Evening news round-up for the Black Country and north Worcestershire

A man charged with making a false bomb threat at Russells Hall Hospital is set to appear before a crown court judge next month.

Norman Taylor, an unemployed 43-year-old from Spiral Close, Halesowen, was charged with malicious communication after West Midlands Police received a call at 10am on Saturday (September 2).

The call claimed a bomb had been placed at the Dudley hospital, but it was soon discovered the call was a hoax.

Taylor was arrested from the hospital grounds on suspicion of making the call and was remanded in custody when he appeared before Dudley magistrates this morning (Monday September 4).

To read more click here. 

A 33-year-old Stourbridge man who savagely struck his ex-girlfriend in the face, fracturing an eye socket, has been jailed for 15 months.

Matthew Horton later admitted he lost his temper and said he lashed out at the young woman "as hard as he could".

The injury from the unprovoked attack left the 22-year-old victim with serious nerve damage to her face and it "affected her grievously" - Recorder Adrian Reynolds at Wolverhampton Crown Court said.

To read the full court report click here.

A woodland classroom which gave Dudley special school pupils the chance to explore the outdoors has been destroyed in a fire.

Flames engulfed the wooden building, which formed part of Pens Meadow’s Forest School's post-16 unit, just after 7pm on August 26.

The Forest School, which also had a bird hide, pond dipping area and camp fire circle, was paid for by school fundraising activities and built by volunteers and students.

The cause of the fire on the former Pensnett High School site in Tiled House Lane is currently unknown but staff at the school, which caters for pupils with severe and complex needs, are determined to replace the facility and have now appealed for help towards the significant cost.

To read more click here.

A teenager has been jailed for more than four years after causing an explosion in toilets at Sainsbury’s supermarket in Blackheath last May.

The 16-year-old, who can’t be named for legal reasons, researched how to make an explosive device on the internet and ignited it in the store’s male toilets around midday on Saturday, May 27.

As smoke billowed from the building, the teen ran off as customers and staff were evacuated.

Police, including armed response officers, and the fire service rushed to the scene and the boy was apprehended nearby in possession of two knives.

To read more click here.

An 11-year-old boy who died after being hit by a lorry in Oldbury has been named as Kyle Bastable.

Emergency services were called to Churchbridge, near to the Total Birchley Park Service Station, just before 10pm last night (Thursday, August 31).

Kyle – who was also known as Joe by his family members - suffered serious injuries and despite the best efforts of medics, was pronounced dead at the scene.

To read more click here.

A retired Kidderminster police officer who was flown home from Thailand following a horror motorcycle crash has died more than two years after he was left paralysed.

Bob Anthony passed away surrounded by his family on July 7, aged 57, nearly three years after his accident in 2014.

The crash broke his neck and left him breathing through a ventilator via a tracheotomy in a Thai hospital.

But Bob was finally brought back to the UK in January 2015 after six weeks of fundraising and appeals in the Shuttle by his family – who managed to raise £17,000 from donations.

To read the full story click here.

An urgent fire safety review into Worcestershire County Council-owned buildings found none in Bromsgrove with the same aluminium cladding used in Grenfell Tower.

In the wake of the Grenfell tragedy on June 14, the council confirmed several buildings were thought to contain Aluminium Composite Material cladding, but further investigation has found that none countywide fall into the government's high-risk category.

Cllr Karen May, cabinet member for transformation and commissioning, said: "The safety of our residents, our pupils and our staff is a top priority.

"We have an excellent fire safety record and robust processes are in place here in Worcestershire."

To read more click here.

Police are appealing for witnesses after a man suffered a serious head injury in a two car crash near Redditch.

The road smash happened on the A422 Inkberrow to Flyford Flavell Road at around 3.50pm yesterday (Sunday September 3).

A blue Hyundai was travelling away from Worcester and a white Ford Ranger pick-up was travelling in the opposite direction, when the two vehicles collided.

To read more click here.