Ben Perrin

Police charged Trevor Dunkley with the 1998 murder of Patricia Lashley, who disappeared from her home in Dudley. Authorities outlined her background, aliases and connections to several UK regions, and renewed appeals for information to help clarify her life and movements before she vanished. Investigators are supporting her family and encouraging anyone with past or new information to come forward as the case proceeds to Wolverhampton Crown Court.

A police sergeant tackled a man who had doused himself in petrol and threatened to ignite himself at a Stratford-upon-Avon petrol station, preventing a potentially catastrophic fire. Officers removed the lighter while firefighters neutralized ignition risk with foam. The sergeant has been nominated for a National Police Bravery Award, with senior police praising the coordinated response. The man involved has since received support and been rehoused.