Sunday Mercury (Birmingham, England) back issues from May 2008:
INTERNET MONSTER WATCHES YOU DIE; EXCLUSIVE Sick suicide pacts of nurse who befriends the lonely.(News)
May 04, 2008 ... Byline: BY FIONNUALA BOURKE THIS is the sick predator who makes phoney suicide pacts with desperate people - so he can watch them die on the internet. The warped monster, who claims to be a nurse and uses the online name Falcon Girl, befriends those in despair then ...
Winehouse quits Bond.(Features)
May 04, 2008 ... TROUBLED chart star Amy Winehouse has been forced to abandon her Bond movie theme, and is not ready to work again. Producer Mark Ronson said it would be a 'miracle' if the 007 song was ever finished, and that 24 year-old Winehouse needed time to recover from her high-profile ...
Radio fix sackings.(Features)
May 04, 2008 ... TWO Midland radio presenters have been sacked from their breakfast show for fixing a competition. John Dalziel and Roisin Gibbons, who presented the Mercia morning show, were fired for breaching Ofcom regulations. Listeners were asked to text in to the studio for a ...
crazy world.(Features)
May 04, 2008 ... LESBOS, Greece: A court has been asked to draw the line between the natives of the Aegean island of Lesbos and the world's gay women. Three islanders ...
Road race biker dies.(Features)
May 04, 2008 ... MOTORCYCLIST Martin Finnegan was killed yesterday while taking part in the annual Tandragee 100 road race in Northern Ireland. The 27 year-old race ace died in a collision at the Marlacoo Corner on the Co Armagh circuit. ...
SD: I am scared FG: I know... Each of us is sincere about needing to die. That is why I agreed to watch; EXCLUSIVE EXPOSED MONSTER WHO CALLS HIMSELF FALCON GIRL AND MAKES SUICIDE PACTS ONLINE.(News)
May 04, 2008 ... Byline: BY FIONNUALA BOURKE A VULNERABLE mum-of-two has told how an internet predator tried to dupe her into a suicide pact - so he could watch her die online. Sarah Dove, from Wolverhampton, began using suicide chatrooms a year ago after she became hooked on heroin ...
THE MIDLANDS SUICIDE VICTIMS.(News)
May 04, 2008 ... SEVERAL Midland families have had to endure the death of loved ones killing themselves after visiting suicide websites. Phillip Cranmer, 20 and from Solihull, was found hanging at his family home in September 2003. It later emerged he had been planning his death for months and ...
SHAMED EX-COP FAILS IN BNP BID; He's nicked days before election.(News)
May 04, 2008 ... Byline: BY FIONNUALA BOURKE A FORMER crooked Midlands detective has failed to win election as a British National Party councillor - after being arrested on suspicion of brandishing a gun. Simon Goodricke was jailed for 18 months and kicked out of the West Midlands ...
Doctor serial killing warning.(News)
May 04, 2008 ... A SYSTEM of monitoring doctors recommended for introduction in England is unlikely to prevent another Harold Shipman serial killing spree, experts warned last night. Researchers at the University of Dundee found that mortality monitoring in general practice was only likely to ...
crazy world.(News)
May 04, 2008 ... ARGES, Romania: A drinker has lodged an official complaint with trading standards after he got drunk on a single can of beer. Iancu Boroi, 35, ...
CRAMMED INTO CLASS; EXCLUSIVE OUTCRY AS SCHOOL OVERCROWDING SOARS.(News)
May 04, 2008 ... Byline: BY ANUJI VARMA THE number of illegally oversized classes for five to seven year-olds has TREBLED in the West Midlands in the last year. A total of 30 of the primary school classes now have more than 31 pupils - compared to just 10 in 2007. And 890 ...
Hollyoaks cleans up at soap awards with its six appeal.(News)
May 04, 2008 ... EASTENDERS pipped its closest rival Coronation Street to win the top prize of best soap at last night's British Soap Awards. But it was Hollyoaks that led the way at the awards ceremony in London, scooping six gongs. The Channel 4 drama claimed best actor and actress ...
Children dead in car.(News)
May 04, 2008 ... TWO children were found dead in a parked car last night. The bodies of the two-year-old and six-year-old were discovered in the vehicle in Glasgow. Strathclyde Police are treating the deaths as suspicious. The car was discovered in the Lennoxtown area of ...
Undercover brothel cop.(News)
May 04, 2008 ... AN undercover cop has told a jury how he was offered sex with hookers at a Midland 'brothel'. The policeman handed over pounds 60 for a massage at the premises in Broad Street, Worcester, but claims he was told he could enjoy a one hour sex romp for pounds 40 more. ...
crazy world.(News)
May 04, 2008 ... GUNTUR, India: A fire broke out at one of India's largest chilli markets yesterday, burning hundreds of thousands of pounds of chilli peppers ...
Lohan in ad storm.(News)
May 04, 2008 ... WILD child actress Lindsay Lohan has a sobering new role - as the star of a campaign against road safety devices. A mugshot taken from the 21 year old star's July 24, 2007 arrest is being splashed across US newspaper ads. But her lawyer Blair Berk condemned the ...
He's going to display two worms tied in a reef knot, if they don't untangle by the summer.(News)
May 04, 2008 ... Byline: MIKE LOCKLEY THE most boring man in our village came round to show me his new chrome shovel. I spoke in Spanish, in a bid to curtail the painful conversation, but he had none of it, and went on to tell me about his cousin in Nantwich who has found two ...
Simple days of cigarette smog and ferocious bosses.(News)
May 04, 2008 ... Byline: MIKE LOCKLEY THE work environment has changed dramatically since my salad days, when as a teenager, green with youth, I embarked on a career in journalism at a cramped weekly newspaper office. That was close to 35 years ago. The clatter from typewriters was ...
A merchant seaman is in our shower.(News)
May 04, 2008 ... Byline: MIKE LOCKLEY YOURS Truly has been invited to a VIP party aboard the world's biggest cruise liner. I have accepted, despite painful memories of my only other time on a ship. I complained after discovering a common merchant seaman using the shower in my cabin. ...
Bells that ring danger.(News)
May 04, 2008 ... Byline: MIKE LOCKLEY A CANADIAN park ranger is warning a group of backpackers about bears. "Brown bears," he says, "are usually harmless. They will do all they can to avoid contact with humans, so we advise visitors to attach small bells to their rucksacks. ...
Murtagh navigates colt to win.(Sport)
May 04, 2008 ... JOHNNY Murtagh steered Aidan O'Brien's Henry the navigator to victory as he nailed long-time favourite New Approach in the 200th running of the stanjamesuk.com 2000 Guineas at Newmarket. The historic running of the colts' Classic attracted a high-class field and the hitherto ...
Dog Racing: DERBY SELECTIONS MAY PROVE COSTLY; GOING TO THE DOGS.(Sport)
May 04, 2008 ... Byline: Stephen Rea MY last column certainly provoked a good response as several of you sent me your comments and your own selections for the William Hill Derby which got under way on Friday night. One of the regular correspondents, Paul Gebhard, has agreed to match ...
Horse Racing: Dynamic duo target classics; PARTNERSHIP HITS EARLY SEASON FORM.(Sport)
May 04, 2008 ... Byline: By BOB DOWNING YOU don't need a crystal ball to realise that Jimmy Fortune and John Gosden stand on the threshold of what could be a classical season. As the dynamic duo went into the first Classic weekend of the season at Newmarket, both jockey and trainer ...
Toffees not fancied to pip Villa; BET RESCUE.(Sport)
May 04, 2008 ... Byline: By CHRIS HUTCHEON THE thrilling 2-2 draw between Everton and Aston Villa kept the race for the UEFA Cup place very much alive and as the Toffees' remaining two fixtures are against Arsenal and Newcastle, Martin O'Neill's men stand a good chance of nicking fifth spot. ...
New boy Stephen's a quick learner; EXCLUSIVE LATE STARTER TAKES FAST TRACK TO TOP.(Sport)
May 04, 2008 ... Byline: By ANDY WALKER STEPHEN Jelley has no worries about playing catch-up in front of his home crowd at Donington Park today - because the late starter has been doing it throughout his racing career. Leicester boy Jelley returns to his backyard this weekend for the ...
COLE GRABS POLE.(Sport)
May 04, 2008 ... TOM Onslow-Cole achieved the first HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship pole position of his career during qualifying at Donington Park. The 20-year-old from New Malden, Surrey, set a best lap of one minute 12.140 seconds in his Vauxhall Vectra VXR ahead of Jason Plato who ...
Robbie reigns in pole spot.(Sport)
May 04, 2008 ... TEAM Great Britain's Robbie Kerr enjoyed a blistering qualifying session at Brands Hatch for the final races of the A1GP season as Switzerland edged closer to the championship title. Kerr clinched pole for tomorrow's sprint race earlier this afternoon with a time of one minute ...
Cal confident of victory.(Sport)
May 04, 2008 ... CAL Crutchlow ran consistently fast through free practice ahead of tomorrow's third round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Oulton Park and is confident of a repeat of his maiden victory in the series last time out. The HM Plant Honda rider jointly leads the ...
Colin shatters track record.(Sport)
May 04, 2008 ... COLIN Edwards claimed his first pole position of the season - and his first as a Tech 3 Yamaha rider - with a last-gasp flying lap in Shanghai today. The 34-year-old American, who on Thursday stated his intention to continue in 2009 after initially hinting he would leave MotoGP, ...
WE'LL FIGHT TO THE END; McLeish insists Blues can beat the drop.(Sport)
May 04, 2008 ... Byline: By ANDY WALKER ALEX McLeish admitted that he always thought it would go down to the wire after Blues' sorry 2-0 defeat at Fulham yesterday. Blues' Premier League survival hopes are now out of their hands as they slipped to second bottom and closer to ...
Transfer talk not to blame - O'Neill.(Sport)
May 04, 2008 ... Byline: By MAT KENDRICK MARTIN O'Neill refused to blame the Gareth Barry transfer distraction for the damaging defeat that has jeopardised Aston Villa's European hopes. Barry produced one of his worst performances in a claret and blue shirt as Villa suffered a ...
Now Blues are praying for miracle.(News)
May 04, 2008 ... DEVASTATED Birmingham City fans were staring relegation in the face last night after slumping to a 2-0 defeat to rival strugglers Fulham. Blues supporters are now praying for a final day Great Escape after the grim result saw their team drop to second from bottom of the ...
PROBE AS POLICE VAN KILLS MAN.(News)
May 04, 2008 ... Byline: BY ANUJI VARMA AN investigation was under way last night after a pedestrian was killed after being struck by a police van on the outskirts of a Midland town. Ken Furber was walking with a woman near the Tilstock roundabout along the A41 Whitchurch bypass, ...
PUT YOUR QUESTIONS TO THE EDUCATION MINISTER.(Features)
May 04, 2008 ... AS part of our Help With Sats series we're offering you the chance to grill, Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, about your child's education. You ...
MAKE ME THE FIRST BLACK DOCTOR WHO; Sci-fi fanatic wants to take on the Daleks.(Features)
May 04, 2008 ... Byline: BY ROZ LAWS, TV Editor ACTOR Adrian Lester has revealed his out-of-this-world ambition ... to become the first black Doctor Who. The star of Hustle is a huge fan of the Time Lord and has set his sights on stepping into the Tardis. "I love Doctor ...
BLUES' FABRICE TACKLES BURGLAR.(Features)
May 04, 2008 ... BIRMINGHAM City star Fabrice Muamba caught a burglar red-handed - as the cheeky crook was trying to steal his TV. The England Under-21 ace was licking his wounds after Blues lost last month's Second City derby 5-1 at Villa Park when raiders tried to make off with his prized ...
CRAZY WORLD.(Features)
May 04, 2008 ... TOKYO, Japan: A civil servant was demoted for logging more than 780,000 hits on pornographic internet pages on his office computer. In just nine months, the man visited porn sites from across the globe ....
Every literature helps... TESCO LAUNCHES NEW STORE - WITH ITS OWN LIBRARY.(Features)
May 04, 2008 ... Byline: BY BOB HAYWOOD A TESCO store is to set to be built in an inner city area of Birmingham - with its own public library. The supermarket giant has applied for planning permission for the new outlet on the site of the former Brookfields Shopping Precinct, in ...
Harry hits right note.(Features)
May 04, 2008 ... THE sixth semi-final spot on BBC talent show I'd Do Anything was awarded to Harry Stott last night. The 12 year-old, from Oxfordshire, was chosen ...
Brits' plane disappears.(Features)
May 04, 2008 ... FOUR British businessmen are missing after a small plane disappeared yesterday. The private aircraft was flying off the coast of Brazil when it went missing. "A small plane has been ...
CRAZY WORLD.(Features)
May 04, 2008 ... CONNECTICUT, USA: Cops caught yobs who trashed a castle after they posted a video on YouTube. The five ...
SHAMED EX-COP FAILS IN BNP BID; He's nicked days before election.(News)
May 04, 2008 ... Byline: BY FIONNUALA BOURKE A FORMER crooked Midlands detective has failed to win election as a British National Party councillor - after being arrested on suspicion of brandishing a gun. Simon Goodricke was jailed for 18 months and kicked out of the West Midlands ...
Give sisters same rights as gay couple.(News)
May 04, 2008 ... Byline: GEORGE TYNDALE AFTER a lifetime of sharing the same home, sisters Joyce and Sybil Burden have been told that, legally, their relationship amounts to nothing. This ruling comes from the Grand Chamber of the appeal court of the European Court of Human Rights. ...
It's time McCanns admitted failure of parenting.(News)
May 04, 2008 ... Byline: GEORGE TYNDALE A YEAR and a day since the disappearance of Madeleine McCann and the message is still not getting through. To her parents that is. The unrelenting media campaign being waged by Kate and Gerry McCann has veered close to hysteria in the past few ...
Grow up, Terence!(News)
May 04, 2008 ... Byline: GEORGE TYNDALE THE marriage of 68 year-old veteran actor Terence Stamp and 33 year-old Elizabeth O'Rourke has come to an end after just five years. The couple, who met when he walked into the chemists in Sydney, ...
Our Jobcentres act as pimps for the sex industry.(News)
May 04, 2008 ... Byline: GEORGE TYNDALE IF you are a good-looking teenage girl and you pop into your local Jobcentre, you may well be offered a position as a webcam stripper, lap dancer or female escort. The fact that our Government advertises these sleazy jobs and provides the ...
Meet the girl who turns men into Mr Right; ...JUST BEFORE THEY LEAVE AND SETTLE DOWN WITH THE NEXT MISS THEY MEET.(Features)
May 04, 2008 ... Byline: BY LORNE JACKSON CHARLOTTE Ward is a lady with a very special power. She has the ability to mould men until they are not only manageable - but eminently marriage-able. Just a few dates with Charlotte is all it takes to turn a sofa-slob into the ...
For your ears only... Bond's on the radio.(Features)
May 04, 2008 ... JAMES Bond fans are to be treated to an all-new version of Dr No. To mark the centenary of 007 creator Ian Fleming's birth, BBC Radio 4 is to broadcast a special season of radio programmes. It will include a celebrity dramatisation of Bond's 1958 debut Dr No, starring ...
WIN a Eurovison mini cruise.(Competition/Offers)
May 04, 2008 ... DOES your heart go boom bang a bang when the Eurovision Song Contest comes round each year? Then have we got a great giveaway for you. The Sunday Mercury has teamed up with P&O Ferries for a special Song Contest sailaway. Yes, you and a pal could win a ...
Battling Bees storm back.(News)
May 04, 2008 ... Byline: By MIKE BERRY COVENTRY Bees are still pinching themselves after maintaining their hold on the Craven Shield with one of the most famous comebacks in speedway history. The Buildbase Bees, who have made an indifferent start to the new campaign after last year's ...
Young Wolf a rising star.(News)
May 04, 2008 ... WOLVERHAMPTON chief Chris Van Straaten has likened new Danish reserve Nicolai Klindt to one of the sportis all-time greats - ex-Cradley Heath icon Erik Gundersen. The 19-year-old Klindtis form has shown an upturn in the last fortnight, with a bumper paid 16 at Swindon followed ...
GARRIDO TO REIGN IN SPAIN.(News)
May 04, 2008 ... Byline: MARK GARROD in Seville IGNACIO Garrido threeputted the last to take a three-stroke lead into the final round of the Spanish Open in Seville today. The 36-year-old, just 19 days old when his father Antonio won the title in 1972, followed up his course record 63 ...
THOMPSON FEARS EXODUS AT BLAZE.(News)
May 04, 2008 ... Byline: By MATT BOZEAT CASSIDY Coventry Blaze head coach Paul Thompson fears his double-winning team will be ripped apart. Thompson admits he is facing a battle to keep together the side that won the bmibaby Elite League and British Knockout Cup last season. ...
DERBY SELECTIONS MAY PROVE COSTLY; GOING TO THE DOGS.(Sport)
May 04, 2008 ... Byline: Stephen Rea MY last column certainly provoked a good response as several of you sent me your comments and your own selections for the William Hill Derby which got under way on Friday night. One of the regular correspondents, Paul Gebhard, has agreed to match ...
Toffees not fancied to pip Villa; BET RESCUE.(Sport)
May 04, 2008 ... Byline: By CHRIS HUTCHEON THE thrilling 2-2 draw between Everton and Aston Villa kept the race for the UEFA Cup place very much alive and as the Toffees' remaining two fixtures are against Arsenal and Newcastle, Martin O'Neill's men stand a good chance of nicking fifth spot. ...
RON: I WILL RUN; O'Sullivan to quit if troubles return.(Features)
May 04, 2008 ... Byline: JOHN CURTIS at The Crucible RONNIE O'Sullivan insists he will still walk away from snooker if he stops enjoying the game and revealed running has become his "number-one thing" ahead of his third 888.com World Championship final. The 'Rocket' revealed there ...
Walker faces Hammering.(Features)
May 04, 2008 ... Byline: By MAT KENDRICK ALISTER Walker is relishing testing himself against the rising star of squash during the sport's equivalent of Wimbledon next week. The Gloucestershire player has been handed a daunting task with a clash against Ramy Ashour in the first round ...
BRUCE REFUSES TO GLOAT OVER BLUES' PLIGHT.(Sport)
May 04, 2008 ... Byline: By MAT KENDRICK FORMER Birmingham boss Steve Bruce insists he takes no perverse pleasure from Blues' perilous Premier League predicament. But Bruce believes securing Wigan's top flight status with victory at Villa Park yesterday eclipses everything he achieved ...
Micah: We'll be Fab in 2010.(Sport)
May 04, 2008 ... MICAH Richards believes Fabio Capello can win trophies for England. The national side have not won any silverware since the World Cup on home soil in 1966 and have often failed spectacularly in big tournaments. But Richards insists Capello can end over 40 years of ...
Dublin set for emotional exit.(Sport)
May 04, 2008 ... DION Dublin has admitted that he will have to fight back the tears as he prepares for the final game of his career. The 39-year-old will turn out for Norwich against Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough today to end a 22-year playing career. And after receiving a ...
Keegan plays Toon catch-up.(Sport)
May 04, 2008 ... NEWCASTLE boss Kevin Keegan admits his side are a long way away from scaling the heights reached by Chelsea this season. The Blues head for St James' Park tomorrow determined to keep themselves firmly in the race for the Premier League title having already booked a Moscow ...
Jewell demands 'culture change'.(Sport)
May 04, 2008 ... Byline: MARK STANIFORTH at Ewood Park BLACKBURN 3 DERBY COUNTY 1 DERBY boss Paul Jewell shrugged off his side's status as the worst team in Premier League history after defeat to Blackburn and insisted his thoughts have already turned towards next season. ...
Kirk hopes Cup form rubs off on Rangers.(Sport)
May 04, 2008 ... KIRK Broadfoot believes Rangers' UEFA Cup triumph can help steer their Clydesdale Bank Premier League campaign back on track. The full-back believes every single player at Ibrox will be determined to impress Walter Smith between now and the final on May 14 in a bid to play their ...
FOREST CLINCH IT IN NAILBITER; Coca Cola FOOTBALL LEAGUE ROUND-UP.(Sport)
May 04, 2008 ... NOTTINGHAM Forest midfielder Lewis McGugan scored the decisive goal in a 3-2 victory over Yeovil which ensured his side clinched promotion to the Coca-Cola Championship as runners-up. Julian Bennett opened the scoring for Forest with a long-range strike in the 12th minute and ...
FANS' FURY AS SADDLERS SLIP; Chairman jeered over sale of star players.(Sport)
May 04, 2008 ... Byline: PAUL MARSTON at Banks's Stadium WALSALL 2 Dobson 9 mins, Mooney 15 HARTLEPOOL 2 Mackay 19 mins, Clark 90 FURIOUS fans staged a demonstration against chairman Jeff Bonser at the end of a game in which Walsall squandered a ...