Birmingham Post

Why We Should Have Our Say in Court ; Marcia Shakespeare, Mother of Murder Victim Letisha

The mother of murdered Birmingham teenager Letisha Shakespeare has backed plans to allow bereaved families of murder victims to tell courts how killers have ruined their lives. Marcia Shakespeare said the legal process made relatives feel like "outsiders" who listen to the trial but have no voice of their own.

Ellis Under Fire Over Rejected Villa Bid

Doug Ellis and the Aston Villa board have failed its shareholders by rejecting out of hand a pounds 47 million takeover bid that included a substantial cash injection for new players, the chairman's former right-hand man claimed last night. Mark Ansell, the club's former deputy chief executive, said the latest bid for the club, tabled by former Birmingham City defender Ray Ranson, was never put to the club's wider stakeholders for consideration Mr Ranson, now a successful businessman followin...

Abandon the Car for Free Transport

West Midlands drivers are being offered free public transport if they forego their car as part of an international green campaign. The region's public transport executive Centro is calling on people to support "In Town Without My Car Day" later this month with the offer of free travel cards - which can be used on buses, local trains and metro trams - on September 22.

Heritage Treasures Are Ready for Public View

Some of the West Midlands' most diverse architecture, history and culture will be available to the public free of charge later this month. Launched yesterday at Wolverhampton Central Mosque by the Civic Trust and English Heritage, Heritage Open Days will give people the chance to visit all kinds of properties, including religious buildings, between September 8 and 11.

Homer May Have to Answer Postal Fraud Claims in Court

Former Birmingham City Council chief executive Lin Homer may have to return to court to defend herself against allegations that the 2004 local authority elections were marred by widespread postal vote fraud. Five former Labour city councillors have applied to the Court of Appeal for judicial reviews after being found guilty earlier this year of ballot-rigging in Aston and Bordesley Green.

Job-Row Politician Is Refusing to Leave Desk

A top Labour politician is conducting a "work in" after losing his pounds 30,000-a-year job as the manager of the Birmingham Association of Neighbourhood Forums. Mick Rice is refusing to leave the BANF offices at Nechells even though his contract was terminated on August 31.

Masked Gunman Raids Tesco

Shoppers watched in horror as a masked man walked into a busy Tesco Express store brandishing what appeared to be a handgun. Three offenders walked into the shop in Hobs Moat Road, in Solihull, at 10.14am and entered the room where the safe for the store's cash machine was located, passing customers and staff on the way.

Housing Inquiry

Councillors in a Staffordshire town are to be interviewed by a national standards committee over claims that a councillor moved into a local authority flat ahead of a waiting list of 3,000 people. Tamworth Borough Council Labour leader Peter Seekings submitted an official complaint to the Standards Committee, which is investigating the alleged queue-jumping by Conservative councillor Gerald Pinner, who is in charge of housing at the council.

Officer in Rape Arrest

A police officer has been arrested on suspicion of rape and serious sexual assault, the Independent Police Complaints Commission said. The officer, whose identity has not been released, was detained in Blackpool yesterday morning following a complaint to local police.

Family of Iraq Bomb Blast Soldier Take Comfort From His Last Letter

The mother of a soldier who was killed by a roadside bomb while on a tour of duty in Iraq has revealed his last heartbreaking letter to his family. Private Leon Spicer, from Tamworth, Staffordshire, died with two colleagues from the 1st Staffordshire Regiment when the bomb exploded on July 16.

City Centre Roads Closures

Birmingham is playing host to two major sporting events which will mean road closures in the city centre this weekend. Tomorrow the penultimate stage of this year's Tour of Britain will be held in Birmingham for the first time.

Post Debate : Having It All - or Nothing ; According to a New Study Britain Is On the Verge of an Infertility Epidemic, As Couples Are Becoming Too Unfit to Conceive. Health Reporter Emma Brady Looks at Whether Couples Trying to 'Have It All' Are Sabotaging Their Own Dreams of Parenthood - or Should We Be Starting Families Earlier

You've been to university, pursued a successful career and eventually met the man or woman of your dreams. After managing to get on the first rung of the property ladder, the question of when to start a family becomes the couple's next conundrum.

Post Debate : The Famous and the Infamous

Actress Meera Syal is to become a mother at the age of 44. The Kumars star is due to give birth at London's Portland Hospital in December and is busy decorating a nursery at her pounds 1 million South Woodford home.

Post Debate : Women Who Play the Waiting Game ; Health Reporter Emma Brady Tells Why the 'Bridget Jones Generation' Are Putting Motherhood On Hold

I can't deny it, the Pregnancy and Birth survey is a depressing read for any 30something singleton yet to start a family of their own. If finding the right man was not hard enough, it seems pursuing a career and enjoying its successes could generate an army of maiden aunts.

Post Debate : Gps 'Not Giving' Pregnancy Advice

Alarming numbers of women across the Midlands do not get enough care and advice during pregnancy, it has been claimed. Nearly nine out of ten women in the region claim their GPs do not give them enough information in the first three crucial months of pregnancy.

Patients Go Private for Pool

Patients across the West Midlands are struggling to gain access to adequate amenities for hydrotherapy, according to a Birmingham therapist. Following the 'phasing out' of Selly Oak Hospital's hydrotherapy pool, people suffering from rheumatological conditions such as arthritis, or recovering from surgery, are being forced to seek private treatment.

Two Dead in Road Crash

Two people died and seven others were injured, three seriously, in a road accident which caused severe congestion. West Mercia Police said two vans and a car were involved in the pile-up on Wednesday evening on the A454 at Swancote, near Bridgnorth, Shropshire.

Dad Killed After Letting Seven-Year-Old Drive On M-Way

A father died after he allowed his seven-year-old son to drive at 70mph along a motorway. Divorced Peter Mourier, aged 50, of Kingshill, Kempsey, Worcestershire, encouraged the youngster to lean over from the passenger seat and take control of the Rover 216 as it raced along the M5 motorway in Gloucestershire.

Dream Home May Be Yours for Pounds 25

People could buy a pounds 250,000 house for just pounds 25 - provided Lady Luck is on their side. The detached property, in Studley, Warwickshire, is the first house being sold by a new Midland firm aiming to put the boom back into the region's stagnant housing market.

Mp Urges Smoking Ban Supporters to Speak Out

A Midland MP is urging supporters of a smoking ban to make their views known. Michael Fabricant (Con Lichfield) said he supported an end to all smoking in pubs, restaurants and workplaces.