Birmingham Post

Fleet of Buses Beats Metro

A fleet of fast buses would cost half as much as planned Metro tram routes in Birmingham and the West Midlands and be used by almost as many passengers, according to new research by the passenger transport authority. An economic appraisal by Centro-PTA concluded a new Metro network, including a priority service to Birmingham International Airport, would cost pounds 1.1 billion to construct.

Student Twins Pick Up Lives in Brum Again

The student twins who were locked up following a deportation row were back in Birmingham yesterday after their solicitor put pressure on the Home Office to release them. Kamila and Karina Kaya, aged 18, who live in Stirchley, had been held at a detention centre in Bedfordshire for more than three weeks when their lawyer Michael Adelasoye managed to persuade Government solicitors they should no longer be detained.

'Justice Done' Over Death of Toddler

A couple who had been accused of killing a toddler they hoped to adopt, said last night "justice has been done" after winning a four- year battle to clear their names. Ian and Angela Gay, of Hayley Green, Halesowen, West Midlands, were cleared of the manslaughter of three-year-old Christian Blewitt in a retrial at Nottingham Crown Court.

'Skulduggery' Fight Over Mp Cormack

More than 80 Tory MPs yesterday appealed to the South Staffordshire Conservative Association to overturn the decision of its executive to oust veteran Sir Patrick Cormack as their candidate at the next General Election. The appeal is made in a letter to Mrs Wilhelm Rose, president of the constituency party, in which they warn that his loss to Parliament "would be an irreparable blow to our team in the Commons".

News Digest: Bomb Charges

A primary school caretaker appeared before a judge for the first tim-eyesterday charged over a series of letter bombings. Miles Cooper, 27, is accused of 12 offences under the Explosive Substances Act and the Offences Against the Person Act.

News Digest: Oap Robbed

A burglar stole a Leamington Spa pensioner's purse after entering her living room to inform her that her house had been ransacked. The callous offender and his accomplice struck at the home of the 84-year-old woman on Thursday.

News Digest: Family Tragedy

Detectives who think a shop worker killed her two young sons then committed suicide were last night trying to find the reasons behind the tragedy. Salesman Richard Talby returned from a business trip to find the bodies of wife Susan, 42, and children Joseph, four, and Paul, three, at the family home in Wer-rington, Peterborough, Cambs, late on Thursday, police sources said.

Desperately Seeking

I am researching my family tree and am trying to find any descendants of my late father. His name was Sidney Frank Wright, and he was born in 1914 in the Clodshall Road area of Birmingham. His father was Frederick Wright and his mother was Marion Duern. I believe he had a brother Frederick, who moved to Liverpool and two sisters, Edna and Frances. Frances married a Jim Pugh.

Couple Cleared of Toddler's Death

Cleared couple Ian and Angela Gay, who had been accused of killing a toddler they hoped to adopt, hugged each other and wept as the not guilty verdicts were read out. Members of Mrs Gay's family, who were present throughout the trial, sobbed in the public gallery.

Ordeal Over Boy Wanted As a Son

Ian and Angela Gay were a successful, wealthy couple whose lives were turned upside down by the death of Christian Blewitt. They lived in a five-bedroom detached house in an exclusive gated community in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, drove a Lotus sports car and owned a 30ft yacht.

Putting Better Roof Over Congregation's Heads

A church in the Midlands has been awarded a pounds 351,000 grant to carry out much needed repairs to its badly-damaged roof. St Laurence Church in Church Lane, Meriden, received the largest grant offered by English Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) in the West Midlands.

Churches Get Multi-Million Funding Package for Repairs

A pounds 17.5 million annual funding package for repairs to 153 Grade I and II listed churches and chapels was announced yesterday. English Heritage said this includes a grant of pounds 754,000 - the largest ever made under the scheme - or All Saints, Boyne Hill, a Victorian church in Maidenhead, Berkshire, which urgently needs repairs to its 150ft spire, and pounds 127,000 for urgent repairs to Dobroyd Castle in West Yorkshire, which now houses a Buddhist college.

Rock Club Will Rise Again

Rock fans feared the worst when flames ripped through a well known Birmingham venue last November. More than 500 clubbers, many of whom regarded Edwards No.8 as their 'home', were evacuated in the early hours of November 12.

News Digest: View Clouded

The lead singer of rising rock band The View was fined yesterday for possessing pounds 150 of cocaine. Kyle Falconer was handed the pounds 1,000 fine despite pleas from his solicitor that the conviction would make it "next to impossible" for the group to tour the United States.

News Digest: False Evidence

A police officer who admitted giving false evidence at an assault trial was jailed for 73 days yesterday. Sundeep Patel (29) covered up claims by the suspect that he had acted in self-defence.

News Digest: Dream Jobs

A series of "dream" work placements for young people, including working at a Premiership football club or on a magazine, was yesterday offered to teenagers to stress the importance of qualifications. The Learning and Skills Council launched a competition for 16 to 18-year-olds to win one of the placements, ranging from Everton FC and Newcastle Falcons Rugby Club to Sugar magazine.

News Digest: Hit-and-Run Case

A man appeared in court charged in connection with the death of a seven-year-old boy in a hit-and-run accident. Christopher David Paul Collins, aged 44, of Albert Road, Mexbor- ough, near Doncaster, South Yorkshire, appeared at Doncaster Magistrates' Court.

News Digest: Pc Stabbed

A police officer was treated in hospital yesterday after being stabbed in the head and neck. The 48-year-old male constable was investigating a report of criminal damage after midnight in Huyton, Merseyside, when he was attacked.

Instant Stardom Offer

A chance to gain instant stardom in the centre of Birmingham has been offered by an artist. As part of his latest piece, conceptual artist Joshua Sofaer is hoping to take someone's name and make it into a piece of modern art.

Victim Slates Date-Rape Judgment

A young banker was left devastated yesterday after a city businessman, who spiked her drink in an exclusive restaurant, was jailed for just two years. The sentence means would-be rapist Rohail Spall, who police fear may be a serial sexual predator, will be free in just over three months, once time he has already spent in custody is taken into account.