A magistrate who provided a character reference for a defendant in a criminal trial has been reprimanded.

Zahur Akhtar, who hears cases in the West Midlands, had been the subject of a complaint to the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office (JCIO).

News of the reprimand has emerged in a statement published on the JCIO website., external

A JCIO spokesman said, in the statement, that Mr Akhtar had referred to himself as a magistrate and given his court address.

The spokesman said Lord Chancellor David Gauke and Lord Chief Justice Lord Burnett had concluded that Mr Akhtar's actions "amounted to misuse of his judicial status."

Birmingham historian Prof Carl Chinn has handed over a photo of his late nan Lil Perry (nee Wood) for a giant mosaic at New Street Station.

The 20m (66ft) tall art work, external will form the face of a West Midlands suffragette, made up of thousands of individual photos.

Prof Chinn said Mrs Perry, from Whitehouse Street, Aston, (in photo second from left) worked all her life as a factory worker - despite losing her index finger in an accident on site, aged 39.

He said she was about 4ft 11ins tall but "tough" and the "best nan" he could hope for - taking him to Aston Villa games, making corned beef and brown sauce cobs as well as supporting his mum.

"She was a strong woman who came from a very tough start," he said.

Mrs Perry, a trade unionist, lost her finger and part of her thumb when some of her hair got caught in machinery after becoming loose from headwear, he said.

Prof Chinn also donated the photo to raise awareness about working class women who did not get the vote until 1928 -10 years after the Representation of the People Act gave it to some.

"A lot of of working class women wanted to be able to vote and to campaign but they didn't get the time," he said.

The parents of student Thomas Jones say they're "overwhelmed" by the turnout at a candlelit vigil held for him.

Thomas Jones, 18, disappeared in the early hours of 19 September after a night out during his first week at the University of Worcester.

West Mercia Police said a body had been recovered in the River Severn at South Quay in the city on Friday, although it hasn't yet been formally identified.

Floral tributes continue to be left at the Sabrina Bridge site in Worcester.

Simon Gilbert
Political Reporter, BBC Coventry & Warwickshire

Coventry MP Jim Cunningham has been fined for littering, his office has confirmed.

Image source, UK Parliament

The Labour politician was served with the £100 fine after dropping a cigarette at Coventry railway station.

A spokesman for the MP said he dropped it as he rushed for a train a few weeks ago.

He has paid the fine, which can be reduced to £50 if paid within two weeks.

Kieran Hall, 25, has been described by his relatives as a man with a "heart of gold".

The Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu has announced his retirement.

Before his promotion to York Dr Sentamu, 69, made history in 2002 by becoming the Church of England's first black senior bishop when he was named the Bishop of Birmingham.

Image source, PA

In a statement, Dr Sentamu said he would retire in 2020 but had decided to break the news now to give the Church time to find a successor.

The exact date of his retirement is 7 June 2020, three days before his 71st birthday.

Premiership club Worcester Warriors are taken over by a four-man consortium led by ex-Swindon Town chairman Jed McCrory.

Documentary-makers claim to have identified two prime suspects in the 1974 IRA Birmingham pub bombings.

The explosions at the Tavern in the Town and Mulberry Bush killed 21 people and injured another 220.

An ITV Exposure programme , externalat 22:40 tonight, is expected to name two suspects, including one who has since died.

The second man denies the allegations.

Last week, the Court of Appeal ruled that suspects would not be named as part of the inquests, despite a campaign by many of the victims' families.

Tara Duffy ran out to comfort the mother of Mylee Billingham as the eight-year-old was murdered by her father.

Worcester News

These are some of the headlining stories on the Worcester News website:

• Hundreds join vigils for Tom Jones in Worcester and Bromsgrove, external
• Work on controversial Diglis mural gets underway, external
• VAT fraudster conned £57K from taxpayers, external

William Billingham, 55, will be sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court tomorrow for the murder of his eight-year-old daughter, Mylee.

Image source, West Midlands Police

He will also be sentenced for making threats to kill his ex-partner and Mylee's mother Tracey Taundry.

After the foreman returned the verdicts, the jury were informed by the judge that Billingham underwent an operation part-way through the trial after injuring his wrists while on remand.

The jurors were earlier told to ignore bandages covering Billingham's lower arms - after he missed three days of his trial due to a stay in hospital.

The father-of-six underwent surgery after the apparent attempt to end his own life on 21 September.

Adjourning sentence in the case until tomorrow, Judge Paul Farrer QC thanked those sitting in the public gallery for their calmness during the nine-day trial.

The judge said: "Can I thank the public for the calm and dignified way in which you have all conducted yourselves at all stages of this trial."

Billingham, who faces a mandatory life sentence, stared at the floor in the dock and showed no obvious emotion after he was convicted.

A man was hit by a car in Warwick on Saturday, leaving him seriously injured, police say.

The pedestrian, in his 70s, was airlifted to hospital after the crash on Castle Bridge, Banbury Road shortly before 12:20.

The road was closed for a time.

Warwickshire Police is appealing for any witnesses to come forward.

William Billingham's decision to stab his daughter in an apparent attempt to take revenge on her mother has been described by a senior detective as the most selfish act imaginable.

Det Insp Jim Colclough, of the West Midlands Police homicide unit, believes Billingham was unhappy with Tracey Taundry's new relationship, despite claiming he had no problems with it.

Speaking after Billingham was convicted of murder, Mr Colclough said the 55-year-old had shown no remorse when interviewed - and only sought to help himself as Mylee lay dying.

Image source, PA

The killer's trial was told that officers kicked a knife away from near Billingham's hands, moving it underneath a rug, as they tried to treat him and his daughter.

During their efforts, Billingham kicked out at one officer, ignored repeated requests for information about what had happened to Mylee, and only related information about his own breathing problems.

The jury at Birmingham Crown Court took less than two hours to find William Billingham, 55, guilty of murder.

His daughter, eight-year-old Mylee Billingham, died from a single stab wound to the chest on 20 January in Brownhills, near Walsall.

Image source, Helen Tipper

William Billingham has been found guilty at Birmingham Crown Court of murdering his eight-year-old daughter Mylee and making a threat to kill his ex-partner.

A disturbance at HMP Long Lartin highlights problems within the prisons system, a union claims.

The owners of Garden Organic, at Ryton, in Warwickshire, say they are in talks with Coventry University about a potential sale.

The charity decided to sell the 22-acre site earlier this year, with managers saying they couldn't afford the upkeep.

Chief executive James Campbell said he hoped the university would eventually take over the research work carried out by the charity.

"They have the resources and the ability to invest in the site, to bring it up to current standards, and to take it forward to a new generation," he said.

Police say the substance, now known not be corrosive, was used as a distraction to steal a computer.

Staffordshire Live

Here are some of the headlines featuring on the Staffordshire Live website today:

• "I was going to the toilet 30 times a day...I thought who would love me like this?, external"
• New head of secondary school vows to make it best performing in area, external
• She wanted 'Katie Price' Don't Tell The Bride style wedding but Tamworth groom decked out Lichfield village hall, external

BBC Midlands Today

BBC Midlands Today journalist Satnam Rana is supporting Breast Cancer Awareness Month by producing a series of films to mark her cancer journey.

Satnam is in remission after being diagnosed more than a year ago. Her films are running all week on the BBC Midlands Facebook page, external.