A man who punched and kicked his dog has been been banned from keeping animals for life.

Daniel Stokes aged 27 from Hindhead Road, Yardley Wood, appeared before Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on Friday 4 April for sentencing.

He had pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to an allegation of causing unnecessary suffering to a dog in October 2013 and subjecting the animal to a physical trauma.

On Friday’s hearing he was handed a 16-week prison sentence – suspended for 12 months and must also comply with a thinking skills programme. He was banned from keeping all animals for life and ordered to pay costs of £1,729.

The RSPCA launched an investigation after reports that Stokes was beating his dog. When RSPCA inspector Scott Vanes attended the property in October, Stokes admitted he had punched the dog.

The dog, an American Bulldog now called Tiki, was found cowering in a concussed state – he had no shelter and it was pouring with rain, he was also covered in red bruises.

He was taken away by the RSPCA and on examination a staggering 50 bruises were found all over his body and he had a fractured leg. Tiki’s tongue and ears were even bruised and there were wounds to his back legs which were consistent with them being tied up separately.

A vet concluded that the trauma injuries found indicated a savage and sustained beating of at least ten punches to the dog and several kicks and blows to his back and tail. The vet had also said that other animals with lesser injuries had died as a result of similar injuries and it was probably only due to Tiki’s size that he had survived.

Stokes also said that to punish Tiki he would “wet him up”, which would involve him putting a hosepipe of cold water all over the dog for anything between five and 15 minutes.

Stokes had said in interview that he had attacked the dog because it had defected and urinated on the floor in the house but he always denied kicking the dog.

Speaking after the case RSPCA inspector Scott Vanes said: “This is one of the worst beating cases I have ever dealt with and I have seen some awful things as an inspector. This poor dog suffered prolonged and severe levels of violence at the hands of this man.”

Tiki was signed over in to the care of the RSPCA and is now in need of a loving new home.

Tiki recently met the His Royal Highness the Duke of Gloucester, who officially opened the RSPCA’s flagship state of the art animal centre and hospital in Birmingham.

Inspector Vanes added: “It is a real rags to riches story in a way that this poor dog had such a horrendous life and then he was one of the chosen dogs to meet the Duke of Gloucester. The perfect ending now would be that we can find Tiki a loving new home where he can be happy for the rest of his life.”

Anyone wishing to find out more about adopting Tiki or any other dogs at the centre can call 0300 123 8585 or visit www.rspca.org.uk/Birmingham

All Image Credits: RSPCA

A newly built £260,000 facility offering more free car parking at Yardley Wood Railway Station has been opened to the public.

The extension to the existing Park and Ride site at Yardley Wood Station has been built by transport authority Centro and will add a further 59 spaces to the 100 already available.

The work has been carried out to ease overcrowding at the existing facility which has proved so popular with commuters that it is often full before the end of the morning rush hour.

With 30 per cent of all journeys into Birmingham city centre now being made by train, the extra spaces will enable a further 30,000 commuter car journeys to be taken off the roads each year.

Duncan Fry, senior project manager at Centro, said: “It’s fair to say that a number of our Park and Ride facilities have become a victim of their own success and are often full to capacity.

“That’s why Yardley Wood is just the latest in a number of extensions we are building to make it even easier for people to use the train for the majority of their daily commute.”

The new Yardley Wood facility has been built on the site of a former petrol station in Highfield Road and features low energy lighting, a cycle shelter, CCTV cameras and help points linked to the Network Safety and Security Centre.

Terry Oliver, head of Snow Hill services at train operator London Midland, added: “I am delighted that our partnership with Centro has enabled us to extend the free Park and Ride facilities at Yardley Wood station.

“This will be a huge benefit to both commuters and leisure travellers who use the Snow Hill lines to connect to major towns and cities including Birmingham, Worcester and Stratford upon Avon.”

Centro and its partners have invested more than £15 million in Park and Ride facilities since 1997 to provide more than 7,331 free spaces at 53 heavy rail car parks and four Metro tram stops across the region.

These spaces are calculated to take around three million journeys off the region’s roads each year, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by more than 6,000 tonnes.

Police officers raided a house on Pendeen Road in Yardley Wood yesterday (14/12).

A 31-year-old woman who was in the property at the time of the raid was arrested on suspicion of supplying of class A drugs. She has since been release on police bail pending further enquiries.

A substance seized from the house – but believed to be drugs – continues to be tested by chemists.

Anyone with information about those behind drug crime in their area should call police on 101 or give information anonymously via the independent crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Image Credit: @BillesleyPolice

Over 100 homes were without power Monday evening (05/01) after a electrical fire broke out at a home in Yardley Wood.

Firefighters from Billesley were called to Beta Grove after a call was made to emergency services by a neighbour.

On arrival crews used CO2 fire extinguishers to control the blaze while engineers from Western Power Distribution shut off the electricity to ensure no further damage was done.

Virgin Media services were also affected by the blaze and most customers had their service resumed a few hours later. If your still experiencing issues you can check the status of the repair here: https://my.virginmedia.com/faults/service-status

Image & Video Credit: @BillesleyFire

From Monday 16th February until Friday 20th February 2015 between 19:00-06:00, Alcester Road South will be closed from Warstock Road to Hawkhurst Road to allow for resurfacing works to be carried out.

Service 50 from Birmingham will be diverted from Alcester Road South via Warstock Road, Highters Heath Lane and Maypole Lane to continue normal line for route.

Service 50 to Birmingham will be diverted from Maypole Lane, Highters Heath Lane, Warstock Road and onto Alcester Road South to continue normal line of route.

Service 27 to Maypole will be diverted from Highters Heath Lane, onto Maypole Lane to then terminate.

Service 27 from Maypole will be diverted from Maypole Island and onto Highters Heath Lane to continue normal line of route.

A sex offender, who subjected three young girls to years of abuse, has been sentenced to 17 years in jail for a string of historic offences.

Gary Jukes, of Highters Road, Warstock was sentenced after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing to sexually abusing children over a period of 21 years, between 1976 and 1997.

The 52-year-old electrical fitter was sentenced to four years at Birmingham Crown Court on Monday 2 March after he pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful sexual intercourse and a series of indecent assaults against a girl aged 9-11 at the time.

This sentence will run consecutively to a sentence of 13 years given in 2014 for offences against two other girls, and a further 18 months to run concurrently.

Jukes was arrested in December 2013 after his victims, now aged in their 30s and 50s, found the courage to report him to police.

DC Nichola Thomas from the Force’s Public Protection Unit, said: “The trial of Gary Jukes was a traumatic experience for his victims and I would like to praise their courage in coming forward and speaking to police.

“They see the conviction as closure and I hope the fact that he is now behind bars will go some way to helping them recover.

She added: “We will always take reports of sexual abuse seriously and I would urge anyone who has suffered abuse, no matter how long ago, to contact West Midlands Police so we can investigate.

West Midlands Police’s Public Protection Unit can be contacted on 101, while the National Association for People Abused in Childhood (NAPAC) can be contacted on 00808 801 0331 and www.napac.org.uk 

The independent Local Government Boundary Commission for England is asking people across Birmingham to comment on its draft proposals for new council ward boundaries.

See the map in full

An eight-week public consultation on the recommendations begins today and will end on 8 February 2016. The consultation is open to anyone who wants to have their say on new council wards, ward boundaries and ward names across Birmingham.

The Commission’s draft recommendations propose that Birmingham City Council should have 101 city councillors in the future, nineteen fewer than the current arrangements. The recommendations also outline how those councillors should represent 53 single-member wards and 24 two-member wards across the city.

The full recommendations and detailed interactive maps are available on the Commission’s website at www.consultation.lgbce.org.uk and www.lgbce.org.uk

Max Caller CBE, Chair of the Commission, said: “We are publishing proposals for a new pattern of council wards across Birmingham and we are keen to hear what local people think of the recommendations.

“Over the next eight weeks, we are asking local people to tell us if they agree with the proposals or if not, how they can be improved.

“Our review aims to deliver electoral equality for local voters. This means that each city councillor represents a similar number of electors so that everyone’s vote in city council elections is worth roughly the same regardless of where you live.

“We also want to ensure that our proposals reflect the interests and identities of local communities across Birmingham and that the pattern of wards can help the council deliver effective local government to local people.

“We will consider all the submissions we receive whoever they are from and whether your evidence applies to the whole city or just part of it.

Have your say directly through the Commission’s consultation portal by visiting https://consultation.lgbce.org.uk/node/5688 or if you would like to make a submission to the Commissionby writing please write or email to LBGCE by 8 February 2016:

The Review Officer (Birmingham)
LGBCE
14th floor, Millbank Tower
London
SW1P 4QP

Email: reviews@lgbce.org.uk

A local bus driver has been nominated for an international award for going the extra mile for homeless people.

Driving around the busy city streets, National Express bus driver Glenn Coltman sees an ever-increasing number of people who are homeless and in need of help.

Glenn sees and recognises the faces of many of those who sleep in doorways along bus routes 2 and 3 in Yardley Wood, Sparkbrook, Shirley and Birmingham City Centre. So he uses a website called StreetLink at the end of each shift to tell the relevant authorities where the homeless people are.

StreetLink is a website that enables the public to alert local authorities in England and Wales about people sleeping rough in their area, so they can be offered the help they need.

Glenn also encourages other drivers to use StreetLink at the end of their shift, to report people they see in and around their bus routes.

Helen Mathie, Head of Policy at Homeless Link, which manages the Streetlink service overall in partnership with St Mungos, said: “The team at Streetlink is delighted Mr Coltman has been nominated for this award. The action he and other Streetlink users take can make all the difference to helping people who are homeless into local services and off the streets for good. At a time when homelessness is rising, this is more important than ever, so we convey our warmest thanks and best of luck to Mr Coltman for the international finals.”

Glenn has been a National Express driver since 2006, based at Yardley Wood garage. His caring attitude towards the homeless people he sees and the practical actions he takes won him a National Express Community Values award for Personal Impact at the West Midlands bus conference in February. He was then selected to go forward to the global National Express finals which take place in London later this month.

Debbie Wosley, Birmingham Operations Manager at National Express said: “Glenn’s commitment to go above and beyond in his driver role is very commendable. We’re proud to have someone so passionate representing the West Midlands at our company’s global awards.”

Billesley Labour HOLD – Phil Davis

• Phil Davis, Labour, 2730 votes
• James Martin Dalton, UKIP, 1052 votes
• Aaron Humphriss, Conservative, 1045 votes
• Clare Louise Thomas, Green Party, 218 votes
• Alan Edwin Morrow, Liberal Democrats, 187 votes

Brandwood: Labour HOLD – Eva Phillips

• Eva Phillips, Labour, 3520 votes
• Neville Anthony Summerfield, Conservative, 1485 votes
• Alan Blumenthal, UKIP, 813 votes
• Patrick Hugo Anthony Cox, Green Party, 266 votes
• Richard William Smith, Liberal Democrats, 186 votes

Moseley & Kings Heath: Labour HOLD – Lisa Trickett

• Lisa Stephanie Trickett, Labour, 4029 votes
• Martin James Paul Mullaney, Liberal Democrats, 1945 votes
• Robert Andrew Grant, Green Party, 554 votes
• Owen Vaughan Williams, Conservative, 522 votes
• Kenneth Russell Lowry, UKIP, 231 votes

Selly Oak: Labour HOLD – Karren McCarthy

• Karen Teresa McCarthy, Labour, 2141 votes
• Monica Catherine Hardie, Conservative,  779 votes
• Colin Francis Green, Liberal Democrats,  763 votes
• Daniel Luke Wilshire, Green Party,  381 votes
• Theo Sharieff, Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition, 67 votes

Bournville: Labour HOLD – Mary Locke

• Mary Anne Locke, Labour, 3408 votes
• Nigel Douglas Dawkins, Conservative, 3095 votes
• Ian James Jamieson, Green Party, 695 votes
• Sylvia Emmeline Tempest-Jones, UKIP 514 votes
• Robert John Gilliam, Liberal Democrats, 196 votes

Police raided a house on Greenford Road in Yardley Wood at around 10.40am today (13th May) and found drugs, stolen property, cash and weapons, as well as kit for breaking into cars.

Amongst the items sized were around £36,000 worth of suspected cannabis, four cannabis plants and around £8,000 of what is believed to be Class A drugs.

Two people were arrested – men aged 19 and 22 – on suspicion of possession with intent to supply controlled drugs.

Sergeant Matt Crowley led the operation and said: “This is the central property of a family who have been linked to a large quantity and variety of crime and anti-social behaviour in the local area.

“The reaction of neighbours who have had to put up with this activity for many years was priceless and I’m sure the impact today’s activity will have on crime in the community will be great.”

Police have arrested 3 males and seized several bikes in the Yardley Wood and Billesley area after members of the public raised concerns about the use of off road bikes.

Several bikes were seized and two 20-year-old men and a 16-year-old schoolboy were arrested for public nuisance offences.

Local officers have received numerous complaints from residents that bike riders are frightening and intimidating people, including young children, in public spaces and parks by riding dangerously and also pulling wheelies while on the roads. This not only causes danger to themselves, but also to other road users.

The noise from these bikes is also unacceptable at this time of year when people want to enjoy parkland and their gardens.

Police hope that yesterdays crackdown shows that they have listened to your concerns and are determined to tackle this problem, but they also need your help. Please report what you see. Help them to track down those who make other people’s lives a misery. Even if you don’t call them every time, keep a record of dates, times and descriptions.

On Monday 27 June at 7pm officers are holding a public meeting at Billesley police station. The meeting will be an opportunity to voice concerns, get advice and discuss the anti-social use of motorbikes in the area with local police officers and councillors.

If you have any information please phone 101 or call the independent crime fighting charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. You can also email any photo’s and video footage you have to bs_so_constituency@west-midlands.pnn.police.uk.

Plans to create a new secondary school in Yardley Wood are to be put forward by The Church of England.

The application to establish Christ Church C of E Secondary Academy, a state-funded secondary school for 11-19 year olds, will be submitted September 2016 and is set to open in the vicinity of Christ Church on School Road, although the preferred site has not yet been confirmed.

The school is being set up to help alleviate the shortage of secondary school places in the area with Birmingham falling short of over 1,000 places this year alone.

If approved, the school will open with six Year 7 classes of 30 children. It will receive a new intake of Year 7 students each September thereafter until it reaches full capacity of 1150 students, including 250 in sixth form. The opening date for the first Year 7 intake will be agreed with the DfE following a successful application.

Parents and members of the wider community in support of the school are asked to register their interest via the schools website: www.christchurchsecondary.org.uk

You can also share your thoughts and suggestions by emailing: info@christchurchsecondary.org.uk.

Christ Church C of E Secondary Academy will be operated by a new Trust established by Birmingham Diocesan Board of Education. An open admissions policy with no faith-based over-subscription criteria means the school will serve the diverse communities and cultures and give families more choice for their children’s secondary education.

According to Sarah Smith, Director of Education of Birmingham Diocesan Board of Education, “Christ Church C of E Secondary Academy offers a clear and exciting proposition for parents and children; a state-of-the-art learning environment in which each and every pupil will be supported and encouraged to achieve their personal best, both academically and as they grow into young citizens and members of our community. This will be accomplished within the context of an inclusive Christian ethos affirming of all pupils, including those who have a faith and those who do not.”

Ms Smith added, “We are proud of our Christian foundation and have close links to our Parish in Yardley Wood. The Church of England in Birmingham believes every child is unique and deserving of the very best education. This is central to our vision and plans for the school which aims to make a positive difference to the lives of all students and their families. As we now prepare to submit our application to the DfE we need to demonstrate the support of local parents and members of the wider community.”

West Midlands Police are appealing for witnesses after a police car was rammed in Yardley Wood.

The incident occurred just before 8pm on Thursday (7th July) when two officers were leaving their vehicle to talk to two males on scrambler motorbikes on Cleeve Road.

As officers left the vehicle one of the males used his motorbike to ram the drivers door, whilst another male threw numerous articles at the officers.

One of the officers was injured and was taken to hospital but released a few hours later with relatively minor injuries.

The impact of the police vehicle’s door against the officer was such force that the car had to be taken in for repairs as the door could no longer be closed.

The injured officer and his colleague was back on patrol the following night.

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 or the independent crime fighting charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or submit information online by visiting crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/give-information-online

Police were called to Yardley Wood Road yesterday (9th July) at 4.38pm to reports that a bike had been involved in a collision with a car.

The cyclist, an 22-year-old man, was taken to hospital with a head injury. He is currently in a stable condition.

The driver of the car initially left the scene but police enquiries identified the vehicle and the 82-year-old driver has now been spoken to by officers. Nobody has been arrested.

The Church of England is holding a meeting on their proposed academy school in Yardley Wood.

The public drop in consultation will be held on Tuesday 19th July from 2:30pm till 5:30pm at the Christ Church Centre, 153 School Road, B14 4EP.

A man has been rushed to hospital after being hit by a car in Yardley Wood earlier this morning (24/10).

Paramedics from West Midlands Ambulance Service were called to Priory Road, Yardley Wood shortly after 11am to reports of the collision.

On arrival crews found a 51 year old man had been hit by a car and thrown into the air before hitting his head on the windscreen knocking him unconscious.

He was treated for a laceration to the right side of his head and regained conscious before being transferred by ambulance to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Selly Oak.

On route the mans condition deteriorated and the hospital was alerted to their arrival.

The road was closed for some time whilst police carried out an investigation.

An entire family are among 40 people sentenced to 165 years behind bars in a Birmingham blitz on drug dealers and associated criminal behaviour.

A father, his brother and two sons are among those involved in a large-scale drugs network made to pay for dealing class A drugs.

The organised crime gang was targeted by undercover officers and their activity was disrupted after 44 people were arrested last year during a series of police raids. Numerous mobile phones and tens of thousands of pounds in cash were seized along with three kilos of heroin and crack cocaine, worth an estimated £250,000.

Codenamed Birmingham No Deal, the covert policing operation was months in the planning and was sparked by community concerns about blatant kerbside drug dealing.

“With so many people appearing in court, sentencing has taken place over several months,” said Detective Superintendent Richard Agar from Force CID.

“I hope this action sends a clear message that drug crime will not be tolerated. People need to understand the far-reaching consequences of their criminal actions. As part of our intervention and prevention programme, we began by giving users and dealers an opportunity to change their ways and warned them that if they didn’t we’d take action.

“Following months of meticulous planning and hard work we were able to develop the suspicions of the local community into information which we were able to use to obtain search warrants. We’ve painstakingly pieced the details together and as a result a large complex drugs network has been brought down.

“In addition to the legal proceedings, officers are now working with housing providers to evict or warn those people who lost their right to a home when they chose to make their neighbours lives a misery by dealing drugs or committing other crimes on their doorsteps.

“Our specialist Offender Management Unit is on standby ready for the release of those targeted by the operation. They will work closely with drugs workers and others to make sure all Birmingham No Deal nominals stay on the straight and narrow.”

Forty-four people were arrested in four days of co-ordinated swoops across Birmingham and the Black Country in September 2015.

Hundreds of police officers and police staff from across the West Midlands were involved in the initiative.

To share the news of the convictions, a giant mobile TV screen displaying the custody mugshots will tour the city tomorrow, (Sunday 20 November) in a bid to share this success with local communities and encourage more people to come forward with further information about criminals operating in the area.

To report those responsible for crime, call the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

For advice and support breaking free from drugs visit West Midlands Police’s new Impact Pathways website − developed as part of WMP2020.

Raid footage

Details of those who live locally and were found or pleaded guilty as part of Birmingham No Deal between 7-11 November:

• James Baker (M), 36, floor layer of Baxters Road, Shirley jailed for three years for conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine.
• Desmond Boulle (M), 50, labourer of Hebden Grove, Hall Green jailed for eight years and one month for conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine.
• James Floan (M), 36, unemployed of Kingsthorpe Road, Warstock jailed for three years for conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine.
• Steven Green (M), 36, unemployed of Yardley Wood Road, Yardley Wood jailed for six years for conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine.
• Ryan Green (M), 30, unemployed of Lakey Lane, Hall Green jailed for two years two months for conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine.
• Andrew Holvey (M), 34, unemployed of Prince of Wales Lane, Yardley Wood jailed for two years for conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine.
• Iftikhar Iqbal (M), 42, unemployed of Keddleston Road, Hall Green jailed for 10 years for conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine.
• Mohammed Iqbal (M), 26, unemployed of Painswick Road, Hall Green jailed for 10 years for conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine and one year for driving whilst disqualified.
• Junaid Khan (M), 20, unemployed of Painswick Road, Hall Green jailed for eight years for conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine.
• Masood Khan (M), 47, unemployed of Painswick Road, Hall Green jailed for 15 years for conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine.
• Sulaimaan Khan (M), 21, unemployed of Alexander Road, Acocks Green jailed for five years and ten months for conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine.
• David Monaghan (M), 44, unemployed of Hollybank Road, Billesley jailed for two years for conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine.
• Marc Morgan (M), 33, car valeter of Cherrington Road, Stirchley jailed for 22 months for conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine.
• Raja Mushtaq (M), 41, unemployed of Alexander Road, Acocks Green jailed for 26 months for conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine.
• Steven Canning (M), 60, construction worker of Highters Heath Lane, Yardley Wood jailed for two years and eight months for conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine.
• Kyle Gaye-Smith (M), 24, unemployed of Gayle Grove, Acocks Green jailed for three years for conspiracy to supply crack cocaine.
• Noah Keye (M), 20, unemployed of The Centreway, Yardley Wood jailed for 28 months for supplying crack cocaine.
• Lydia Mills (F), 30, unemployed of Claydon Grove, Yardley Wood jailed for two years suspended for two years with rehabilitation.
• Steven Paris (M), 57, retired of Braceby Avenue, Billesley, jailed for two years and eight months for conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine.
• Joni Puncheon (M), 22, unemployed of Arrowfield Green, Kings Norton jailed for 32 months for conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine.
• Errol Terrelonge (M), 27, unemployed of Claydon Grove, Yardley Wood jailed for three years for supplying crack cocaine.
• Joshua Wilson (M), 20, unemployed of Trafalgar Road, Moseley jailed for 43 months for supply crack cocaine and possession with intent to supply heroin and crack cocaine.
• Zahid Younis (M), 27, quality controller of Station Road, Kings Heath jailed for three years and six months for conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine.

Birmingham City Council is once again reducing the budget for the cities library service, which will have an affect on local libraries.

Under the proposals Yardley Wood library would see it’s opening hours increased by one hour a week, 35 hours in total but other libraries would see theirs reduced.

Druids Heath would see it’s opening hours slashed from 24 hours per week to just 21 hours per week.

A man from Yardley Wood has been jailed for 16 months at Birmingham Crown Court today (5/1) after pretending he was being evicted to get a council house.

Mr Mbarak Abdallah, aged 37 of Chinn Brook Road, Yardley Wood pleaded guilty at Birmingham Magistrates Court on 8 December 2016 to two fraud offences for falsely completing both a homeless application and a housing application which resulted in him getting a council house on Milston Close, Druids Heath in 2012.

In 2014 Birmingham City Council received a tip off that Abdallah’s claim was false and the council’s Internal Audit Fraud Team investigated.  The team found Abdallah was in fact the owner of the property from which he had claimed he was being evicted.  Not only that, but Abdallah had privately rented the property while he and his family were living at the council property.

Abdallah surrendered the tenancy for Milston Close during the investigation while he was serving a prison sentence for another crime, having held the tenancy from 3 September 2012 to 18 January 2015.

Cllr Peter Griffiths, Birmingham City Council’s cabinet member for Housing and Homes, Cllr Peter Griffiths, said: “At a time when we have thousands of genuinely homeless families in Birmingham, in dire need of a council house, Abdallah decided to exploit the system for his own financial gain. Today’s sentencing sends out a clear message – we take tenancy fraud allegations seriously and we will prosecute.”

Police are appealing for help to trace a suspected burglar after a house was broken into in Yardley Wood in December.

The suspects gained access to the house on Ravenshill Road through an unsecure front room window on 3 December at 3.24am.

The downstairs rooms were searched and the suspects then left via a back door with two TV’s, a laptop, cash and other electrical items taken from inside the property.

Anyone who believes they can identify this man, or has any other information which may assist the investigation, is asked to contact Detective Constable Laura Hurry by emailing l.hurry@west-midlands.pnn.police.uk.

Alternatively contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 and quote crime number 20BW/239091A/16.