Sunday Mercury (Birmingham, England) back issues from April 2008:
Baggies, you did us proud.(Sport)
Apr 06, 2008 ... YOUNG Baggies fans were close to tears when former West Bromwich Albion striker Kanu ended their team's FA Cup dream yesterday. Tony Mowbray's battlers lost 1-0 to ...
GIRL OF 14 HAS THIRD ABORTION; EXCLUSIVE: Teenagers 'using termination as form of contraception'.(Sport)
Apr 06, 2008 ... Byline: BY BEN GOLDBY A DESPERATE 14 year-old schoolgirl has undergone her third abortion. The youngster is believed to have had two of the ...
Brit held in Zimbabwe.(Features)
Apr 06, 2008 ... A BRITISH national is being held by Zimbabwean authorities after being charged with breaching the country's strict media laws, the Foreign Office said. The man was among five people detained on Thursday after police and security agents entered a hotel ...
Plane beauty service threat.(Features)
Apr 06, 2008 ... SIR Richard Branson's airline Virgin Atlantic could be giving its in-flight beauty treatment service the brush-off. Virgin has 280 beauty therapists who offer massage and manicure services for the carrier's ...
CRAZY WORLD.(Features)
Apr 06, 2008 ... DETROIT, USA: A would-be armed bank robber failed to steal any cash during a raid - and left behind her photo identification. After pulling a handgun on ...
Gambling on race for love.(Features)
Apr 06, 2008 ... A WOMAN has taken a gamble in her pursuit of love by advertising for an escort to join her for a flutter on the races. Sue Phillips placed an advert in her local newspaper in Dorset on Wednesday for an escort to Royal ...
New test to detect bug.(Features)
Apr 06, 2008 ... SCIENTISTS have discovered a technique for the early detection of a deadly superbug. A research team, led by the University of Sunderland, said it can detect the ...
From celebrated poet to bag-lady; THE EXTRAORDINARY RISE AND FALL OF 1930s MIDLAND WRITER DISCOVERED BY VIRGINIA WOOLF.(Features)
Apr 06, 2008 ... Byline: BY LORNE JACKSON IN the end she became famous - just as Virginia Woolf always hoped she would. But Sophie Curly's celebrity was of a curious sort. For one thing, her recognition only spread through the city of Nottingham. She was a ...
FURY OVER DRINK-DRIVE SENTENCE.(Features)
Apr 06, 2008 ... ANTI drink-drive campaigners have criticised a four-month jail sentence given to a man who got behind the wheel when he was SIX times the legal limit. Peter Banks, 44, was also disqual-ified from driving for five years when he was sentenced at Crawley Magistrates' Court in West ...
PAR-KINGS OF THE TOLL ROAD; Gypsies set up camp on slip road to M6 motorway.(News)
Apr 06, 2008 ... Byline: BY SALMA CONWAY GYPSIES have set up a new illegal camp in the Midlands - at the entrance to the M6 Toll Road. Travellers have moved their caravans and transit vehicles on to land near pay booths at Burntwood in Staffordshire. Locals last night hit ...
CLINTONS MADE pounds 57m.(News)
Apr 06, 2008 ... SENATOR Hillary Clinton and her husband, former US president Bill Clinton, have made nearly pounds 57 million since they left the White House. And almost half the former first couple's money has come from Bill Clinton's speeches. The Clintons reported pounds 10.7 ...
OAP's beheader says sorry.(News)
Apr 06, 2008 ... A HOMELESS man who beheaded a 91-year-old screenwriter and stabbed to death his 69-year-old neighbour while high on drugs has apologised for his sick crimes. Keven Graff, 31, told Los Angeles Superior Court he did not remember torturing and killing Robert Lees and neighbour Dr ...
Child mind parents are penalized.(News)
Apr 06, 2008 ... PARENTS still face disciplinary action at work if they spent time with a sick child, according to a new report. Campaign group Working Families said parents were confronted by many hurdles as they tried to balance work and caring for a child or other relative. And ...
CRAZY WORLD.(News)
Apr 06, 2008 ... ARKANSAS, USA: A law which allowed anyone - even toddlers - to marry has been repealed. Lawmakers didnt' realise that legislation they ...
DJ's album lost at T5.(News)
Apr 06, 2008 ... CHART star and DJ Calvin Harris has lost seven months of work on his new album after getting caught up in the Heathrow Terminal 5 baggage debacle. A bag containing his laptop was one of ...
Doctor escapes suspension after bid to steal drugs.(Sport)
Apr 06, 2008 ... Byline: BY FIONNUALA BOURKE A TRAINEE psychiatrist has been cautioned by police for trying to steal drugs - but escaped a job suspension. Dr Olubukola Kolawole admitted faking a prescription and using it to obtain medicine from a chemist in February 2007. ...
NATIONAL BOOKIES TAKE A POUNDING.(Sport)
Apr 06, 2008 ... BOOKMAKERS faced a multi-million pound payout last night after Comply Or Die romped to victory in the 161st Grand National. There was a last-minute surge in betting on the horse which was joint favourite with hotly tipped Cloudy Lane. In total, a record pounds 400 ...
POLICE FOIL AN HONOUR KILLING; SPECIAL REPORT Unit prosecutes three over punishment beatings.(News)
Apr 06, 2008 ... Byline: BY JEANETTE OLDHAM POLICE in the West Midlands have foiled four suspected honour crimes so far this year - including a potential murder. Officers have been carrying out an investigation into punishment beatings meted out to family members accused of dishonour ....
TRIBUTES FOR TEACHER'S UNION LEADER.(News)
Apr 06, 2008 ... TRIBUTES poured in for Steve Sinnott, the general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, who died yesterday. Colleagues were left shocked by the news of Mr Sinnott's sudden death, as he was a regular cyclist and did not smoke or drink heavily. His death comes ...
Police issue family alert.(News)
Apr 06, 2008 ... POLICE have issued an urgent alert for an entire family of four who disappeared from their home up to seven weeks ago to contact them. Concern is growing for the Korean family from Cambridge Road, Newport, south ...
pounds 700,000 That's how much is spent on translators for foreign criminals in the Midlands; EXCLUSIVE.(News)
Apr 06, 2008 ... Byline: BY ADAM ASPINALL MORE than pounds 700,000 has been spent on providing Midland court translators for foreign criminals in the last eight years. And shock figures show how the Crown Prosecution Service bill for translators has rocketed from pounds 43,894 in ...
Miley is all smiles after Euro record; speedo.(Sport)
Apr 06, 2008 ... Byline: NICK CLOWE in Sheffield BEIJING-BOUND Hannah Miley smashed the European record to qualify for this morning's 400 metres individual medley final at the British Championships last night. The 18-year-old shaved just over 0.3 seconds off Ukraine star Yana ...
ANOTHER KO SEES KHAN MOVE CLOSER TO DREAM.(Sport)
Apr 06, 2008 ... AMIR Khan summoned an explosive finish when it mattered to sink Denmark's Martin Kristjansen in round seven of their WBO lightweight title eliminator at the Bolton Arena last night. Khan decked his brave opponent three times in a frenetic round before referee Mickey Vann had ...
Horse Racing: HOW DID YOU DO? GRAND NATIONAL: AINTREE.(Sport)
Apr 06, 2008 ... HERE'S the full finishing order in yesterday's Grand National plus all those who fell, were pulled up, unseated their riders, etc and how far they got ... 1st Comply Or Die (7-1 joint-favourite), 2nd King Johns Castle (20-1), 3rd Snowy Morning (16-1), 4th Slim Pickings (10-1), ...
Dog Racing: PETER'S MEMORIES GO DOWN A TREAT; GOING TO THE DOGS.(Sport)
Apr 06, 2008 ... Byline: Stephen Rea THE star of the show at last weekend's Midland Greyhound Ball was undoubtedly Monmore trainer Peter Billingham. Peter was honoured for his services to greyhound racing and he brought the house down with his blunt observations on his training ...
THAT'S JUST TO DIE FOR! WINNER IS A DREAM FOR MURPHY..(News)
Apr 06, 2008 ... Byline: BOB DOWNING at Aintree TIMMY Murphy, the jockey who has battled against alcoholism and spent time in prison six years, ago, had the bookies turning to drink after winning the John Smith's Grand National at Aintree yesterday. Murphy landed his first National ...
Tykes face yet another tough test; BET RESCUE.(News)
Apr 06, 2008 ... Byline: By CHRIS HUTCHEON HAVING beaten both Liverpool and Chelsea, Barnsley almost deserve to win the FA Cup but they are now Betdaq's 7-1 outsiders. Cardiff City are their Wembley opponents in the last four today and Dave Jones' 4-1 shots (Betdirect) are fancied to ...
Forsyth plans a Bourdy blitz...(Sport)
Apr 06, 2008 ... Byline: MARK GARROD FRANCE'S Gregory Bourdy takes a commanding four-stroke lead into the final round of the Portuguese Open at Oitavos Dunes today. But Scot Alastair Forsyth, his closest challenger, does not need much of a memory for proof that anything can yet ...
SPORT IN BRIEF.(Sport)
Apr 06, 2008 ... BADMINTON Yonex-Sunrise Indian Open, Hyderabad, India: Selected Result, Quarter-finals, Men's Singles: Andrew Smith (Eng) bt Anand Pawar (Ind) 21-18 21-19. CRICKET Second Test Match, Ahmedabad: India 76 (D W Steyn 5-23) & 328 (S C Ganguly 87, M S Dhoni 52), South Africa 494-7 ...
BAHRAIN GP: KUBICA MAKES HISTORY AS FIRST POLE TO BE POLE.(Sport)
Apr 06, 2008 ... Byline: IAN PARKES at Manama ROBERT Kubica yesterday created Formula One history - but it has come at a price. In starting today's Bahrain Grand Prix at the front of the grid, Kubica becomes the first Pole on pole in the sport's 59 years. It is also the ...
Injury curse strikes again for Brummies.(Sport)
Apr 06, 2008 ... Byline: By MIKE BERRY BARRY Fry was once so concerned at Birmingham City's poor home form that he called in a gypsy to try and lift an old curse at St Andrew's. It required Fry to urinate in all four corners of the pitch - and he did just that. So if you ...
TOURING CAR TICKETS TO BE WON; Mobil 1 @ helfords.(Sport)
Apr 06, 2008 ... THE HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship is the UK's premier car racing series, featuring bumper-tobumper racing with cars that look just like the ones parked on your own driveway. On April 13, the series heads to Rockingham for three bouts of door-banging, paint-swapping ...
Thinus aiming to be big in Japan. EXCLUSIVE: KOBE BOUND WARRIOR INSISTS LANGUAGE IS NO BARRIER.(Sport)
Apr 06, 2008 ... Byline: By ANDY WALKER THINUS Delport has equipped himself for his Far East adventure - by signing up for a computer crash course in Japanese. In the words of 80s pop band The Vapors, Worcester Warriors' Delport will be 'turning Japanese' when he bids farewell to ...
Blaze power past Vipers.(Sport)
Apr 06, 2008 ... COVENTRY Blaze coach Paul Thompson highlighted his side's potent powerplay after clinching a place in the Elite League play-off final with a 4-2 victory over Newcastle Vipers. Todd Jackson handed Vipers a dream start by scoring after just 38 seconds before three powerplay ...
Max powers to first pole.(Sport)
Apr 06, 2008 ... GERMAN Max Neukirchner will start from pole position in the Spanish round of the World Superbike Championship at Valencia after topping the superpole qualifying session. The Alstare Suzuki rider led home Japanese team-mate Yukio Kagayama with championship leader Troy Bayliss ...
BRUCE'S SNUB; 'I won't be seeing Blues directors' insists ex-boss after Wigan win.(Sport)
Apr 06, 2008 ... Byline: By BEN RUMSBY STEVE Bruce last night insisted he had no intention of meeting Birmingham City directors after his Wigan side put his former charges to the sword at the JJB Stadium Bruce, left, was scathing last week in his condemnation of the treatment he ...
CAR CRASHES INTO PUB AT CLOSING TIME; Drinkers escape as first floor collapses.(News)
Apr 06, 2008 ... Byline: BY ANUJI VARMA THE owners of a Black Country pub returned from holiday yesterday to find their boozer in ruins after an out-of-control car ploughed into it at closing time. The driver of a Seat Leon suffered serious head injuries after crashing into the front ...
Stranded liner back.(Features)
Apr 06, 2008 ... PASSENGERS on a cruise liner stranded in Madeira for two days are to return to Britain tonight. Nearly 500 holidaymakers on the MV Van Gogh were held in the Portuguese island port of Funchal from Tuesday as a result of a legal dispute. A court order was issued ...
CRAZY WORLD.(Features)
Apr 06, 2008 ... BEIJING, CHINA: A tiger ate a mentally ill man who entered its cage at a zoo. Zhang Yachun disappeared from his home in Harbin on March 24. ...
Tributes to King's dream.(Features)
Apr 06, 2008 ... AMERICANS paid tribute to Martin Luther King's dream of social justice on the 40th anniversary of the civil rights leader's assassination. The 39-year-old civil rights leader was gunned down at around 6pm local time as he stood on a balcony of the Lorraine motel in Memphis ...
Bees are full Spee ahead.(Sport)
Apr 06, 2008 ... PERTEMPS Bees have been given a double boost with the news that utility backs Reece Spee and Marika Vakacegu have both agreed to stay at Sharmans Cross Road next season irrespective of whether the club is relegated to National Two. New Zealander Spee, who joined from Ulster two ...
Dire England draw a blank.(Sport)
Apr 06, 2008 ... ENGLAND failed to win a game at the IRB World Sevens Series event in Adelaide yesterday. England were drawn in a difficult group with Fiji, Kenya and France and got off to a disappointing start when Setefano Cakau's double and William Ryder's 11 points helped defending champions ...
STUDIES ARE MAIN PRIORITY CALLING TIME ON RUGBY.(Sport)
Apr 06, 2008 ... Byline: By ANDY WALKER MOSELEY'S Neil Stenhouse is considering quitting rugby at the age of 27 after admitting that the sport is no longer his top priority. The Scottish fly-half arrived at Billesley Common on a unique deal from Midlands rivals Nottingham in December ...
Max powers to first pole.(Sport)
Apr 06, 2008 ... GERMAN Max Neukirchner will start from pole position in the Spanish round of the World Superbike Championship at Valencia after topping the superpole qualifying session. The Alstare Suzuki rider led home Japanese team-mate Yukio Kagayama in second as championship leader Troy ...
Shane burns up at Brands.(Sport)
Apr 06, 2008 ... SHANE Byrne underlined his credentials for a determined bid to regain the Bennetts British Superbike crown as he powered his Airwaves Ducati on to pole start for the opening round at Brands Hatch. The rider, who began his racing career at the Kent circuit with a victory, had ...
CRAIG CAN BE JACK OF ALL TRADES; EXCLUSIVE: VILLA STRIKER UPBEAT DESPITE ANOTHER ENGLAND KO...(Sport)
Apr 06, 2008 ... Byline: By ANDY WALKER GARETH Barry has urged injured teammate Craig Gardner to follow in his footsteps by remaining Villa's Mr Makeshift. Brummie boy Gardner is out injured after suffering a thigh strain while away on England Under-21 duty. However, the ...
Walsall want Wayne deal.(Sport)
Apr 06, 2008 ... WALSALL could be set to make a fresh swoop for Coventry City cast-off Wayne Andrews at the end of the season. The Saddlers tried to land the Sky Blues striker on-loan last month but only managed to bolster their goal-scoring ranks with the addition of Stefan Moore. ...
Scholes earns Park tribute.(Sport)
Apr 06, 2008 ... JI-SUNG Park has hailed Paul Scholes as an inspiration as Manchester United's evergreen midfielder prepares to make his 100th Champions League appearance. Scholes is set to reach that landmark at Old Trafford on Wednesday when Sir Alex Ferguson's side face Roma in a Champions ...
Football: Sloppy goal left Jonno feeling sick.(Sport)
Apr 06, 2008 ... Byline: By ANDY WALKER PIG-SICK Jonathan Greening described Portsmouth's sloppy winner as 'a gut wrencher' - after admitting that he wouldn't have minded losing to a screamer. The Albion skipper was full of praise for his side's performance but disappointed with the ...
CATCH US IF YOU CAN; EXCLUSIVE Car thieves post videos on net of street racing.(News)
Apr 06, 2008 ... Byline: BY ADAM ASPINALL CAR thieves are laughing at Midland police officers by posting internet videos of themselves joyriding in luxury sports cars. Astonishing footage uncovered by the Sunday Mercury shows stolen motors performing highspeed wheelspins and racing ...
Boy, 2, found dead in pond.(News)
Apr 06, 2008 ... A MIDLAND family has been left devastated after a two year-old boy drowned in a neighbour's garden pond. The toddler is thought to have wandered off from his grandparents' pounds 350,000 detached house in Knighton, Leicester, at about 6.30pm on Thursday. Police were ...
BROTHERS ACCUSED OF WAR MEMORIAL ATTACK; EXCLUSIVE Plaques bearing names of soldiers were ripped off.(News)
Apr 06, 2008 ... Byline: BY JEANETTE OLDHAM TWO brothers have been charged with the theft of memorial plaques honouring Midland war heroes - which were later sold for scrap. Mark Mellor, 30, and brother Anthony, 28, are accused of causing thousands of pounds worth of damage to a ...
400 PEOPLE A YEAR ATTACKED BY DEVIL DOGS; EXCLUSIVE INCREASE BLAMED ON HOODIES ABANDONING THEIR PETS.(News)
Apr 06, 2008 ... Byline: BY FIONNUALA BOURKE TERRIFIED Midlanders are being attacked by 'devil dogs' that are being dumped on the streets by their hoodie owners. More than 400 people were hospitalised after being mauled in the West Midlands last year - an increase of 60 per cent. ...
Third of Brits have disputes.(News)
Apr 06, 2008 ... A THIRD of Britons have had a dispute with their neighbours with noise the biggest cause of tension, a survey showed. Around 16 per cent of people said they had argued with their next-door neighbours about their noise levels or loud music, while a third said they would like to ...
Children miss out on pounds 250.(News)
Apr 06, 2008 ... NEARLY a third of Child Trust Fund vouchers are going unused three years after the Government scheme was launched. HM Revenue & Customs data showed that 30 per cent of the vouchers issued at the end of 2006 had not been invested after 12 months. This is an ...
Ex-care home boss cleared.(News)
Apr 06, 2008 ... THE former boss of a Midland care home has been found not guilty of mistreating a mentally ill patient. John Booth, 65, of Evesham, Worcestershire, was cleared on Wednesday after Judge Andrew Geddes ordered a jury at Worcester Crown Court to return a not guilty verdict. ...
SICK SEX TORTURE SHOW AT MIDLAND ARTS FESTIVAL; Woman is tied up and beaten on stage EXCLUSIVE.(News)
Apr 06, 2008 ... Byline: BY ANUJI VARMA THESE sick images of a naked woman being tortured for sexual pleasure are set to be reenacted at a Midland arts festival. And during the performance of 'Playing the Victim' the willing female, known only as CC, witnesses torturer and artist ...
ANOTHER NIGHT IN HOSPITAL FOR DUKE.(News)
Apr 06, 2008 ... THE Duke of Edinburgh was due to spend a third night in hospital last night while undergoing treatment for a chest infection. Philip, 86, was seen by consultants at the King Edward VII Hospital in central London yesterday and a further medical assessment is likely today. ...
Impaled man dies at factory.(News)
Apr 06, 2008 ... A MAN has died after becoming impaled on a bar at a Midland factory. Firefighters desperately tried to free the man at Corby Chilled Distribution in Alcester, Warwickshire, on Friday. But they were unable to save him. An ambulance service spokesman said: "On arrival, crews found ...
Witness plea after attack.(News)
Apr 06, 2008 ... DETECTIVES investiging an allegation of serious sexual assault are appealing for witnesses. Nuneaton CID are anxious totalk to anyone who may have been in the area of Croft Road, ...
CRAZY WORLD.(News)
Apr 06, 2008 ... MINNEAPOLIS, USA: A woman bit a crazed dog to stop it from attacking her beloved Labrador. Amy Rice chomped on the ...
Arrest after stabbing.(News)
Apr 06, 2008 ... POLICE have arrested a man in connection with the stabbing of a 35-year-old Midlander. The 29-year-old man, from Polesworth, Warwickshire, was arrested in Dover on Friday afternoon. The arrest is believed to be in connection with the stabbing of 35-year-old Matthew Wood who was ...
Haircut ban.(News)
Apr 06, 2008 ... THREE-year-old Tavis Cook was banned from school for his trendy "tramlines" haircut. Staff at his school nursery, in North Shields, ...
COUNCILLOR FACES CALLS TO RESIGN; She only attended four meetings yet received pounds 15,000 in allowances EXCLUSIVE.(Features)
Apr 06, 2008 ... Byline: BY BOB HAYWOOD A MIDLAND councillor who was paid nearly pounds 15,000 in allowances despite attending only four meetings last night faced calls to resign. Councillor Joanna Watson, a Labour member of Sandwell Council in the Black Country, admitted to the ...
POLICE DISCOVER SUITCASE OF BODY PARTS.(Features)
Apr 06, 2008 ... POLICE investigating the death of a Lithuanian woman say a suitcase containing further body parts has washed up in a harbour. It is believed they belong to Jolanta Bledaite, 35, whose severed head was discovered by two sisters, aged eight and 11, on a beach in Arbroath on ...