Birmingham Post

My Trauma Over Pounds 11m 'Cover-Up'

A businessman yesterday spoke of his traumatic ordeal after being accused of covering up an pounds 11 million black hole in the accounts of a Birmingham company set up by a Midland MP. Richard Carr, from Warwickshire, was acquitted by a jury at Birmingham Crown Court of seven counts of fraud relating to his time as chief executive of TransTec, which collapsed in 1999 with debts of about pounds 100 million and the loss of 4,000 jobs.

800th Anniversary

Primary Care Trusts Won't Have to Pay Huge Interest On Nhs Loans

A Midland health boss yesterday dismissed fears that trusts taking out loans from the new central NHS Bank would be paying up to ten per cent interest, plunging them into more debt. Primary care trusts across England and Wales will have to contribute, on average, 2.6 per cent of their budgets for 2006/07 in a "one-off" banking arrangement aimed at wiping out most, if not all, hospital deficits by next March.

Widow Is Sued Over Husband's Burial Site

A Birmingham widow is being sued by her sister-in-law to force her to have her husband's body buried in his native Uganda. Widow Damalisse-makadde Wabbalaya travelled from her home in Sutton Coldfield to London this week to face her sister-in-law in the High Court over the burial site of her husband.

News Digest: Terror Suspect

A 46-year-old man appeared in court yesterday charged with two offences under the Terrorism Act. Al Bashir Mohammed al Faqih was arrested in Birmingham on Monday by officers from Scotland Yard's anti-terrorist branch.

News Digest: Fatal Crash Fracas

Three men were arrested during a disorder which broke out following a fatal crash in Birmingham. The trio were detained on public order offences after allegedly trying to interfere with officers dealing with the collision in Sparkbrook.

News Digest: Death Inquiry

Detectives investigating the death of a Bromsgrove man six days after he was assaulted in the town were carrying out checks at the scene of the incident. Michael Read, know as Micky, suffered head injuries in the attack in Charford last Friday and died in hospital on Thursday night.

News Digest: Man Denies Rape

A 34-year-old West Brom-wich man appeared in court yesterday charged with the attempted rape of a 101-year-old woman. Paul Blackwood, of Parliament Street, pleaded not guilty at Wolverhampton Crown Court. He is charged with attempting to rape the 101-year-old woman in November last year.

Tory Election Manifesto Boasts a Better Future for Brum

The Conservatives have launched their manifesto for next month's city council elections, promising a cleaner, greener, safer Birmingham. But the document steers clear of mentioning the coalition that has enabled the Conservatives to run the council in partnership with the Liberal Democrats since June 2004.

Council Agrees to Fund Welsh Heritage Museum

Birmingham yesterday recognised its historic responsibility to the people of a Welsh valley flooded more than 100 years ago to provide fresh water to the city. Civic leaders agreed to a request by a delegation from the Elan Valley to help to fund a heritage museum in the Welsh region.

Flying Flags for Our Queen ; Thousands Greet the Royals a Day After Security Alert

Thousands of people turned out to see the Queen yesterday when she visited Stafford to mark the 800th anniversary of the Royal Charter. Just a day after a security alert in the town, in which four men were arrested under the Terrorism Act, she attended a service of thanksgiving at the Collegiate Church of St Mary, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh.

Military Base Closes As Squadron Is Launched

RAF Stafford was officially closed yesterday at a ceremony to formally launch Britain's first Eurofighter squadron. The Midland base, earmarked for closure as part of a Government defence review in 2004, had been home to the RAF's 450-strong Air Combat Service Support Unit.

Extra Time to Quiz Store Rape Suspect

Detectives have been given more time to question a teenager arrested on suspicion of raping an 11-year-old girl in a supermarket toilet. Warwickshire Police confirmed that magistrates in Leamington Spa had granted officers a further 36 hours to question a 15-year-old boy who was arrested in the town on Wednesday night.

Green Light for Strategy to Divert Money From Anti-Poverty Fund

Claims by Labour that Conservative-led Birmingham City Council is diverting money from an anti-poverty fund to pay for community projects in wealthy areas took a knock yesterday when it emerged the strategy had been approved by the Government. Labour went on the offensive, insisting the council was using "sleight of hand" to shift Neighbourhood Renewal Money to wards in Sutton Coldfield and Selly Oak. The move meant the city's most socially deprived wards received a cut in their allocation fr...

Management Faced Three Inquiries After Company Collapse

Almost immediately after TransTec's collapse in 1999, the Department of Trade and Industry launched an investigation. In October 2003 its report raised serious concerns about the conduct of senior management at the company.

The Balloon Went Up On Transtec ; the Ex-Chief Executive of Transtec, Richard Carr, Was Acquitted On Fraud Charges. Neil Connor Looks Back On the History of the Metal- Bashing Firm

Few would have guessed in 1995 that within ten years TransTec would have collapsed amid three investigations and two of the company's senior executives facing fraud charges. It had seemed in the mid-1990s that the Birmingham-based specialist engineering group was blossoming into one of the region's manufacturing success stories.

'Miracle Man' Carr Had Ruthless Streak in Business Community

As a former chief executive of Jaguar Cars, Geoffrey Robinson was well established in the West Midlands automotive industry before he set up TransTec in 1991. He could sense an opportunity to develop a high-volume car component business at TransTec and subsequently struck a deal with tycoon Robert Maxwell which saw him take full control of the company.

Minister Clears Birmingham Over Low-Cost Housing Claims

An inquiry into Birmingham has found it "not guilty" of failing to provide low-cost housing, according to Ministers. An investigation gave the local authority a clean bill of health, said Local Government Minister Yvette Cooper.

Central Keeps On Running

The franchise of Central Trains has been officially extended by the Department for Transport until November next year. The current timetable and level of services will be maintained, and new terms have been introduced to encourage further improvements in performance.

Plea for Red Caps Inquiry

The families of six Red Caps murdered by an armed mob in Iraq, last night demanded a criminal investigation after an inquest revealed a catalogue of military failures which led to their deaths. Relatives of the Royal Military Policemen said an "astonishing" lack of communications equipment, soldiers disobeying orders and a poor command structure in the field had led directly to the six deaths in June 2003.