Latest news with #GreatBarr
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Fire in derelict church thought to be arson
A fire in a derelict church was believed to have been started deliberately, after youths were seen leaving the area, firefighters said. The blaze broke out over the first, second and third floors of the empty building and six fire engines were sent to the church in Hamstead Road, Great Barr, just before 18:25 BST. Police were told the fire was believed to have been started deliberately, a spokeswoman for West Midlands Fire Service said. She added that the youths were seen leaving just before crews arrived. Firefighters stayed at the scene until about 21:00 BST, to make sure it was out. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. West Midlands Fire Service
BBC News
4 days ago
- BBC News
Great Barr fire in derelict church thought to be arson
A fire in a derelict church was believed to have been started deliberately, after youths were seen leaving the area, firefighters blaze broke out over the first, second and third floors of the empty building and six fire engines were sent to the church in Hamstead Road, Great Barr, just before 18:25 were told the fire was believed to have been started deliberately, a spokeswoman for West Midlands Fire Service added that the youths were seen leaving just before crews arrived. Firefighters stayed at the scene until about 21:00 BST, to make sure it was out. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Yahoo
How driver kept breaking law until he ended up killing little boy
Within an eight month's period, the driving habits of Sharjeel Shahzad went from bad to worse that ultimately lead to the death of an innocent two-year-old boy. Shahbaz, from Cooksey Lane in Great Barr, first appeared before magistrates in May last year for driving without a license or insurance. He was fined and given eight points on his license. READ MORE: Chilling moment speeding driver crashes into car and kills two-year-old boy Get breaking news on BirminghamLive WhatsApp, click the link to join But the 30-year-old kept getting back on the road time and time again, having never had a driving test and only a few lessons. It appeared he had a complete disregard for the law which became more clear as the weeks went on. His offending seriously escalated the following month. On June 9, he was arrested for dangerous driving. But the following day, undeterred, he travelled with a friend to a view an Audi A4 Avant which was being sold via Facebook Marketplace in Belton, Leicestershire. Whilst pretending to inspect the high performance car, Shahzad made off in it at speed with his friend in tow. Minutes later, he pulled over and changed the number plates - a tactic that would crop up again months later, although it's unclear if Shahzad was responsible the next time - before continuing on with his journey. Soon afterwards, he was spotted by a police officer who moments earlier had received reports of the theft. The officer was also in a powerful car and a terrifying chase began over A roads and along the M42. Shahzad gunned the accelerator to 92mph in a 40mph zone, ran red lights and even turned off his lights during the pursuit. Once he reached the motorway, Shahzad almost reached speeds of 150mph and used the hard shoulder to undertake. He raced all the way down to Junction 9 near Birmingham, before exiting that junction and re-joining the motorway. There, he came upon traffic slowing for roadworks and weaved within the cones of a closed lane. His manic driving was only stopped when police were forced to crash into him, spinning the Audi around. Despite trying to run from the scene, Shahzad was quickly detained following the overall chase that last almost 20 minutes and covered 30 miles. Shahzad next came to the attention of police when he was stopped on October 20 last year for driving without due care and attention. He was found to be holding a provisional license at the time and was back before magistrates. There, Shahzad admitted both offences and he was banned from driving for six months. The following month, he received a summons to appear before court on December 23 for the offences committed on June 10. But nine days before he was due to appear at that hearing, Shahzad ended up killing two-year-old Shehbaz Singh with another piece of wreckless driving. On December 14 last year, Shahzad was speeding along Dartmouth Road, hitting speeds of 51mph. He overtook a vehicle on the approach to a blind left hand bend and ended up on the wrong side of the road, before colliding head-on with a red Toyota Auris containing five people, including little Shehbaz. Also in the vehicle were the toddler's parents Kushpreet Kaur and Amritpal Singh, and the couple's close friends, husband and wife Baljeet Singh and Pavanpreet Kaur. Shehbaz later died in hospital that day, while Kushpreet suffered a bleed on the brain and Baljeet sustained a fractured spine. Miraculously, Shahzad was unscathed although the Porsche's airbag went off. Despite being challenged by a motorist at the scene, Shahzad fled on foot, with complete disregard for the victims in the Toyota. He quickly became the prime suspect in the investigation and was arrested two days later. Eight of his finger prints were recovered from a false plate that was displayed on the Porsche and his DNA was found on its airbag. West Midlands Police established that the Porsche had been stolen 10 days earlier during a Facebook Marketplace sale in Walsall. During the court hearing of his sentencing, it was revealed that the force had sufficient evidence to establish that Shahzad was the thief on this occasion. Sergeant Paul Hughes, from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit (SCIU) at West Midlands Police, explained how officers were able to track him down. He told BirminghamLive: "To identify and locate him, there were a number of aspects. "There was a lot of effort from a wide number of teams with West Midlands Police. "Led by myself, the SCIU, the key factors were mainly forensics. "We know the car is a stolen car, it's displaying false plates. "That presents difficulties identifying the driver. "A full forensic examination was done very, very quickly. "We had those first results in under a day, which is very good. "We had finger prints on the car, I think a total of eight finger prints on the false number plates. "All of which related to Sharjeel, our suspect. "We have also got DNA on the steering wheel airbag, so obviously the air bag goes off as part of the collision. "Those enquiries then give us the identity. "Working with other teams, genuinely we had the entire support of the force. "Then, obviously, we used various methods to identify him, to locate him and he was arrested." Shahzad initially denied causing death by dangerous driving but changed his plea in April. He also admitted causing death by dangerous driving, two charges of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, driving whilst disqualified, driving with no insurance and failing to stop after a collision. During the sentencing of Shahzad on Friday, the judge Jonathan Gosling labelled Shahzad a dangerous individual. He said: "You have destroyed the lives of Amritpal Singh and his wife Kushpreet Kaur, and devastated their family and friends. "You killed that little boy and seriously injured the other people in the car. "Your true character is revealed by what you did afterwards: just as you tried to do on June 10, you ran away. "You are not only a dangerous man, you are callous and cowardly. "The only thing in your favour is that you admitted your guilt, though you should have done that sooner." Shahzad was jailed for a total of 15 years and four months. He was also banned from driving for 18 years and three months. The judge added: "You are disqualified from today for 18 years and three months. "At the end of that period you are not entitled to drive. "You must take an extended retest. "If you drive a vehicle before you pass that test, you will be driving whilst disqualified and liable to an additional prison sentence."
The Independent
04-07-2025
- The Independent
CCTV shows stolen Porsche crash which killed two-year-old
Video released by West Midlands Police shows the moment a driver caused a head-on collision which killed a two-year-old boy. Sharjeel Shahzad, 30, from Great Barr, was driving a stolen Porsche Cayenne on false plates when it struck a Toyota Auris along Dartmouth Road on 14 December last year. Shehbaz Singh died following the collision at just before 11pm, and another four people from the Toyota, including his parents, were injured. Two were seriously hurt. Shahzad previously pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving in relation to the incident, and admitted driving without a licence or insurance and failing to stop after a crash. He was jailed for more than 15 years.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
M6 traffic halted as car bursts into flames after crash
A car fire halted traffic on the M6 for more than an hour this morning, Sunday, May 11. The blaze followed a single-vehicle crash on the northbound stretch between J6 for Birmingham city centre and J7 for Great Barr. National Highways West Midlands shared news of the fire at 6.21am. READ MORE: High Street yob behaviour probe after motorbike riders seen wearing masks READ MORE: Dangerous paedophile who sexually abused girl and filmed it was living in UK illegally READ MORE: Inside Midlands tower block where cockroaches have been neighbours for 24 months They shared a picture of the incident on social media site X. Get breaking news on BirminghamLive WhatsApp, click the link to join A spokesperson wrote: "Traffic is currently held on the M6 northbound between J6 Birmingham and J7 Great Barr due to a single vehicle collision and subsequent vehicle fire. "@WestMidsFire are now on scene." Minutes later, they shared an image of fire crews at the scene as they worked to extinguish the blaze. An update on X at 6.30 said: "The fire has been extinguished on the M6 northbound between J6 Birmingham and J7 Great Barr. "@WestMidsFire remain at scene monitoring the vehicle's temperature, recovery arranged and en route. "Traffic remains held with 20 minute delays reported on approach." At 6.53am, they added: "Traffic released with lane 1 (of 3) remaining closed on the M6 northbound between J6 Birmingham and J7 Great Barr. "@WestMidsFire have now left [the] scene, recovery remains en route. Delays of 30 minutes & approx. 2 miles congestion on approach." Debris was cleared with recovery teams working at the scene at 7.20am. All lanes were reopened by 7.52am, National Highways said. They added: "All lanes are now open on the M6 northbound between J6 Birmingham and J7 Great Barr following the earlier collision. "No significant delays remain in the area."
