Matthew Cooper

Multiple wildfires spread across the West Midlands during the UK’s hottest day of the year, damaging homes and forcing evacuations in Stourbridge and Pershore. A Stourbridge fire affected six houses, covered about 40 acres and sent a child and three firefighters to hospital, while the Pershore blaze damaged homes, evacuated 30 properties and disrupted power to around 200 homes. Fires also affected properties in Stoke-on-Trent and Salford Priors, prompting a major-incident declaration in Warwickshire. Smoke closed the M6 northbound for more than two hours, and firefighting operations threatened water supplies in parts of the region. Local officials and residents described severe conditions and raised concerns about preparedness for climate-change impacts.

Neil Jones and Tobiasz Kozlowski were convicted of murdering Tomasz Samel, while Kevin Wooden and Kye Arthur were convicted of manslaughter over his 2019 kidnapping, torture and death. Samel was abducted in Birmingham by men claiming to be from Interpol, taken to Merseyside, tortured, doused in petrol and set on fire, then abandoned in rural Lancashire. He reached a nearby property but died in hospital nearly three months later from his injuries. Sandra Kozlowska was convicted of helping Kozlowski avoid detection. The case was linked to the seizure of illicit and counterfeit cigarettes worth about £1 million, and all five defendants were due to be sentenced on October 9.

Jagjivan Ram, 65, received a suspended six-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to sending two racist and threatening emails to Reform UK MP Suella Braverman in 2024, including a reference to lynching. Birmingham Magistrates’ Court heard that Ram was in poor health, experiencing depressive symptoms and antibiotic side effects, and could not remember writing the messages. His sentence was suspended for 12 months because of an 18-month delay in prosecuting the case; he must also observe a monitored curfew, complete rehabilitation activities and comply with a five-year restraining order banning contact with Braverman.

A Wolverhampton Crown Court judge sentenced 55‑year‑old Andrew Gorrell to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 25 years for murdering 82‑year‑old John Edwards in a wheelie‑bin arson attack that also left two family members in comas. The court detailed Gorrell’s history of alcohol abuse, a prior arson conviction and multiple fires set on the same night. Judge Michael Chambers described him as highly dangerous and found little evidence of remorse. Family victim statements highlighted the severe impact of the attack, which prosecutors said appeared entirely random.

A former Dudley doctor, Nathaniel Spencer, pleaded not guilty to 45 sexual offences allegedly committed against 38 women and girls between 2017 and 2021. The charges follow a detailed investigation by Staffordshire Police into alleged assaults at Royal Stoke University Hospital and Russells Hall Hospital. Spencer faces a crown court trial in October next year, with a further preparatory hearing scheduled for February.