Allen Cook
BBC News

A man found guilty of killing a homeless teenager told his mother in a letter he had hidden the body after accidentally throttling his victim during consensual sex.

Ashley Foster, 24, strangled Megan Bills at an ex-offenders' hostel in Brierley Hill in April.

The prosecution told the trial Foster "seemed his normal self" as he enjoyed a roast dinner in the aftermath of the killing and smirked at a family member when asked why he needed to get cling film.

Megan's body was found 18 days later by staff at the hostel after they'd already inspected Foster's room. They'd been told the "revolting" smell came from the carpets.

Peter Wilson
BBC Midlands Today Special Correspondent

A man's been found guilty of murdering a girl whose body was found in a clingfilm-wrapped wardrobe.

Ashley Foster, 24, had been released from prison three days before he killed Megan Bills in his room at an ex-offenders hostel.

The court heard he used a shirt as a ligature to kill her at the Brierley Hill hostel on 16 April.

Image source, West Midlands Police

He then allowed her remains to decompose for 18 days as he searched the internet for so-called snuff movies and necrophilia-related images.

Jurors at Wolverhampton Crown Court unanimously convicted Foster.

Vicky Breakwell
BBC Hereford and Worcester

A £10,000 fundraising appeal to help pay for the restoration of two vandalised historic train carriages has reached its target in just one week.

The Severn Valley Railway carriages, including one pulled by the Flying Scotsman in September 2016, were daubed with graffiti at Kidderminster over Christmas.

The Severn Valley Railway Charitable Trust says it received hundreds of donations towards the appeal target.

Volunteers have already stripped the spray paint off one carriage and are currently restoring it, with work expected to start soon on the second one.

Express and Star

The top stories on the Express and Star website today include:

• Yob killed his friend after 'showing off' on a stolen motorbike, external
• Carillion: Major Midlands projects left in limbo, external
• Customers left out of pocket after sudden closure of travel firm, external

Gawain Minney threatened a colleague and said he could hit a client "with a sledgehammer".

Kidderminster Harriers are out of the FA Trophy after they were beaten 3-0 in their second-round replay at Stockport County last night.

Shropshire Council won't pay stamp duty on the £60m deal, but the move is legal.

A collection of William Shakespeare-related documents have been recognised for their international cultural significance.

The 90 documents, which relate to the playwright's baptism, burial, family matters, property records, legal actions and business dealings have been listed on the Unesco International Memory Of The World, external register.

They include rare examples of his signature, evidence about his personal life in Stratford-upon-Avon and London and his will.

Image source, The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust

The documents join the likes of the Gutenberg Bible, Magna Carta, Bayeux Tapestry and the films The Battle Of The Somme and The Wizard Of Oz on the register.

Amy Hurst, collections archivist at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, said: "The documentary trail left by Shakespeare during his life time provides a rich narrative of his life, giving unique insights into his personal circumstances and how these may have influenced his creative work."

Faith Page
Reporter, BBC Shropshire

The NHS and the public need to "value our nurses more", a leading nurse says.

Deirdre Fowler, director of nursing at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust, was responding to news that the health service is "haemorrhaging" nurses with one in 10 now leaving the NHS in England each year.

Image source, Getty Images

More than 33,000 left last year and means there are now more leavers than joiners.

Nurse leaders said it was a "dangerous and downward spiral", but NHS bosses said the problem was being tackled.

Burton midfielder Will Miller is out for the rest of the season with a knee injury suffered in Saturday's defeat by QPR.

BBC Weather Watchers

BBC Weather Watcher Dammo shared this lovely snap of the cathedral in Birmingham City Centre.

Image source, Dammo

Hannah Hunts captured this stunning photo of the sun just rising over Codsall.

If you have any pictures you'd like to share, you can send them to us here.

Image source, Hannah Hunts

BBC News Travel

An earlier train fault between Bromsgrove / Redditch and Birmingham New Street is causing disruption to journeys between these stations, the National Rail website, external reports.

Trains may be cancelled, delayed by up to 30 minutes or revised.

Andy Giddings
BBC News

Shrewsbury Town fans are proud of their team's performance in the FA Cup last night after taking Premier League West Ham to extra time.

They've been reacting on BBC Radio Shropshire's Facebook page, external, with Susan Marsh writing: "They played brill & should be very proud of themselves. Put the club & the town on the map."

Image source, Getty Images

Phil Allen wrote: "They all played brilliant, done Shropshire and themselves very proud."

And Mark Owen added: "So close but concentrate on the league now."

There was also this from West Ham on Twitter:

Wolverhampton Crown Court lifted reporting restrictions to allow the naming of Brett Everitt

Reece Burke scores his first goal for West Ham in the second half of extra-time as the Premier League side edge out League One Shrewsbury in their FA Cup third-round replay.

Lee Blakeman
Port Vale commentator, BBC Radio Stoke

Port Vale has announced forward Danny Turner has joined Tamworth on a one-month loan deal.

The club "wish Dan the best of luck during his time at the Lamb Ground."

Image source, Port Vale FC

Louise Hancock
Newsreader, BBC WM

Police are continuing to investigate a stabbing in Birmingham.

It happened on Cattell Road at the junction of Coventry Road in Small Heath near the St Andrew's shopping park yesterday afternoon.

A 19-year-old man was found with stab wounds to the chest and thigh and was taken to hospital.

Birmingham Mail

Here's some of the stories the Birmingham Mail are working on today:

• Family of mum killed by mentally ill son receive apology from health trust, external five years after death
• Pedestrian seriously injured after being hit by , externalcar in Kingstanding
• Two Birmingham stabbings within just one hour, external

BBC Midlands Today

An artist from Wolverhampton, known for sculpting some of the world's smallest works of art, will receive an honorary doctorate from the University of Warwick later.

Willard Wigan creates sculptures in the eye of a needle or on the head of a pin.

His microscopic work, which can't be seen by the naked eye, has received global recognition and featured in international advertising campaigns.

A pedestrian suffered head and leg injuries after being hit by a car.

The incident happened in Kingstanding Road, Birmingham, earlier this morning.

The road is currently closed to the junction of Kings Road.

Image source, Google