News Room

Latest news Two decade jail sentence for man who tried to kill his wife 07/09/2016 A man who attempted to kill his wife has today (Wednesday 7 September) been sentenced to 20 years in prison following a trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court. Dan Draghici, aged 42, was handed the sentence after pleading not guilty to the attempted murder of Elena Draghici. Elena, aged 31, was attacked at the family home in Fenton Street, Smethwick during the evening of Tuesday 1 March. Draghici attacked Elena during an argument while their young daughter was upstairs with Elena's sister. After hearing the screams her sister came downstairs and jumped on Draghici’s back managing to p…

Latest news Officers commended for their actions as man threatens suicide 07/09/2016 Four Dudley officers who calmed down a distressed man who was threatening to jump from a bridge, have been recognised by the Chief Constable for their quick-thinking actions. Police Community Support Officer John Link was the first to arrive and found the man, who had one arm in a sling, sitting on the wrong side of the ledge in the heavy rain. PCSO Link immediately tried to speak with the man and build up a rapport, he was joined shortly after by Inspector Steve Gordon and the pair spent over an hour trying to engage with him. The man’s condition was quickly deteriorating and h…

Latest news Suspect sought in Coventry road rage attack 07/09/2016 Police investigating a suspected road rage attack have issued an image of a man they would like to speak to. The assault took place on Coventry Road, Sheldon at around 4.20pm on Sunday 19 June. It is believed that a row erupted at the side of the road after a red Ford B Max was driving dangerously and subsequently overtook a woman who was travelling with her fiance in a blue Renault Megane. The Ford driver is alleged to have grabbed the 23-year-old as her fiance stepped in and pushed the offender off. The man got into his car and deliberately drove it towards the woman who was taking a picture …

Latest news Man named as police arrested a further two men in connection with his murder 06/09/2016 Police have named a man who was fatally stabbed at the weekend as detectives arrest a further two men in connection with murder. Mircea Gheorge Cozmiuc, 23, also known to his friends as Gheorge, was found in the street with multiple stab wounds on Carter Road at around 7am on Saturday (3 September). Two men aged 36 and 34 were arrested at an address last night in the Pennfields area of the city in connection with the murder and will be questioned later today. Officers are particularly keen to hear from anyone who saw a grey Audi A3 speeding away from the scene i…

Latest news Serial van thief caught out by his own routine 05/09/2016 The regular routine of a serial van thief led to his own downfall after police were able to link him to 13 offences across the West Midlands from one CCTV camera on a country lane in Walsall. Officers started investigating after a sharp spike in the number of Mercedes Sprinters being stolen around the region in late 2015. Some of the vans were fitted with tracking devices and officers were able to trace them to Barr Lakes Lane in Aldridge before the signals always then disappeared. Unbeknown to officers - and by pure coincidence - council officials had set up covert surveillance on that very roa…

Latest news Women driven off in car-jacking 05/09/2016 An investigation has been launched after armed robbers car-jacked a Ford Mondeo in Stourbridge last night (Sunday 4 September) and drove off with two women in the back. The women, aged 88 and 37, were dumped on the roadside several yards further on after the gang realised they had unwanted passengers before speeding off towards Lye. The drama unfolded when the masked men raided One Stop convenience store on Hungary Hill just after 9pm. They ran from the store to their waiting vehicle, which stalled, so the crooks turned to the Mondeo as the family stopped to use a cashpoint. The same men had also raided the…

Latest news Tragic biker was “ray of sunshine” – family tribute as police probe fatal crash 05/09/2016 A biker who died on a Black Country road in the early hours of Saturday morning (Sept 3) has been named as Elliott Beddow from Stourton. The 20-year-old (pictured) came off his black Harley Davidson at around 2.10am in Brettell Lane, Brierley Hill, and was pronounced dead at the scene. Crash investigators are still trying to understand what led to the fatal collision and are keen to speak to any witnesses or other motorists who were on the road at the time. Elliott’s mum Katie Beddow has paid tribute to her son – an apprentice engineer – describing him as a “ray …

Latest news PD Ari catches suspect on last ever shift 05/09/2016 This is Police Dog Ari who sprang into action to catch a fleeing suspect on his last ever shift with the force. A 999 call was received just after 2am on Friday (2 Sept) reporting a domestic incident and Ari managed to quickly sniff out the 44-year-old suspect nearby. Ari is now set to take a ‘paws’ from a life of fighting crime and has officially retired after nearly seven years on the beat. Ari, aged eight, was a graduate from the force’s dedicated training unit at Balsall Common and became a fully-fledged member of the police team at just 15-months old. He’s been a great canine cop ever since…

Latest news Murder detectives arrest two men over Wolverhampton stabbing 04/09/2016 Two people are being questioned on suspicion of murder after a man was stabbed to death in Wolverhampton on Saturday morning (3 September). The men, aged 36 and 33, were arrested at different locations in the Whitmore Reans area of the city yesterday at 12pm and 10pm respectively. Both remain in custody. The investigation was launched after the 23-year-old victim, who is yet to be formally identified, was found in the street with multiple stab wounds on Carter Road at around 7am. Despite the efforts of medical crews he was pronounced dead in hospital an hour later. A forensic pos…

Latest news Police Dog JJ receives award after catching robber 03/09/2016 A brave police dog who tracked down a knife-wielding robber has received an award for his devotion to duty. German Shepherd JJ - who was named after Private Jeff Doherty who was killed while serving with the Parachute Regiment in Afghanistan in 2008 - has been honoured by the vet charity PDSA after managing to sniff out the phone thief hiding in bushes. Dog handler PC Wayne Mellings and JJ were called to Saltley, Birmingham, last December after reports a 15 year-old girl had been robbed of her iPhone at knifepoint. PC Mellings and his canine companion set off in hot pursuit of the teenage…

Latest news Teenager critically ill after stabbing in Birmingham 03/09/2016 Detectives are investigating after an 19-year-old man turned up at A&E in Birmingham yesterday (Friday 2 September) having suffered a serious stab wound to the chest. The teenager remains in a critical but stable condition after immediately undergoing emergency surgery when he arrived at hospital at around 7.40pm. Just 15 minutes beforehand police received numerous calls to the Malvern Hill Road area of Nechells in Birmingham, which is thought to be the scene of the stabbing. Officers now believe up to 30 men were involved in a brawl at the location in the moments leading up to the kni…

Latest news Motorcyclist dies in Brierley Hill collision 03/09/2016 A motorcyclist had died after a crash in Stourbridge overnight. The rider, a 20-year-old man, came off the black Harley Davidson bike at around 2.10am today (Saturday 3 September) on Brettell Lane in Brierley Hill. Despite the efforts of emergency services he was pronounced dead at the scene. The man’s family is being supported by specially trained officers from the Regional Collision Investigation Unit, which is working to understand exactly what happened. Sgt Chris Ridge said: “The circumstances leading up to the fatal crash are still unclear and we are working hard build a better picture of e…

Latest news Search for missing man called off after body found 03/09/2016 The search for a missing Birmingham man has today (Saturday 3 September) been called off after police in Snowdonia found a body. Officers from the West Midlands have been working closely with North Wales Police to try and find Carl Newbold-Comyns since he disappeared on Thursday night. At around 9am this morning a man was found dead inside a car in the Llyn Carfnant area of the Snowdonia National Park. Although the person has not yet been formally identified, it is believed to be the missing 48-year-old from Sutton Coldfield. The death is not being treated as suspicious and specialist offi…

Latest news Murder investigation underway after stabbing in Wolverhampton 03/09/2016 Murder detectives have launched an investigation after a man was stabbed to death in Wolverhampton this morning (Saturday 3 September). Emergency services were called to the scene on Carter Road in the Whitmore Reans area of the city at around 7am. The victim, aged in his 30s, but who is yet to be formally identified, was found in the street having suffered multiple stab wounds. Despite the efforts of medical crews he was pronounced dead in hospital shortly after 8am. Police have cordoned off Carter Road while the full circumstances of what happened are established and for a for…

Latest news Missing: Carl Newbold-Comyns 03/09/2016 Police are becoming increasingly worried about the safety of a man who went missing from his home in Sutton Coldfield late on Thursday night (Thursday 1 September) and are asking for the public's help to find him. Carl Newbold-Comyns has not been seen for over 24 hours and officers are growing increasingly concerned for the 48-year-old’s welfare. Although he disappeared from the Birmingham area, it is thought he could have travelled to North Wales so we are appealing for people there to keep their eyes peeled too. Carl is a white man, around 5ft 5ins tall, of slim build, with straight grey receding hair and …