News Room

Latest news Former special constable jailed for lying on speeding ticket 14/03/2017 A former special constable has been jailed for six months for perverting the course of justice after a two day trial at Birmingham Crown Court. Nikki Clarke, from Birmingham, had denied that she lied about a speeding ticket to protect her boyfriend, who was disqualified from driving. In July 2015 the 35-year-old’s black Lexus activated a speed camera on Yardley Wood Road doing 38 miles per hour in a 30 speed limit. Clarke claimed she was driving the car on the fixed penalty notification form sent to her, but ignored subsequent correspondence. She also failed to attend court foll…

Latest news Police appeal after fight in Solihull town centre 14/03/2017 Detectives in Solihull are appealing for information following a large scale disorder in the town centre earlier this year. The disorder took place on Saturday 21 January 2017 between 3.10am and 3.25am, but it’s unclear what sparked the violence. Unfortunately somewhere in the region of 15 to 20 people were fighting and members of the public who tried to intervene were subsequently assaulted themselves, including one young female victim who required immediate hospital treatment due to significant facial injuries. No-one was arrested at the time and we are currently appealing for anyone w…

Latest news Mum of boy killed in car crash backs police seatbelt campaign 13/03/2017 A mum has joined West Midlands Police to help the force hammer home the potentially tragic consequences of not wearing a seatbelt - after her son died in a car smash while not belted up. Sukhi Atwal will visit schools and speak to drivers and passengers as part of a week-long awareness campaign to highlight the dangers. Her 12-year-old son Amar died while a rear seat passenger in a relative’s Mitsubishi Outlander which was struck by a taxi in Hollyhedge Road, West Bromwich, in May 2015. The cab driver caused the collision after shooting across a give-way junction and was jailed…

Latest news Man put behind bars after threatening taxi drivers with a syringe 13/03/2017 A Halesowen man who terrorised taxi drivers in the area by threatening them with a used needle has been put behind bars for seven years thanks to a police investigation. David Purcell, aged 31, was sentenced at Wolverhampton Crown Court on 1 March, after he threatened the drivers in summer last year. Purcell, from Hamilton Avenue, got into the first taxi on Cloister Avenue on 6 June where he held what he claimed was a used syringe infected with the Aids virus to the taxi drivers neck and demanded money. The terrified man handed over cash and Purcell then fled on foot. He di…

Latest news Police appeal after man found with stab injuries in Netherton 13/03/2017 Police are appealing for witnesses after a man was found with serious injuries after being stabbed in Netherton last night. Officers were called to Halesowen Road just before midnight (Sunday) following reports of a disorder near to the health centre. A 28-year-old man was found to have suffered a number of stab wounds and has been taken to hospital, where he remains in a serious condition. Detective Inspector Colin Mattinson from Force CID said: “ Investigations are on-going at the scene; officers are carrying out forensic examinations and CCTV enquiries. We are asking if anyone …

Latest news WATCH: Callous thief “stoops to new low" with bag-snatch campaign on elderly 12/03/2017 A cold-hearted thief - dubbed the Pick-Pocket Queen of Birmingham - is back behind bars again after preying on elderly women shopping in the city. Margaret Johnson has 153 offences to her name, including 93 for theft, but her latest crimes have “stooped to new lows" according to the specialist West Midlands Police pick-pocketing team that’s brought her to justice. Cruel Johnson’s most recent bag-snatch victims include a 76-year-old woman shopping in Lidl’s Tile Cross store on February 2 with her grandson who has Downs Syndrome. The 40-year-old was caught on securit…

Latest news Family pay tribute to teenage son killed in Great Barr collision 12/03/2017 The family of a teenager who died when his bike crashed into a car have paid tribute to their loved one. Sean Purchase, 15, was riding along Wandsworth Road when he was hit by a grey Vauxhall Astra near to the junction of Bandywood Road, Great Barr on 2 February. A quick-thinking driver used his van to shield the lad from further harm while a woman performed CPR until a police officer, who was in the area at the time, was able to take over having summoned additional support. Medics raced Sean to Birmingham Children’s Hospital under police escort for intensive treatment. Un…

Latest news Police investigating disorder in Smethwick 11/03/2017 Police have launched an investigation and are appealing for information after disorder broke out at a birthday party in Smethwick in the early hours of this morning (Saturday 11 March). Officers were called to the CAP centre on Windmill Lane at around 1.19am following reports shots had been fired at the location. Specialist units were immediately deployed and a search of the area was conducted by officers who found what appear to be a bullet and a shotgun casing. The immediate area has been cordoned off while forensic experts complete a detailed search and officers are trawling CCTV to establish …

Latest news Cash haul found in hotel room − seized under Proceeds of Crime 11/03/2017 A rucksack found in a hotel room stuffed with £76,000 in used notes has been seized by West Midlands Police under the Proceeds of Crime Act − after officers disproved claims the cash was inheritance money from a Saudi estate. Officers found the stash − largely in Scottish bank notes − in an east Birmingham hotel room after alert staff raised child exploitation fears when two men and a young woman checked into a double room. A 46-year-old man from Kilmarnock − and with links to Coventry and Dudley − was arrested on suspicion of money laundering but later released without charge. H…

Latest news ATM attack gang jailed for 28 years for raid on post office 11/03/2017 Sparks fly as a gang targeting in-shop cash points use an angle grinder to slice through shutters at a Black Country post office − but just minutes after their raid was caught on camera all four were arrested by West Midlands Police. CCTV footage shows Simon Phillips using a circular saw to attack metal security screens at Wollaston post office in the early hours of 1 September before Terry McMahon smashes open the front door with a sledgehammer. Along with fellow gang members Adrian Peach and Dennis Carr the crooked quartet rushed the store and used a large crowbar in a botched atte…

Latest news Appeal for witness after fatal motorcycle collision 10/03/2017 The family of a motorcyclist killed in a city centre collision earlier today (10 March) has paid tribute to their 'fun, fearless, happy go lucky, Peter Pan'. Officers found the 38-year-old motorcyclist on Aston Circus near to Curzon Circus and Lawley Middleway at around 4.10am. Ryan Dowling was treated by the ambulance service but despite their best efforts they could do nothing to save the him and he was pronounced dead at the scene. The roads nearby were closed for several hours while traffic officers began work to establish the circumstances around the collision. Paying tribute to Rya…

Latest news Wolverhampton knife attack: Man and woman named 09/03/2017 Police have today named a man and woman who died following a knife attack at a flat in Merry Hill, in Wolverhampton yesterday (8 March). Police were called to a high-rise block in Leasowes Drive, in Merry Hill at around 9.45am following reports a knifeman had attacked two women in a property. Ann-Marie James aged 33 was found with fatal stab wounds and pronounced dead at the scene, while Melvin is understood to have turned the knife on himself and also died a short time later. Their 59-year-old mother was taken to hospital with serious stab wounds to her abdomen; she has undergone surgery but …

Latest news WMP’s female police pioneers gather on Women’s Day 09/03/2017 Female policing pioneers gathered for an event on International Women’s Day as West Midlands Police underpinned its commitment to gender equality. The reunion brought together three of the six women who’ve held the most senior ranks with the force – Assistant Chief Constable and above – plus the first female dog handler, first woman deployed with the firearms unit, and first to fly with the police helicopter. The group met at the force’s Lloyd House HQ on Wednesday (8 March) to hear about the trailblazing first female members of the Women Police Department a century ago and share stories on …

Latest news First pic of schoolboy who died following “allergic reaction” 09/03/2017 The parents of a nine-year-old boy who died at school of a suspected allergic reaction have released an image of their son. Mohammad Ismaeel Ashraf (known as Ismaeel) fell ill at Al Hijrah School in Burbridge Road, Bordesley Green, on Friday afternoon (3 March). Police and paramedics arrived at the scene to find the youngster collapsed and, tragically, he died later in hospital. A post mortem will take place and the child’s family are being supported by specially trained officers. Detective Chief Inspector Edward Foster said: “We continue to support the family during this tragi…

Latest news Murder update: Man stabbed sister and mother before turning knife on himself 08/03/2017 A man killed his sister and critically injured his mother in a knife attack at a Wolverhampton flat before turning the knife on himself, West Midlands Police can confirm. Police were called to a high-rise block in Leasowes Drive, in the Merry Hill area of the city, at around 9.45am today (Weds 8 March) following reports a knifeman had attacked two women in a property. Officers stormed the first floor apartment, in Highfield Court, and used stun grenades to distract the attacker and detain him. A woman aged 33 was found with fatal stab wounds and pronounced dead at t…