha Nedic, 19, was found by a bridlepath in Snitterfield by a man out walking his dog. Detectives say two post-mortem examinations on Aleesha have been unable to establish a cause of death. POWER RESTORED TO 40,000 PEOPLE Engineers have restored full power to 40,000 Birmingham homes and businesses which were left without electricity following a substation fire. Aquila Networks said 16 properties were still disconnected following the blaze at Nechells West Primary substation. A spokesman said: "The fire damaged underground cables and supplies to over 40,000 customers were affected." CATHEDRAL TO HOLD PANCAKE RACE Choirboys and clergy are launching an appeal to raise £5m for music education at Worcester Cathedral with a pancake race around the holy venue. The event is designed to celebrate Shrove Tuesday and promote the Worcester Appeal for Music and Light. Organisers hope to raise enough to set up an endowment fund to secure the future of choral music at the church. MAN TO BE QUIZZED OVER DEATH Detectives probing the death of a 56-year-old woman in Stoke-on-Trent are waiting to interview a man found suffering from a suspected overdose. The 59-year-old is in a poorly condition at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire after being found collapsed at a house in Tunstall. The death is being treated as suspicious. SURGERY 'CATALOGUE OF HORROR' A woman told a medical tribunal that her breast lift and tummy tuck at the Priory Hospital in Birmingham turned into a "catalogue of horror stories". The unnamed 50-year-old told a General Medical Council tribunal in Manchester she had fluid pouring from an open stomach wound following the operation. Surgeon Paul Levick, of Bromsgrove, denies serious professional misconduct. TWO BADLY HURT IN HIT-AND-RUN A lollipop lady and a grandmother were left with serious head injuries in a hit-and-run collision in Coventry. The incident occured when a Ford Sierra collided with the women, aged 72 and 62, in Walsgrave. A four-year-old girl was also left in shock by the accident. "A car was driving in the direction of the city when it was in collision with the two women," a spokesman said. CLUB TO PAY £250,000 FOR TACKLE A damages claim of £250,000 has been awarded against Wolverhampton Wanderers FC and former player Kevin Muscat over a tackle in 1998. Matt Holmes, now 34, had his left leg "shattered" during a tackle by former Wolves player Muscat while playing for Charlton Athletic. The claim was settled at the High Court without any admission of liability. WOMAN DIES IN SCUBA INCIDENT An investigation is under way after a female diver died at a scuba centre near Hinckley, Leicestershire. The unnamed woman was rescued from the water at Stoney Cove diving centre suffering from decompression sickness but died at Leicester Royal Infirmary. The Health and Safety Executive has begun an inquiry into the incident and will interview staff at the site. BIOLOGIST TO RETRAIN AS PLUMBER A molecular biologist from Streetly is retraining as a plumber in response to the comparatively low wages paid for his post at Birmingham University. Dr Karl Gensberg said he hoped to double his £23,000 salary by quitting after a 13-year career in research. A spokeswoman said: "Dr Gensberg has been given flexibility in his working hours to pursue another career." MURDER SUSPECT ARRESTED A man has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a 56-year-old woman whose body was found in Stoke-on-Trent. Susan McKinnon, from Clandon Avenue, Tunstall, was discovered downstairs at a house in the same road after an ambulance crew was called. Staffordshire Police said a 58-year-old man, also from Tunstall, has been arrested on suspicion of murder. MAN FOUND DEAD IN VEHICLE Police are investigating the death of a man whose body was found in a vehicle in a lay-by in Staffordshire. The man, who has not been identified, was discovered along the southbound carriageway of the A38 at Weeford, near Lichfield. Staffordshire Police said they are treating the death as suspicious and have cordoned off the area. MAN QUESTIONED OVER CAR DEATH A man is due in court for causing death by dangerous driving after a woman died in a collision in front of her granddaughter in Coventry. Police arrested the 23-year-old over the collision which killed Maureen McPartland, 61, and left lollipop lady, Joy Briggs, 72, critically ill. Mrs McPartland's granddaughter Bethany, four, escaped with cuts and bruises. MAN DIES IN LIFT SHAFT PLUNGE A 57-year-old man from Birmingham has died after falling 50ft down a lift shaft on a building site. The man, believed to be a builder, was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident in Coventry. West Midlands Police are investigating the incident which happened on land opposite Walsgrave Hospital. The Health and Safety Executive has been informed. POLICE LAUNCH MURDER PROBE A murder inquiry has been launched after a man was found dead in his Birmingham home by police officers. The 42-year-old's body was discovered at a property in Handsworth after a member of the public reported not having seen the man for some time. West Midlands Police said a post-mortem examination showed the victim, who has not been named, died from stab wounds. FRESH APPEAL OVER CLUB ATTACK Police have renewed their appeal for witnesses to a vicious assault which left a 37-year-old Birmingham man paralysed from the neck down. David Davoren suffered severe spinal injuries in the attack at the Elbow Room nightclub in Newtown last year. Officers are joining the victim and his wife Susan in making a fresh appeal for information about the offender. POLICE GOING UNDERGROUND The country's first underground police station is set to open in a town centre subway in Stourbridge. The new base, which cost £5,000 to build, is situated on the site of a former kiosk under Foster Street. West Midlands Police said two dedicated town centre officers would use the base as part of their daily tour alongside other members of the force. PATIENT 'ABUSED' BY SURGEON A woman has told a medical tribunal she was "abused" by the surgeon performing her breast lift and tummy tuck at the Priory Hospital in Birmingham. The unnamed 50-year-old mother-of-five told a General Medical Council tribunal in Manchester that surgeon Paul Levick had abused her body. Levick, of Bromsgrove, denies serious professional misconduct. TOWN TOPS BAKED BEANS POLL West Bromwich has been dubbed "the Windy City" after a survey by a supermarket giant found residents to be the UK's biggest fans of baked beans. Tesco said more cans of Britain's favourite tinned food were bought per household than anywhere else, with Coventry and Telford close behind. A spokeswoman said local shoppers buy an average 11 tins of beans each week. COCKPIT BREACH BID DELAYS PLANE A flight to Birmingham was delayed after a man tried to enter the cockpit of the plane as it was set to take off. The pilot of the British Midland flight refused to fly from Glasgow Airport after a man repeatedly asked to sit in the cockpit. The man, understood to be an assistant air traffic controller at the airport, was arrested but freed without charge. UK SPIES BUGGED UN CHIEF - MP British agents spied on United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan in the run-up to the Iraqi war, Birmingham Ladywood MP Clare Short has claimed. Labour MP Ms Short made the claim in an interview about the implications of the collapse of the case against GCHQ whistleblower Katharine Gun. The former International Development Secretary quit the Cabinet over war. 116mph YOUNG DRIVER SENTENCED A teenager is to be sentenced after pleading guilty to driving at almost three times the speed limit on a 40mph dual carriageway in Dudley. James Francis Green was caught driving at 116mph in his father's Volkswagen Golf VR6. The 18-year-old pleaded guilty to dangerous driving when he appeared before magistrates in Halesowen. HOWARD GOES UNDERGROUND Conservative Party leader Michael Howard is to visit the country's first underground police station as part of a two-day tour of the West Midlands. The Leader of the Opposition will be shown round the new base, which is situated in a subway in Stourbridge. The town centre facility, which cost £5,000 to build on the site of a former kiosk, opened on Wednesday. ANGER AS COUNCILLOR JOINS BNP An independent councillor in Stoke-on-Trent has joined the BNP after complaining about the alleged erosion of freedom of speech in Britain. The move by Barry Cuthbertson, who represents Norton and Bradeley, doubles the BNP's presence on the city council. Mayor Mike Wolfe has hit out, accusing the BNP of "offering false and racist solutions" to the city's problems. FOUR ON TRIAL OVER COCAINE HAUL Four men accused of conspiring to smuggle cocaine worth £55m have appeared at Wolverhampton Crown Court. Rex Newport, 57, son Duncan Newport, 36, both of Gwynedd, Louis Hillard, 56, of no fixed abode, and Mark Reeves, 38, of Worcester, deny the charges. Police found the drugs concealed in a shipment of bulldozer equipment in Wolverhampton in November 2002. TWO RESCUED FROM FLAT BLAZE Two men have been rescued by West Midlands Fire Service officers after a fire trapped them in a Birmingham flat. Firefighters used a 30ft ladder to take the pair to safety from the first floor flat in Tyseley. The men were treated for smoke inhalation. The cause of the blaze, which started in a ground floor kitchen at the back of a shop, is being investigated. MORE TESTS ON BODY IN VEHICLE Further tests are being carried out to establish the cause of death of a man whose body was found in a vehicle in a lay-by near Lichfield. Police probing the discovery of the unidentified man's body off the A38 at Weeford on Tuesday said the death is not being treated as suspicious. A police spokesman said a post-mortem examination had proved inconclusive. PENSIONER TRAPPED IN TOILETS Two Sandwell Council employees have been suspended after a pensioner was trapped in a Blackheath toilet block for more than 14 hours, it has emerged. The council has apologised to the 71-year-old man, who was locked inside the windowless public conveniences on February 13 until the next morning. The authority is investigating the "regrettable and unfortunate incident". RAPE ACCUSED 'INVENTED LIFE' A man accused of trying to rape a girl in Birmingham invented a homosexual life to avoid blame, a court heard. Antoni Imiela, 49, of Kent, had pursued a tactic of "confess and avoid", the prosecution claimed in its closing speech at Maidstone Crown Court. He denies kidnapping, assaulting and trying to rape a girl aged 10 and nine counts of rape and kidnapping. PARALYSED MAN MAKES APPEAL A 37-year-old father left paralysed from the neck down after a vicious nightclub assault in Birmingham has urged his attacker to turn himself in. David Davoren said the attack at the Elbow Room nightclub had left him unable to cradle his baby daughter. Police have launched a fresh appeal for information after the assault at the nightclub in Newtown last February. PROBE AFTER BABY DEATH Child protection officers are probing the death of a baby born to a teenager in public toilets in Warwickshire. A West Mercia Police spokesman said the 17-year-old gave birth in lavatories in Bedworth town centre on Thursday. Both mother and child were taken by ambulance to the George Elliot Hospital in Nuneaton where it was confirmed the baby was dead on arrival. BNP BLAST FOR MAYOR The BNP has reacted furiously to comments made by the elected mayor of Stoke-on-Trent after a city councillor decided to join the far-right party. Mayor Mike Wolfe accused the BNP of "peddling hate" following the defection of Barry Cutherbertson, who represents the Norton and Bradeley ward. A BNP spokesman rejected Mr Wolfe's claims, saying: "We are not bigots". 116mph TEENAGER LOCKED UP A Dudley teenager who drove a car at 86mph above the speed limit has been sentenced to three months in a young offenders' institution. James Green drove his father's car at 116mph along a road with a 40mph limit, Halesowen Magistrates heard. The 18-year-old, of Netherton, had pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to one count of dangerous driving. WALKOUT AFTER TV JOBS AXED Workers have walked out in protest at the cutting of 400 jobs at regional TV centres in Birmingham and Nottingham amid cost-cutting measures. Staff staged the walkout after ITV Central said the Nottingham studios would close with the loss of 200 jobs. Another 200 posts will be axed in Birmingham, even though the city will become the single base for production. TORY LEADER ROUNDS OFF TOUR Conservative leader Michael Howard is completing a two-day tour of the region in Worcestershire and Warwickshire. Mr Howard will meet pupils at a Worcester secondary school as well as Tory candidates hoping to win seats on the city council at the June elections. He will also visit a Redditch chemist to discuss crime affecting traders and open a shop in Stratford-on-Avon. PROBE INTO POLICE GARAGE FIRE A probe is under way into a fire at a Birmingham garage used by West Midlands Police to store recovered vehicles. West Midlands Fire Service said there was heavy smoke at Jackson's Car Recovery in Northcote Road, Stechford, used by the force as a holding yard. A spokesman said that the single-storey building on the site was heavily smoke logged during the incident. REWARD TO HELP TRACE ATTACKER The father of a man who had part of his ear bitten off at a Worcester nightclub has put up a reward for information leading to conviction of the attacker. Gareth Kelly, 21, from Kidderminster, Worcestershire, was knocked to the floor and kicked in the face during the assault at the RSVP venue. The exact nature of the reward has not been disclosed by Mr Kelly's father. MAN FOUND DEAD AT HOUSE Warwickshire Police are investigating the sudden death of a man at a house in Leamington Spa. Officers were called to an address in Binswood Avenue, where they discovered the man's body. Although police do not know how the man died, they have established he did not live at the property. The man has not yet been named. MURDER QUIZ SUSPECT BAILED A man questioned by police on suspicion of murdering a 56-year-old woman in Stoke-on-Trent has been released pending further inquiries. Staffordshire Police said the suspect, 58, was allowed home on bail for eight weeks while detectives continue to probe the death of Susan McKinnon. Ambulance crews found Ms McKinnon's body at a home in Tunstall on Sunday. GIRL REUNITED WITH FAMILY A 15-year-old girl who went missing from her Birmingham home has been reunited with her family. Kaylie Williams had been out shopping with her father in Castle Vale when she disappeared. Concerns had been raised because she had been depressed. West Midlands Police said the teenager returned safely to her Castle Vale home where she lives with her parents.
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