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Birmingham: News Headlines May 2010

31.05.10: Lord Mayors Show in Victoria Square: Conservative Councillor Len Gregory took over from Liberal Democrat Councillor Michael Wilkes as the Lord Mayor of Birmingham today at the annual Lord Mayors Show in Victoria Square. The entertainment included fairground rides, craft stalls, musicians, dancers, children's entertainers, army and fire brigade displays.

31.05.10 Birmingham Pride Attended by 100,000+: The 14th Birmingham Pride was held during the weekend of 29th-30th May. Over 100,000 attended the festivities which included a parade, consisting of around 25 floats and 650 revellers, which travelled from Victoria Square through the Retail Quarter to Hurst Street in the Gay Village.

31.05.10 Car Crash on Chad Road Edgbaston: A car crashed into a stone wall on Chad Road in Edgbaston at around 1pm on Sunday 30 May. Two men, who were travelling in the vehicle, sustained suspected spinal injuries and were taken to City Hospital in Winson Green.

30.05.10 Suspected Teenage Shooter Arrested: A 19-year-old youth was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder at a house on Douay Road in Wylde Green at around 6am on Friday 28 May. He is suspected of firing shots in Ladywood on Monday 17 May.

30.05.10 Gang Warfare Spills Into Retail Quarter: Teenage gangs fought a series of running brawls on Dale End and Bull Street in the Retail Quarter of central Birmingham at around 5pm on Wednesday 26 May. The police arrested a 14-year-old boy; no weapons were recovered.

30.05.10 Government Defers Longbridge Housing Subsidy: The Department for Communities and Local Government has deferred a £3.6 million subsidy for the construction of 115 residential units planned as part of a larger estate of 1450 new homes on the former site of the MG car factory off Lickey Road in Longbridge.

29.05.10 New Magistrates Court Will Be Deferred: The Ministry of Justice, whose budget has been cut by £325 million, will defer the planned construction of a new £81 million magistrates court on Moor Street in the Eastside area of Birmingham. The city's magistrates will continue to sit at the 19th century Victoria Law Courts on Corporation Street for the foreseeable future.

29.05.10 Corpse Discovered in Selly Oak House: The corpse of an elderly man was found by fire-fighters investigating a possible gas leak at a house on Widney Avenue in Selly Oak at around 5pm on Thursday 27 May. It is believed that the man had been dead for several days; foul play is not suspected.

29.05.10 Pirate DVDs Seized in Aston: Police seized around 100 pirate DVD's from a flat on Burlington Street in Aston on Wednesday 26 May. It is thought that they belonged to a street level dealer who was being supplied from a flat on Newhall Street in the Jewellery Quarter.

29.05.10 Pirate DVD Warehouse Raided in Jewellery Quarter: Police raided a flat on Newhall Street in the Jewellery Quarter, which was being used as a warehouse for pirate DVD's, on Wednesday 26 May. Officers seized around 30,000 bootleg Bollywood, Hollywood and pornographic movies that were being stored there pending distribution to street level dealers.

28.05.10 Rubery Man Jumped From 5th Floor Flat: A Deputy Coroner sitting at Sutton Coldfield Town Hall has heard evidence that a 29-year-old man with a history of drug and alcohol abuse died after jumping from his 5th floor flat on Rubery Road South at around 11.30pm on 22 August 2009.

28.05.10 Paint Warehouse Blaze in Newtown: A paint warehouse on Cecil Street in Newtown caught fire at around 7pm on Thursday 27 May. Fire-fighters imposed a 400-metre exclusion zone because of the risk of asbestos dust from the warehouse roof. Newtown Row and the Lancaster Circus Flyover were closed for several hours. No injuries were reported.

28.05.10 Erdington Publican Farmed Cannabis : A 56-year-old female publican has been sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court to a twelve month community order for allowing part of the first floor of the Old Roebuck on Erdington High Street to be used for the cultivation of cannabis.

27.05.10 Man Destroyed Sparkhill Murder Getaway Car: A 28-year-old man, formerly of Eastfield Road in Bordesley Green, has been sentenced to 2.5 years imprisonment at Birmingham Crown Court for attempting to pervert the course of justice. He destroyed a vehicle used by two convicted murderers after they had stabbed a 23-year-old disabled man outside his home on Oakwood Road in Sparkhill in January 2006.

27.05.10 City College Axes Funding For Muath Centre: City College will no longer fund the Muath Trust Education Centre at Camp Hill which teaches academic and vocational courses in a culturally-sensitive environment to students aged 16+.

27.05.10 Car Hits Teenage Boy in Erdington: A 15-year-old boy sustained back and leg injuries after being hit by a car on Streetley Road in the Stockland Green area of Erdington at around 4pm on Wednesday 26 May.

26.05.10 Facebook Users Mock Dead Bournville Schoolboy: A Facebook page dedicated to the memory of a 15-year-old schoolboy who attended Kings Norton Boys School, and who is believed to have committed suicide by hanging himself on Thursday 27 May, has been hijacked by bullies who have posted a digitally-altered picture of the teenager with his head in a noose. It is thought that the boy was being bullied at school and had been threatened with a beating shortly before his death.

26.05.10 Handsworth Man Killed Neighbours Cat: A 56-year-old man from Churchill Road in Handsworth has pleaded guilty at Birmingham Magistrates Court to causing unnecessary suffering to a cat belonging to his neighbour by first attempting to strangle it and then by stamping on its head.

26.05.10 Lozells Flat Blaze: Two flats on the top floor of a 3-storey residential block at the junction of Villa Road and Terrace Road in the Lozells area of west Birmingham caught fire at around 7pm on Monday 24 May.

25.05.10 Police Watch CCTV Bus Footage in Unmarked Cars: The Birmingham Safer Travel Police Team has been issued with transmitters that will enable them to view cctv footage recorded in buses from unmarked police cars.

25.05.10 Birmingham Police Adopt Shotspotter Technology: Police officers in Birmingham will be the first in the UK to adopt shotspotter technology in response to firearms incidents; shotspotter sensors can determine the number of firearms discharged, their calibre and the precise location in which they were fired.

25.05.10 Drunken Moped Rider Jailed for Stirchley Getaway: A 23-year-old man who rode a moped whilst intoxicated in Stirchley, and initially escaped arrest by driving straight at a policeman, has been sentenced to 9 months imprisonment for dangerous driving at Birmingham Crown Court.

24.05.10 Handsworth Cannabis Farmer Jailed: A 19-year-old illegal immigrant who pleaded guilty to cultivating cannabis on Whitehall Road in Handsworth has been sentenced to 15 months imprisonment at Birmingham Crown Court. He appears to have been the only occupant of a house with four rooms dedicated to the cultivation of 363 cannabis plants.

24.05.10 Selly Oak Hospital Will Begin Phased Closure in June: Services will be transferred from Selly Oak Hospital to the newly-built Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Edgbaston from mid-June. The transfer will be accomplished in six phases: the first department to be transferred will be Accident and Emergency on 16 June.

24.05.10 Stirchley Pub Gutted by Fire: The Lifford Curve public house on Fordhouse Lane in Stirchley has been gutted by a fire which started at around 3am on Saturday 22 May. The cause is under investigation; nobody was injured.

23.05.10 Clubber Jumped to His Death in Sutton Coldfield: The Coroner for Birmingham & Solihull has ruled that a 30-year old man, who died after jumping 9 metres from Lindbridge Road onto the A38 Sutton Coldfield bypass, at around 9am on June 28 2009, caused his own death whilst under the influence of ecstasy and BZP. The deceased had spent the previous night at Godskitchen in Digbeth.

22.05.10 Police Raid Cannabis Farm on Chester Road: Police have raided a house with three rooms converted to cannabis cultivation on the Chester Road in Sutton Coldfield; they seized lights, cooling equipment and drugs with a street value of £20,000.

22.05.10 Police Raid Cannabis Farm in Stockland Green: Police have raided a cannabis farm on Neville Road in the Stockland Green area of Erdington; they seized drugs with a street value of around £15,000.

22.05.10 Dance Floor Gunman Jailed for 16 Years: A 24-year-old man, who shot and seriously injured another man on the dance floor of Sensations on Moseley Road in Balsall Heath on 12 September 2009, has been sentenced to 16 years imprisonment at Birmingham Crown Court for attempted murder and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.

21.05.10 Another Crash on Bunbury Road in Northfield: A car crashed into a lamppost on Bunbury Road in Northfield at around 12 noon yesterday. The accident occurred barely 100 metres from the spot where a 39-year-old woman died after her car collided with a fire engine two days earlier on Tuesday 18 May.

21.05.10 Suspected Kings Norton Schoolboy Suicide: The police are investigating the suspected suicide of a 15-year-old schoolboy who was found dead on the evening of Wednesday 19 May. It is thought that the teenager, who attended Kings Norton Boys School, was being bullied.

21.05.10 Buses Collide on Lancaster Circus: A bus collided with a minibus at Lancaster Circus in the Aston Triangle area of Eastside at around 3pm on Thursday 20 May. No injuries were reported.

20.05.10 Woman Dies in Northfield Fire Engine Crash: A 39-year-old female motorist died on Bunbury Road at around 6pm on Tuesday 18 May after her car collided with a fire engine answering an emergency call.

20.05.10 Another Shooting in Highgate: A man in his early twenties was shot in the chest on Gooch Street in Highgate at around 3.15pm on Wednesday 19 May. This was the second shooting in Highgate during the past week. Gunfire was heard on Gooch Street on the afternoon of Wednesday 12th May.

20.05.10 Man Found Burning in Highgate: A man was found on fire on Gooch Street in Highgate at around 6am this morning; he was taken to Selly Oak Hospital where he later died; police are investigating.

19.05.10 John Nettlefold Honoured by Blue Plaque: John Nettlefold (1866-1930) has been honoured by a blue plaque at his former home at Winterbourne House in the University Quarter of Edgbaston. During the 19th century, the Nettlefolds manufactured screws in partnership with Joseph Chamberlain. After their company was taken over by GKN in 1902, John Nettlefold fought for the demolition of back-to-back slums and designed the garden village at Moorpool in Harborne.

19.05.10 Asylum Seekers Left Destitute in Birmingham: According to a report by the Children's Society, hundreds of asylum seekers are destitute in Birmingham because they are not allowed to work and have only limited access to benefits which are difficult to claim because of complex rules. Consequently, their children are often inadequately fed and clothed.

19.05.10 High Speed Rail Could Affect Regeneration of Eastside: The construction of the proposed high speed rail terminus on Curzon Street could affect plans for the regeneration of Eastside and might possibly result in the cancellation of other projects such as the 200-metre VTP tower, the linear urban City Park, and the new campus for Birmingham City University.

18.05.10 Nine-Year-Old Hit by Car in Nechells Green: A 9-year-old boy was hit by a car on Oliver Street in Nechells Green at around 6pm on Sunday 16 May. The boy was taken to Birmingham Children's Hospital with serious leg, pelvic and head injuries.

18.05.10 University Prowler Pleads Guilty to Theft and Voyeurism: A 35-year-old man from Ottawa Tower in Benmore has pleaded guilty to theft, fraud, voyeurism and outraging public decency at Birmingham Crown Court. The man stole a mobile phone and bank cards from changing rooms at the Old Gym on the Edgbaston campus of the University of Birmingham and furtively filmed female students getting changed. He then attempted to use the cards to withdraw cash and set up direct debits.

18.05.10 Stephenson Tower Vacated: Stephenson Tower, the 20-storey block of flats next to New Street Station, has been vacated and will be demolished within the next twelve months as part of the New Street Gateway redevelopment.

17.05.10 Flame of Hope will be Moved to Civic Centre Gardens: The Flame of Hope, ignited by Cliff Richard during the Millennium Celebrations of 2000, was a flagship sculpture for Centenary Square but has been dismantled to make room for the City of Birmingham Library. The sculpture will be reassembled in the Civic Centre Gardens off Cambridge Street; however, the flame will not be re-lit.

17.05.10 Middle Earth Festival celebrates Tolkien at Sarehole: The Middle Earth Festival was held at Sarehole Mill on the weekend of 15-16 May. This annual festival, which celebrates Tolkien and the Lord of the Rings, featured archery, poetry, drama, craft displays and dragon parades. Tolkien spent his early childhood at 264 Wake Green Road in nearby Moseley.

17.05.10 Walkers Discover Hanging Man in Hay Mills: The corpse of a dead man in his twenties was discovered hanging from a bridge in parkland off Berkeley Road in Hay Mills on the evening of Friday 14 May.

16.05.10 Kitchen Fire at Flat in Billesley: The kitchen of a third floor flat on Haunch Lane in Billesley caught fire at around 1am on Friday 14 May after a pan was left unattended. Firefighters rescued two male occupants, who had fallen asleep, after a neighbour raised the alarm.

15.05.10 New Homes for Handsworth Wood: The Brown Greens Estate in Handsworth Wood will be increased by 155 flats from 377 to 532 and a new shop and laundrette will be built. All the new flats will be built by the private sector for rent and 40 will be let at affordable rents to low income tenants.

15.05.10 Police Discover Cannabis Farm in Lea Hall: Police have discovered a cannabis farm during a series of early morning raids at houses on Latelow Road in Lea Hall.

15.05.10 Police Seize Handguns in Lea Hall Raid: Police have seized two handguns during an early morning raid at a terraced house on Latelow Road in Lea Hall.

15.05.10 Ambulance Crashes in Washwood Heath: An ambulance, answering an emergency call, collided with a BMW at the junction of Bromford Lane and St Margarets Road in Washwood Heath at around 6pm on Friday 14 May. Two paramedics travelling in the ambulance, and three men in the BMW, were injured and taken to Heartlands Hospital.

15.05.10 Fatal Car Crash in Small Heath: A car collided with barriers on Golden Hillock Road in Small Heath just before midnight on Friday 14 May. A female front seat passenger was taken to Heartlands Hospital with multiple injuries where she was pronounced dead.

14.05.10 Liberal Democrat Emergency Conference at NEC: The Liberal Democrat Party will hold an emergency conference at the NEC on Sunday 16 May. It is thought that some activists will exploit this opportunity to oppose the new coalition government.

14.05.10 Cyclist Dies After Crash in Stechford: A cyclist suffered multiple injuries in Stechford after colliding with a lorry on Station Road at around 2.15 pm on Thursday 13 May. The man was taken to  Heartlands Hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

13.05.10 Moorpool Plagued by Japanese Knotweed: The garden suburb of Moorpool in Harborne has been invaded by Japanese knotweed. The weed, which grows up to an inch a day, has taken root at the Square, the Circle, the Orchard and the Bowling Green. It can split concrete and undermine foundations. The Moorpool Residents Association have called on the council to deal with the menace.

13.05.10 Police Find Cannabis Farm on Gooch Street North: Police have discovered a cannabis farm consisting of 1400 plants in 12 rooms at a former industrial building on Gooch Street North in the Southside area of central Birmingham.

13.05.10 Police Search for Missing Pensioner at Bartley Reservoir: Police are searching parkland at Bartley Reservoir for a 63-year-old man who was last seen at his home on Genners Lane in Bartley Green on the morning of Monday 12 April.

12.05.10 Residents Complain about Trees Felled On Key Hill: Residents have complained about the felling of several trees by demolition workers at Key Hill; the site in question, a former pub, forms part of the Jewellery Quarter Conservation Area.

12.05.10 Birmingham Unlikely to Get Directly Elected Mayor: In 2008, a petition demanding a directly-elected mayor for Birmingham achieved only 10,000 or so signatures, significantly less than the 35,000, equal to 5% of the electorate, required to force a referendum. It seems that the mayoral issue can not be reopened under the new Local Democracy Act, which states that a council scrutiny committee must consider any petition with more than 10,000 signatures, because the Act does not apply to council governance, including the issue of directly-elected mayors.

11.05.10 Digbeth Institute Will Reopen on 17 September: The Digbeth Institute, which has been undergoing a two year refurbishment programme, will reopen as the HMV Institute on Friday 17 September. The revamped live music venue will contain a 1500-capacity main auditorium, a 600-capacity second stage called the Library, two smaller clubrooms and a VIP bar.

11.05.10 Five Teenage Gangsters Forced Schoolboy to Strip: Five teenage gangsters aged 14-17 have pleaded guilty to robbery charges at Birmingham Crown Court. The defendants are believed to be members of the Slash Crew, mainly from Aston and Newtown;  they confronted a schoolboy from Handsworth in the Bullring, forced him to strip, hit and kicked him, stole his mobile and then made him get into a skip. They filmed the robbery, which occurred on 17th October 2009, and circulated the footage. One of the defendants, a 15-year-old, was also convicted of possessing two imitation firearms.

11.05.10 Erdington Dual Carriageway is Boy Racer Stunt Track: Young drivers are racing each other on Fort Parkway in the Tyburn area of Erdington, particularly on Saturday and Sunday nights.

10.05.10 New Community Arts Centre for Aston: Work has commenced on the conversion of a Victorian building on Witton Road in Aston which will become the new headquarters of the Kajans Womens Enterprise; this movement seeks to improve the quality and breadth of arts and education provision, particularly for women, minority ethnic youths and refugee groups.

10.05.10 Teenager Crushed by Bus in Mere Green: A 16-year-old boy died after being crushed beneath a moving bus that he was attempting to board on Belwell Lane in Mere Green at around 10pm on Saturday 8 May.

09.05.10 Dead Woman Found with Stab Wounds in Erdington: The body of a woman in her fifties, who appears to have died as a result of stab wounds, has been found at a house on Mere Road in Erdington. A 42-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder.

08.05.10 Work Begins On Redevelopment of New Street Station: Work has begun on the redevelopment of New Street Station as a state-of-the-art transport hub. The first phase of the Gateway Project will involve the construction of a new concourse in a glazed atrium.

08.05.10 Labour Wins 5 Seats in Birmingham Council Elections: Labour won five seats on 6 May when elections were held for 40 of the city's 120 council seats (1 out of 3 in each ward). The Labour gains were against the Liberal Democrats in Bordesley Green and the Conservatives in Billesley, Kings Norton, Longbridge and Quinton. However, Birmingham remains a hung council with the Conservatives as the largest party with 45 seats; Labour have 41, the Liberal Democrats 31 and Respect 3.

07.05.10 General Election: No Change in Brum: The party political map has remained the same in Birmingham after yesterday's General Election. The Liberal Democrats held Yardley, the Conservatives held Sutton Coldfield and Labour held Edgbaston, Erdington, Hall Green, Hodge Hill, Ladywood, Northfield, Perry Barr and Selly Oak. No seat changed hands.

07.05.10 Woman Battered Aston Parking Dispute: A 48-year-old woman was punched in the face and knocked to the ground at around 9:45am on Monday 3rd May during an argument with two men, aged around 20, over a parking space on Fentham Road in the Birchfield area of Aston.

07.05.10 Egg Smuggler Arrested at Birmingham Airport: A 48-year-old man with joint British and Zimbabwean nationality was arrested at Birmingham Airport on Monday 3 May attempting to smuggle peregrine falcon eggs, taken from nests in South Wales, to Dubai.

07.05.10 Shots Fired on Sparkhill Street: Shots were fired on Formans Road in Sparkhill at around 1am on Thursday 6 May; several bullets hit a window but no-one was injured

07.05.10 Afternoon Brawl in Kings Heath: A man sustained severe head injuries on Addison Street in Kings Heath during a street fight at around 4.15pm on Tuesday 4 May.

06.05.10 Girl Falls From Tree in Bartley Green: An 11-year-old girl fell five metres from a tree in a field next to Burrington Road in Bartley Green at around 6pm on Wednesday 5 May. She was fitted with a neck collar and spinal board and airlifted to Birmingham Childrens Hospital.

06.05.10 Knife-Wielding Robbers Raid Moseley Newsagents: Two men, one wielding a knife, robbed Mills Newsagents on Billesley Lane in Moseley at around 9.30pm on Sunday 25 April. They escaped on foot with cash and cigarettes.

05.05.10 Shri Guru Take Over Handsworth Wood Girls School: The Shri Guru Ravidas Cultural Association will convert the former site of Handsworth Wood Girls School on Church Lane into a community centre with a sports room, exhibition hall, community room, library, craft room, youth centre, creche, classrooms, cultural exchange and parking for 80 vehicles etc.

05.05.10 Anti-Social Behaviour Order Prohibits Hockley Brothel: Birmingham Country Court has issued an interim anti-social order against a 42-year-old man and a 37-year-old woman which prohibits them from allowing prostitutes to work at their three-bedroom council house on All Saints Road in Hockley.

04.05.10 Builders Resume Work on Yardley Tesco Superstore: Builders have resumed work on the Tesco Superstore currently under construction on the former site of the Swan Shopping Centre on the A45 Coventry Road in Yardley. Work had been suspended because of a legal dispute with the landowner who had refused to sell the site because he favoured an alternative mixed-use development. The superstore will create around 500 new jobs.

04.05.10 Man Jailed for Airport Hire Car Theft: A 50-year-old man who hired a Vauxhall Vectra for three days from the Avis desk at Birmingham Airport has been sentenced to 12 months imprisonment for theft at Warwick Crown Court. The man did not return the vehicle and it has never been recovered.

04.05.10 GBH on New Street John West in Newtown: A 36-year-old man was severely beaten and left unconscious on New Street John West in Newtown in the early hours of Sunday 2 May.

04.05.10 Police Find Cannabis Farm in Stechford: Police have discovered a cannabis farm in the upstairs rooms of a rented semi-detached house on the Meadway in Stechford. Officers visited the property on the evening of Sunday 2 May after a reported burglary.

03.05.10 May Day Celebrations in Bullring: The traditional May Day celebrations in the Bullring on Saturday 1 May featured Morris dancers, brass bands, fairground attractions and the crowning of the May Day Queen by the Lord Mayor of Birmingham.

03.05.10 Fun Run in Perry Barr: The five kilometre Birmingham Mail Fun Run was held in Perry Barr on Sunday 2nd  May. The race started in Perry Park and then followed a circular route through Church Road, Walsall Road, Harrier Way and Aldridge Road before finishing at the Alexander Stadium.

03.05.10 Joan Armatrading Gets Star on Broad Street Walk of Fame: Joan Armatrading has been honoured by a star on the Birmingham Walk of Fame. The singer was born on the Caribbean island of St Kitts in 1950 but moved to Birmingham with her family at the age of seven.

02.05.10 Planning Application for Newtown Pensioner Village: A planning application has been submitted for a pensioner village in Newtown with 180 apartments for residents aged 55+. 80% would be available for an affordable rent and the balance would be sold outright or via shared-equity schemes.

02.05.10 Birmingham Mint Will Be Gated Community: The former site of the Birmingham Mint in Hockley will be redeveloped as a gated village community with 224 apartments for rent, 66,000 square feet of office space and 234 parking spaces. Rabone Developers have recently taken over the site whose future was uncertain after previous developers Junared entered administration in June 2009.

01.05.10 Robber Targeted Kids Playing in Parks: A 21-year-old man from Anglesey Street in Lozells has been sentenced to three years four months imprisonment at Birmingham Crown Court for robbery, attempted robbery and false imprisonment. He targeted children playing at the Ackers Trust Park in Sparkbrook and took a vehicle without consent whilst its disabled owner was sitting on the back seat.

01.05.10 New Community Centre for Sparkbrook: A new community centre will be built at the junction of Dolobran Road and Grantham Road in Sparkbrook. The centre, which will open in 2012, will contain a dental practice, GP surgery, midwifery service, IT suite, library and council advice centre.