News Room

Latest news Three in court charged with attack and robbery of pensioner 18/03/2017 A man and two teenagers will appear in court this morning (Saturday 18 March) charged in connection with an attack and robbery of a 90-year-old man in Moseley yesterday. Mohammed Subhan, aged 18, of Solihull Lane, Hall Green, has been charged with robbery, aggravated vehicle taking, dangerous driving and possession of a stun gun type weapon. Two boys aged 16 and 14 who cannot be named for legal reasons have also been charged with robbery and aggravated vehicle taking. The 90-year-old man, was assaulted in Highbury Park in Moseley at just before midday yesterday. His Vauxhall Corsa w…

Latest news Appeal to find two missing teenage girls 18/03/2017 We are growing increasingly concerned for the welfare of two teenage girls who have gone missing from their home in Staffordshire. Holly Ward and Rhianna Spitz both aged 13, were last seen exiting the no. 97 bus at around 9pm last night (17 March) in Garrison Lane at the junction of Crown Road in Bordesley Green, Birmingham and were seen heading towards Stechford. Holly is described as white, 5ft 6ins tall, slim build and has shoulder length dark brown hair. She was last seen wearing a black polo shirt, black trousers, a black jacket and blue trainers. And Rhianna is described as white, 5ft 4ins t…

Latest news More off-road bike menaces arrested in morning house raids 17/03/2017 Seven more suspected bike menaces have been arrested from their homes during raids this morning – as West Midlands Police underlines its commitment to tackle lawless road rallies. Most were detained at addresses in Birmingham – with one picked up in Leicester – in the latest phase of police action targeting off-road bikers who brought chaos to the region’s roads during so called ‘ride out’ gatherings. The men – who are aged between 19 and 25 – have been arrested on suspicion of causing a public nuisance. They are the latest group suspected of being involved in illegal bike rallies th…

Latest news Man arrested after holding woman hostage 17/03/2017 A man has been arrested on suspicion of holding a staff member at gunpoint inside a Birmingham bank. West Midlands Police were alerted just before 11.45am to a man having entered Natwest in Bristol Road South, Northfield, and holding a female staff member hostage in an interview room. It’s understood the 60-year-old produced a firearm from a bag − but no threats or demands for money were made and no-one was injured. Officers, including armed police, contained the building and negotiators were sent to the scene. But the man − believed to be from the local area and a customer at the branch − left the b…

Latest news Officers face misconduct sanctions following IPCC investigation 17/03/2017 Nineteen West Midlands Police officers and staff face misconduct sanctions after their failure to deal properly with a woman suffering domestic violence in the months leading up to her death. The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) looked into the force’s contact with Jacqueline Oakes , who was killed by Marcus Musgrove after months of abuse. Musgrove was convicted in July 2014 of the murder of 51-year-old Jacqueline at her home in Edgbaston. The investigation looked at 17 separate reports about Musgrove made to police between April 2103 and January 2014. The repo…

Latest news Police appeal over Oldbury bank robberies 16/03/2017 Officers investigating robberies at two separate banks on the same road in Oldbury believe the crimes are linked. Two of the incidents occurred at TSB on 28 February and 9 March while the third took place at Barclays Bank yesterday (15 March) on Birmingham Street. On each occasion a man entered the store and handed over a note stating he was armed with a gun; although no weapon was reportedly seen. He threatened to harm staff if they did not hand over money and eventually fled with a substantial amount of cash each time. Officers have secured CCTV footage and are confident the same man is responsi…

Latest news Woman to appear in court for making threatening calls to nurseries 16/03/2017 A 22-year-old woman will appear in court this morning charged with making threatening calls to nurseries and schools across the West Midlands. Rebecca Cooper, of Parkhill Street, Dixons Green in Dudley, is accused of making the calls yesterday. She was arrested shortly after they were reported to police and remanded in custody overnight. She will appear at Dudley Magistrates Court charged with eight counts of malicious communications and a further charge of racially aggravated behaviour towards a police officer. View the full article

Latest news Pair charged over three shop raids in three days 15/03/2017 Two men have been remanded in prison over a series of armed shop robberies in which staff were threatened with an axe and a knife. Jonathan Jordan, aged 26, and 37-year-old John Leeson are charged with raiding Sidhu News in Washwood Heath Road, Ward End, on Saturday morning (11 March) and escaping with £250 in cash. The pair are also accused of an attempted robbery at Nisa in Kitts Green Road on Monday evening (March 13) and an attack at Co-Op in Walmley Close, Sutton Coldfield, later that night when £100 was grabbed. No-one was injured during the raids. Jordan, from Reservoir Road in Sell…

Latest news Members of Birmingham drug gang jailed after police sting 15/03/2017 A group of Birmingham gang members are facing more than 30 years behind bars after police smashed a drugs ring operating in the city. Images (top l-r) Duruji, Ahmed, Hutchinson, (bottom l-r) Tulloch, Sandhu and Johnson Anthony Johnson, aged 32, from Preston Road, Winson Green, Ashfaq Ahmed, aged 37, from Grasmere Road, Winson Green and Ravelle Hutchinson, aged 20, from Clissold Street, Hockley, all pleaded guilty to offences including conspiracy to supply crack cocaine, conspiracy to supply heroin and money laundering after police caught them red-handed in possession of the drugs tha…

Latest news Police appeal for witnesses following fatal collision 15/03/2017 Police are appealing for witnesses to come forward after a 24-year-old man was killed in a collision in Stechford last week. Juel Downer, from Bordesley Green, died in hospital on 28 February after suffering serious injuries on February 24. The black Seat Leon he was a passenger hit a black VW Golf at the junction of Stechford Road and Hodge Hill Road at around 10.25pm. Detective Sergeant Alan Hands said: “This is a tragic case and our thoughts are what the family and friends of Mr Downer. We are working to establish the circumstances surrounding the collision and we have spoken to the d…

Latest news Truckers and driving instructor among those hit with tougher ‘phone-at-the-wheel’ fines 15/03/2017 More than 250 drivers in the West Midlands were hit with new heavier fines for using mobile phones behind the wheel during a week-long clampdown. Offenders included 30 truckers, a driving instructor, and a man accessing mobile banking while travelling on the M5 with a phone in one hand and a bank statement in the other. All of the 261 distracted drivers caught during the 1-8 March campaign have been handed £200 fines and six points on their licence. (CREDIT; 123RF PRO) It means if they’re caught again they facing being banned from the roads through the…

Latest news Two million hours on the beat since force protected “vital” role 15/03/2017 Bobbies across the West Midlands are set to mark their two-millionth hour on the beat, since the force cemented its commitment to local policing. The Police and Crime Commissioner and Deputy Chief Constable moved to protect the “vital function” of neighbourhood policing during the force’s major modernisation programme known as WMP2020. In November last year the first phase of the ambitious programme went live. This included a new look neighbourhood policing function, body worn video for officers and more. Since then, neighbourhood officers have spent two million hours prevent…

Latest news Fell runner Lauren Jeska jailed for attempted murder 14/03/2017 A UK champion athlete has been jailed for 18 years after admitting trying to kill a member of the UK Athletics staff at Alexander Stadium in Birmingham last year. Fell runner Lauren Jeska stabbed UK Athletics’s Head of Human Resources and Welfare, Ralph Knibbs, leaving him with life-threatening injuries to his head and neck on the morning of Tuesday 22 March. She also inflicted minor injuries on two other members of staff as they rushed to Mr Knibbs’ aid at the head office in Walsall Road, Perry Barr. The attack was totally unprovoked and left several members of staff in a state of s…

Latest news Shotgun pair jailed after car stop: latest WMP success in firearms campaign 14/03/2017 Two men have been handed lengthy jail terms after police found sawn-off shotguns stashed under the seats of a car stopped in central Birmingham. Firearms officers pulled over the Citroen C3 driven by Yasir Nassir at 5am on 10 September last year in Newtown Row. They spotted shotgun cartridges in the rear seat footwell and a search of the car – in which Kuldipsingh Atwal (pic left) was a passenger – uncovered two short-barrelled firearms, plus a starter pistol, hidden under the seats. Subsequent searches of 45-year-old Nassir’s home in Moncrieffe Street, Walsall, u…

Latest news Three arrested over armed shop raids 14/03/2017 Three men were arrested in the early hours of this morning (March 14) over a series of armed shop raids in which staff were threatened with an axe. Police were alerted to two attempted robberies in less than an hour last night – first at Nisa in Kitts Green Road at 8.40pm followed by Co-Op in Walmley Close, Sutton Coldfield. On both occasions staff were grabbed by a man and threatened with a hand axe before fleeing empty handed; no-one was injured during the attacks. A West Midlands Police Armed Response Vehicle patrolling in the Northfield area just after 1am spotted the suspected Ford KA getaway car in…