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TWO SERIOUSLY HURT IN ACCIDENT Two people have been critically injured in a car crash in north Staffordshire. They were travelling towards Biddulph in an Alfa Romeo when it collided with a stationary Land Rover and crashed into a wall in Biddulph Road, Chell. The casualties, who have not been named, have been taken to University Hospital of North Staffordshire. Police are appealing for witnesses. SOLDIER'S FAMILY COLLECT MEDALS Relatives of a Second World War soldier who died and was buried in Cannock before he could be demobilised are picking up his medals. Polish Staff Sergeant Marian Stanislaw Wiktorowski fought for Britain but suffered a fatal heart attack in 1948. Mr Wiktorowski's sons were traced after Dr Graham White, Honoray Consul of the Republic of Poland, spotted the grave. SCHOOL STAFFING LEVELS RISE Teacher numbers are at record levels in Worcestershire despite recruitment problems in other areas, new county council figures show. The statistics also show salary levels for teachers have risen nearly 27% since 1999 to nearly £30,000 a year. "I am delighted schools have seen a boost in the number of teachers," said Labour Worcester MP Michael Foster. 17 FACE FRAUD CHARGES West Midlands detectives have charged 17 people with conspiracy to defraud after a probe into an alleged fraud involving Individual Learning Accounts. Police said 13 men and four women will appear before Birmingham magistrates. A spokesman confirmed that those charged are from the West Midlands, Warwickshire, Staffordshire, Devon, Cheshire and London. EDUCATION CALL TO BE LAUNCHED A new campaign calling for the abolition of one of the compulsory tests for primary school pupils is due to be launched in Dudley. The Primary Education Alliance wants the Government to abandon the Key Stage One Standard Assessment Tests (SATs). The pressure group is to set out its campaign for change at Mount Pleasant Primary School, Quarry Bank. MEP WELCOMES GREEN FUNDING A West Midlands Euro MP has welcomed a package of funding for "intelligent" energy projects in the region and across the EU. Labour MEP Michael Cashman said the cash would fund energy projects from wind to water and solar power. He said: "Remaining fossil fuels will be used up within the lifetime of today's babies." MAN KILLED IN HIT-AND-RUN Detectives are appealing for public help in identifying a pedestrian who was killed in a hit-and-run accident in Leamington Spa. The man, thought to be in his late teens or early 20s, died at Warwick Hospital after being struck by a car in Lillington Avenue. He was white, about 5ft 8in and slim, with short, light-coloured hair. RAILWAY WORKS CLOSE LINE A 53-mile stretch of the rail network around Stoke-on-Trent has closed until September for major engineering work. Network Rail said the four-month long works are part of plans to upgrade the West Coast Main Line to allow trains to tarvel at speeds of up to 125mph. Stations including those at Stone, Stoke, Congleton, Macclesfield, Alsager and Kidsgrove will be served by buses. TOLKIEN FANS GATHER IN CITY Thousands of fans have flocked to Birmingham for an annual festival dedicated to writer JRR Tolkien. The celebrations in honour of the Lord Of The Rings author include guided tours of sites linked to Tolkien and readings of excerpts from his novels. Parts of the city, including Moseley Bog and Sarehole Mill, are thought to have inspired Tolkien's Middle Earth. COMMUNITY BASE FOR Pc Warwickshire Police have opened a fully-equipped base for their community beat officer in Whitnash, Leamington. The facility, complete with phone link, will give Police Constable Rod Joy a base when he is out on his beat. Pc Joy said the Lammas Croft office, which has an interview area, will make the police presence in the area more visible and accessible. 20th. May 2003
CAR GIANT CREATES 1,000 JOBS Japanese car giant Toyota is to create 1,000 jobs at its main UK plant in Derby and move to 24-hour production. A third shift will be added to the production schedule from next spring, boosting the factory's annual output from 220,000 to 270,000 vehicles. Recruitment for the new openings, which will add to 3,900 jobs already at the Burnaston site, will begin this summer. THREE HOUSES HIT BY LIGHTNING Three houses were hit by lightning in Birmingham, leaving one elderly resident with singed hair, a Fire Service spokesman has said. One of the properties on Beeches View Avenue, Halesowen, suffered severe damage to the roof and ceilings and another was slightly damaged. A third experienced a phone line surge and the resident's hair was singed. JURY CONSIDERS POLICE DEATHS The jury in the trial of a Birmingham man accused of deliberately ramming and killing two police officers is due to continue its deliberations. Leayon Davi Dudley, 39, led police on a 50-mile pursuit into Leicestershire before driving into the back of a patrol car, Stafford Crown Court heard. Dudley has denied the murder and manslaughter of the officers. OFFICER NOMINATED FOR HONOUR A Worcestershire policeman has been put forward for a national bravery award after disarming a man who threatened city centre shoppers with a handgun. Pc Ian Fielding, 41, a father of two from Kidderminster, was threatened when he tried to stop a car near Worcester. West Mercia Police Federation nominated Pc Fielding for the National Police Federation Bravery Awards. MENTAL HEALTH SCHEME A SUCCESS A pilot scheme in Shropshire to help people with mental health problems keep their jobs has been hailed a success. The six-month trial saw 47 people referred for help by two GP surgeries in Shrewsbury and Oswestry and community-based mental health teams. Twenty-nine people returned to work or kept their jobs. The remainder, more recent cases, are being supported. 17 TO FACE COURT OVER FRAUD Seventeen people are due to appear before magistrates in Birmingham, charged with conspiring to defraud the Department of Education and Skills. Police said 13 men and four women are to answer allegations they defrauded cash from the Government's now defunct Individual Learning Accounts. The charges follow an inquiry into an alleged fraud involving £1.1m. BODY IN SEA IS FAILED BOMBER A body found off the coast of Tel Aviv is the failed Derby suicide bomber, the Israeli Forensic Institute has said. Post-mortem tests revealed Omar Sharif drowned, reports said. Dr Yehuda Hiss, head of the Forensics Institute, said British detectives provided DNA. Sharif, a father of two, fled the scene of a suicide attack in Tel Aviv after his bomb failed to detonate. SUSPICION OVER BODY FIND Community leaders in Derby have said people are shocked at the news that the body of a local man named as a suicide bomber has been found in Tel Aviv. But they added that many are still suspicious about the body's discovery. Councillor Amar Nath, who represents Normanton, where Omar Sharif lived, said residents hoped the family could formally identify the dead man. FAMILY FACE TERROR CHARGES The brother, sister and wife of a Derby man named as a suicide bomber have appeared at the Old Bailey accused of terrorism offences. Omar Sharif's wife Tahira Tabassum, 27, brother Zahid, 36, and sister Parveef, 35, were charged with failure to disclose information about terrorism. The three, from Derby, were remanded to a date to be fixed in August. SOLDIER'S SONS COLLECT MEDALS The sons of a Second World War soldier who died and was buried in Cannock in 1948 before he could be demobilised have finally collected his medals. The family of Polish staff sergeant Marian Wiktorowski, who fought for Britain, were tracked down after his grave was spotted by a Polish diplomat. His sons received his medals from the Prince of Wales at a London ceremony. EXPERTS TO VISIT FARMING SCHEME Food and farming experts are visiting a rural partnership which promotes sustainability in agriculture across Herefordshire and Worcestershire. Advisors to the Government on its farming and food strategy are visiting 7Y Rural Services in Leominster. The partnership has 500 members and operates a machinery ring which helps cut the costs of owning equipment.
21st. May 2003
PROBE AFTER PARK SHOOTING A handgun found in a Birmingham park after a group of men were fired on is being examined by detectives. West Midlands Police say they are not sure whether the weapon recovered is the one discharged at a small crowd in Great Hampton Row, Newtown. Detective Inspector Tim Bacon said there are no reports of anyone being hit during the incident. MAN JAILED OVER POLICE DEATHS A Birmingham man has been jailed for life at Stafford Crown Court for killing two police officers by ramming their car during a high-speed pursuit. Leayon Davi Dudley, 39, drove at the car after a chase in Leicestershire, turning it into a fireball. He was found guilty of murdering Pc Bryan Moore, 39, and unlawfully killing 37-year-old Pc Andrew Munn. FAMILIES DEVASTATED BY DEATHS The families of two police officers killed by a Birmingham man in a high-speed chase say they have been left devastated by the tragedy. Allison Munn, wife of Pc Andrew Munn, said his family "miss him terribly". Pc Bryan Moore's wife, Sarah, said: "This man has devastated the family." Leayon Davi Dudley was jailed for life over the deaths. CHIEF PAYS TRIBUTE TO OFFICERS A police chief has paid tribute to two police officers killed by a Birmingham man in a high-speed car chase. Chief Supt Bob Small said of Pc Andrew Munn and Pc Bryan Moore: "They were respected and well-liked both within the force and by the local community." Pc Munn, 37, and Pc Moore, 39, were killed by Leayon Davi Dudley, who was jailed for life over their deaths. BOY SAVAGED BY GERMAN SHEPHERD A nine-year-old boy has been viciously savaged by a dog at a funeral wake in a pub in Wolverhampton, his father said. Carl Brown, from Penderford, bent down to stroke the German Shepherd when it lunged at his face, tearing a chunk from his lip which required stitches. The incident happened in Whitmore Reans as the boy's family were attending the funeral of a close friend. PARENTS APPEAL OVER HIT-AND-RUN The parents of a Warwickshire hit-and-run victim are to issue an appeal for witnesses and information to help police catch his killer. Simon Hayes, 20, of Cubbington, Leamington Spa, suffered fatal head and internal injuries when he was struck by a car in Lillington Road on May 18. Police want to trace a dark-coloured hatchback involved in the accident. REFURBISHED PARK TO OPEN A neighbourhood park in Birmingham is being officially opened after a £250,000 refurbishment programme. Sorrel Park, formerly Tyburn Recreation Ground, will host a series of events to mark its opening, including a football match between local schoolchildren. The newly-named park in Egerton Road is the latest step in efforts to regenerate the Pype Hayes estate. POSTMASTER ESCAPES AS GUN FAILS An armed robber in north Warwickshire aimed a handgun at a postmaster and pulled the trigger, but the weapon did not fire, police have disclosed. Detectives said the gunman and another offender fled empty-handed after an alarm was activated at the Post Office in Knowle Hill, Hurley, near Kingsbury. The raider pulled the gun's trigger but it merely made a single clicking noise. PROSTITUTE BANNED FROM STREETS West Midlands Police have issued what is thought to be the first criminal anti-social behaviour order against a prostitute. Birmingham magistrates banned Amanda Jane Reilly, 22, of Birmingham, from loitering in streets anywhere in England and Wales for three years. Reilly is also prohibited from entering the Edgbaston area of Birmingham. TWO HELD OVER VAN DRIVER MURDER Two people have been arrested in connection with the murder of a Stoke-on-Trent delivery driver crushed to death by his own van six years ago. Michael Pritchard, 54, was trapped under the vehicle and dragged along a road in Kirk Langley, near Derby, as he attempted to stop it being stolen. A 26-year-old man and a woman of 36 have been quizzed and freed on bail. 22nd. May 2003
KILLER FATHER TO BE SENTENCED A Coventry father of two who killed his cousin during a petty row after they downed a 24-can case of lager is due to be sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court. Keith Dean Lake, 22, plunged a kitchen knife into Daniel Flahive's abdomen during a brief argument at his home. The court was told Lake, who admitted manslaughter, had also taken Ecstasy and cannabis before the killing. MP WARNS OF BOVINE TB INCREASE Worcestershire and Herefordshire are among the areas hit hardest by bovine tuberculosis, it has been revealed. Mid-Worcestershire Tory MP Peter Luff said the two counties had 328 cases last year compared to neighbouring Gloucestershire, which recorded 285. "This is an animal health catastrophe and the Government's failure to act is a public policy scandal," said Mr Luff. NO CHARGES OVER MISSING GIRL An ex-Worcester police officer who absconded to Scotland with a teenage girl will not face criminal charges, his former force has said. The Crown Prosecution Service has decided to take no action against Matthew Brooks, 22, who was held on suspicion of abducting the 15-year-old. Brooks sparked a massive police hunt when he disappeared with Naomi Mills. FORMER BISHOP SET TO RECOVER The former Bishop of Lichfield is expected to make a full recovery after he was struck down by pneumonia just a month after retiring. The Diocese of Lichfield said the Rt Reverend Keith Sutton developed an acute chest infection and has been recovering in hospital in Norwich. The Rt Revd Sutton retired last month after 19 years leading the Diocese. CONTRACTOR GETS WORK GO-AHEAD Walsall's council has given the go-ahead to its street light contractor to resume work after a safety scare. The local authority said Amey plc, which won the £85m, 25-year lighting contract, had completed work to fix dangerous holes in the pavements. Amey was served with a "notice of action" after it left several unguarded lighting column holes in the pavement. BENTLEY PARADE TO OPEN ROAD A procession of prestige cars is set to travel down the new £28m Crewe bypass for the road's official opening. The expensive convoy of Bentleys will make the inaugural journey on the new road as Crewe has been home to the manufacturer of the cars since 1919. It is hoped the A500 road will remove 80% of the traffic through the surrounding villages. TROUBLESHOOTERS TO HELP POLICE Home Office troubleshooters have been sent in to deal with Nottinghamshire's failing police force. The force's performance on crime prevention and burglary has been criticised in a new report by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary. Police chiefs will now have monthly meetings with the Home Office's Police Standards Unit to improve performance. PLEA BY PARENTS OF ROAD VICTIM The parents of a Leamington Spa man who was knocked down and killed in a hit-and-run accident have appealed for help to find the driver. Christine and Philip Hayes said they were devastated by the loss of their 20-year-old son, Simon. Mr Hayes, who had planned to join the Army, died in the early hours of Sunday as he walked in Lillington Road. STUDENT FOUND HANGED Friends and teachers of an Oswestry teenager who was found hanged are trying to come to terms with her death. They said Catriona Sian Myres, 17, was due to take her AS level exams at Yale College in Wrexham in the next few weeks. An inquest into her death has been opened and adjourned to a date to be fixed at Shrewsbury Coroner's Court. APPEAL FOR VAN DEATH WITNESSES Detectives investigating the murder of a welder run over near Birmingham are appealing for two potential witnesses to come forward. Father-of-two David Warrilow, 37, was knocked down and killed in Chelmsley Wood, when he confronted thieves who were stealing his van. Police are trying to trace a man and a woman sitting in a saloon car nearby. 23rd. May 2003
LONE WALKER KILLED ON M-WAY A man was killed when he was struck by a lorry while walking along a motorway in the West Midlands, police have said. He was found dead at the scene of the accident on the southbound M6 in Walsall, the Central Motorway Police Group said. Officers believe the man got on to the motorway from a bridge over the M6 in Churchill Road, Bentley, Walsall. BNP MAKES GAIN IN COUNCIL POLL The far-right British National Party has shaken politicians in Walsall by coming second in a local election with more than a quarter of the vote. Tories defended their Hatherton Rushall seat in the poll, delayed by the death of a candidate, with a 263 majority. The BNP runner-up won 26.1% of the vote. The result comes after the party made 11 nationwide gains this month. NHS TRUST ACCUSED OVER DEATHS The trial of a Birmingham NHS Trust charged in connection with the deaths of two patients has been adjourned. The University Hospital Birmingham NHS Trust faced two charges over breaches of the Health and Safety at Work Act. In the first incident a man in his 70s died when a machine failed during surgery and in the second a 72-year-old woman fell 15ft from a window. NEW TERRORISM TASK FORCE FORMED The prospect of chemical, biological and nuclear terrorist attacks has prompted the launch of a West Midlands Health Protection Agency. Scientists, health professionals and emergency services representatives are forming teams across the region to co-ordinate their emergency planning. The agency is being officially launched at the NEC in Birmingham. ARSON FEAR ON COLLEGE SITE FIRE Fire crews have tackled a major blaze in a derelict Victorian building at the Dudley College site after a suspected arson attack. West Midlands Fire Service said eight crews from across the region dealt with the incident in Castle View. A brigade spokesman confirmed the blaze is being treated as suspicious and an investigation is under way. MP PUSHES FOR TOLL DISCOUNT Lichfield's MP has reiterated his plea for local people to be given discounted access to the new M6 Toll motorway. Tory Michael Fabricant said such a scheme would reward residents for enduring construction work on the 27-mile route. Midland Expressway Limited has said current technology does not allow it to offer discounts to local drivers. CITY MINT CLOSED DOWN Hockley-based Birmingham Mint, one of the world's oldest and largest coin makers, has closed its doors. The firm, which first started turning out coins in 1794, will cease trading with immediate effect. Administrators KPMG Corporate Recovery, which took over the struggling firm two months ago, said the remaining assets at the site will now be sold off. MOTHER AND SON KILLED IN CRASH A four-year-old boy and his mother have been killed in a two-vehicle collision in south Staffordshire. The boy and his 41-year-old mother, both from Kidderminster, were travelling along the A449 when their car was in collision with a van. Police said the boy, who was trapped in the back of the car, was freed and taken to hospital but later died. POLICE PROBE ABDUCTION ATTEMPTS West Midlands Police believe the same man is behind two abduction attempts in the Black Country. In one incident, an Asian man wearing glasses tried to persuade a 14-year-old girl to climb into a dark green car in Bridgwater Close, Bloxwich. A short time later he tried to pull another girl, 15, into a silver estate car in Ogley Road, half a mile away. LETHAL DISEASE FOUND AT FISHERY A disease with the potential to decimate freshwater fish has been
found at a popular rural angling spot in Worcestershire. The first outbreak
this year of spring viraemia of carp (SVC), which can kill a variety of
fish, has been found at Woodland View Fishery, near Droitwich. Defra has
now prohibited the movement of any fish to and from Woodland View.
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