Birmingham Post

Aston Killers Nailed by New Court Tactic

Four men were convicted yesterday of the New Year party murders of two teenagers in Birmingham following a trial which set new legal benchmarks. Charlene Ellis, aged 18, and Letisha Shakespeare, aged 17, died in a hail of bullets in a drive-by shooting outside the Uniseven hairdressing salon in Aston in the early hours of January 2, 2003.

Aston Trial: Gun Crime so Bad That Working in Hospital Helped Doctor in Iraq

Birmingham's City Hospital has had to deal with increasing numbers of gun crime victims in recent years. One doctor, seconded for front-line medical duty during the Iraq conflict in 2003, claimed his time at the hospital helped him treat many battlefield injuries.

Aston Trial: What Is Solution to Area's Troubles ; the Deaths of Charlene Ellis and Letisha Shakespeare Threw Into Sharp Focus the Problems Faced by Aston and Other Inner-City Communities. There Are Differing Opinions As to What Solution Will Help Turn Around Aston's Fortunes

Employment At 21.7 per cent, the Aston council ward has Birmingham's highest unemployment rate.

Aston Trial: Defence Planning Appeal Over 'Unfair Trial

Defence solicitors are planning to appeal against the convictions of the men found guilty of murdering Charlene Ellis and Letisha Shakespeare. Solicitors working for some of the defendants dubbed the case one of the most 'unfair trials' of modern times and said the appeal could go to the European courts.

Aston Trial: Accused Linked to Killing

Two of the original five men accused of shooting dead Charlene Ellis and Letisha Shakespeare and the brother of one of their co- defendants had once been charged with another gangland-style murder. But Tafarwa Beckford, Marcus Ellis and Nathan Martin's brother, Yohanne, never faced trial in connection with the death of Christopher Clarke.

Aston Trial: Mothers Regret That Some Stayed Silent

The mothers of Charlene Ellis and Letisha Shakespeare expressed their regret that witnesses to the murders had failed to come forward and give evidence against their daughters' killers. Beverley Thomas, mother of Charlene, said: 'I am glad this awful period in my life can come to a close. Charlene will be sadly missed.'

Aston Trial: Witnesses' Strength Praised by Officers

The police officers involved in the case paid tribute to the people who came forward to give evidence in the case. Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Hyde, from West Midlands Police, praised the bravery of those who gave evidence.

Aston Trial: Quartet All Denied Being in Burger Bar Gang

Defendants Marcus Ellis, Michael Gregory, Nathan Martin and Rodrigo Simms, all found guilty of murder, denied being members of the Burger Bar gang. Jermaine Carty, who was acquitted on a firearms charge, denied belonging to their rivals, the Johnson CrewMarcus Ellis His half- brother, Michael, told the court Marcus Ellis had told him he was a member of the Burger Bar gang but had denied it when confronted after the shootings. 'Your lot shot my sister,' Michael Ellis told Marcus Ellis.

Aston Trial: Firearms Controls Must Be Tighter

The trial triggered renewed calls for tighter controls on the sale of firearms. Veteran anti-gun campaigner and Birmingham Labour MP Steve McCabe said the teenagers might still be alive if those responsible had not found it so easy to access weapons.

Aston Trial: Police Threatened Every Week

Even as the trial progressed, the Chief Constable of West Midlands Police expressed concerns about people brandishing guns on the streets. Paul Scott-Lee (right) said it was 'a miracle' more people had not been shot as his officers were threatened by people waving firearms around in the city on a weeklybasis. Some of these weapons, he said, were later found to be replica or toy guns but represented a real threat to marksmen.

Aston Trial: Investigation Met by a 'Wall of Silence

Police came up against 'a wall of silence' in their investigation of the murders, the man who led the murder inquiry said. The deaths of Charlene Ellis and Letisha Shakespeare 'shook the nation' and left a community devastated, said Detective Superintendent David Mirfield.

Aston Trial: Gangs' Weapon of Choice Is Us Machine Gun

The intense climate of fear generated by the two gangs involved in the crossfire outside the Uniseven hair salon is built on simple foundations - the use of terrifying weapons such as the MAC-10 semiautomatic sub-machine gun. The American-made assault weapon, which was used in the Birchfield Road shootings, is capable of firing 1,200 rounds each minute and, as the Crown asserted during the trial, was certain to lead to what the military would describe as 'collateral damage'.

Aston Trial: Eye-Witness Denied Being in Gang

Eye-witness Mark Brown claimed to have seen Beckford, Martin and Ellis in a red Ford car moments before the shootings, although his evidence against Beckford was thrown out. He claimed Ellis was cleaning a gun and he then ran back to the partyBut he did not see the shooting as he had his back to the car. Simms was talking on a mobile phone in an alleyway, he added.

Aston Trial: Ground-Breaking Trial May Lead to More Gangland Prosecutions

More gangsters and terrorists could now face trial because of ground-breaking measures taken in the Aston case to persuade witnesses to testify, the Crown Prosecution Service said. A fear of gangland retribution meant revellers at the New Year party at Uniseven hair salon had been too scared to give evidence about the drive-by killings.

Rsc Appoints Leading Architects to Create 'More Intimate Space

The Royal Shakespeare Company yesterday announced the appointment of one of the UK's leading architects to undertake the pounds 100 million transformation of its Stratfordupon-Avon home. RSC artistic director Michael Boyd revealed thatBennetts Associates had won the race to oversee the prestigious project after convincing the theatre group that they understood the challenge of marrying the wide range of architectural styles on and surrounding the riverside site.

11 Are Rescued From Flats Blaze

New Boss for City Hospital

A Sutton Coldfield man has been appointed as the new chief executive of the Birmingham Children's Hospital NHS Trust. Paul O'Connor has a strong record in senior management within the NHS.

Ice Cream Family's Double Tragedy

The founder of one of Birmingham's first ice cream companies died just five hours after his son lost his life to stomach cancer. Family members were devastated when Severo Verrecchia, aged 93, from Edgbaston, and Tony Verrecchia, aged 69, who lived in Sutton Coldfield, died within hours of each other on March 11.

Clergyman Who Devoted 40 Years to Parishioners

A senior Birmingham clergyman who devoted himself to his parishioners for more than 40 years has died aged 91. Canon Ralph Stevens comforted thousands who heard their loved ones had been killed in the Second World War after he was made vicar of St Paul's in the Jewellery Quarter at the age of 27His talents were recognised in 1952 when he was appointed Honorary Canon of Birmingham Cathedral and in 1967 when he was made chaplain to the Queen.

Scientist Says Bricks Deadlier Than Masts

People have a greater chance of being contaminated by radiation from the bricks in their homes than from mobile phone masts, a top scientist has claimed. Dr Michael Clark, a spokesman for the National Radiological Protection Board, told an inquiry in Birmingham there was no proven evidence that the huge growth in telecommunications masts was responsible for clusters of cancer and other lifethreatening illnesses.