Zakaria Mohammed may be the first drug dealer convicted under the Modern Slavery Act for this crime.

A garage, which police believe was being used to break up stolen cars, has been raided in Birmingham.

The suspected "chop shop" was discovered in the Erdington area last night, when officers followed up reports of a car jacking.

Image source, West Midlands Police

They found stolen vehicles and a number of car components, but haven't made any arrests.

Police have released footage of a drug dealer who trafficked teenagers to sell heroin and crack cocaine.

Thomas Jones's parents said 'vital clues' were lost because a council camera had not worked in a year.

The campaign to raise £500,000 for a Broseley boy with a rare form of leukaemia is approaching the half-way mark, his supporters say.

The family of four-year-old Zac Oliver want the money to pay for pioneering treatment in the USA after being told he can't have it on the NHS.

Last week thousands of people wore red in support of Zac and more fundraising events are planned.

Supporters include Mark Knopfler from Dire Straits.

BBC Coventry & Warwickshire

Poet Sebbie Mudhai, who lives in Coventry, performs her poem All Grown Up for National Poetry Day.

The Telford MP says Shropshire's hospitals have approached NHS England, to ask if it had the powers to post doctors at hospitals in need - and keep the Telford A&E open overnight.

Lucy Allan and a number of councillors from the town have met hospital leaders today, to express their concern about the planned overnight closure of Telford's accident and emergency department.

Mrs Allan said the representatives from the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust "listened carefully to all the concerns" raised by Labour, Conservative and Independent representatives.

And she said she would follow up the suggestion about emergency postings up with health ministers.

JCB is donating $250,000 worth of equipment to the Indonesian Island of Sulawesi, to help the clean-up operation following the recent earthquake and tsunami.

The Rocester-based company said the vehicles are "perfect for removing heavy debris".

Image source, JCB

More than 1,400 people are believed to have died in the disaster and the company went on to say it hoped the machinery would be used to help with reconstruction efforts, once the debris was cleared.

"Dishevelled" teenage boys, trafficked from Birmingham to Lincolnshire by drug-dealer Zakaria Mohammed, were were found inside a "squalid" and "freezing" flat by officers investigating the county lines drug operation, police said.

The 21-year-old from Aston, Birmingham has been jailed for 14 years after admitting four counts of possessing drugs with intent to supply and five counts of human trafficking.

Image source, Police handout

Police said Mohammed was "cynical, deliberate and ruthless" in befriending young and vulnerable children, aged 14 and 15 at the time, to use as a commodity to further his drug dealing business.

Supt Richard Agar said: "So, in the past, the police would look to prosecute everyone involved.

"We recognised at an early stage that Zakaria was the offender and he was exploiting and they were the victims, so as a consequence we looked to safeguard them, to protect them."

Coventry Observer

Some of the headlining stories on the Coventry Observer website today are:

• Grieving dad has 'lost everything' after blaze guts houseboat, external
• X-Factor champions announced for Christmas lights switch-on, external
• Horse fair looking for new home nearby, external

Image source, Coventry Observer

Local Democracy Reporting Service
Tom Davis

A tower block, featuring 167 new flats, is to be built on the site of the former Elliott's Car Accessories site in Gulson Road, Coventry.

Image source, Coventry City Council

The "much needed" housing plan was given the go-ahead by councillors this week, after a restrictive covenant on an adjoining piece of land was released.

Developers Rainer has agreed to make contributions for car parking, a donation to the nearby Whiefriars monastery and provide a 24-hour concierge to manage the site, the meeting heard.

Councillor Jim O’Boyle, Cabinet Member for Jobs and Regeneration, welcomed the plans and said the private properties were needed by families and single people in the area.

Human bones discovered on farmland in 2002 have been indentified as those of Darren Carley.

Sima Kotecha
Midlands Correspondent, BBC News

A man who trafficked children into selling crack cocaine and heroin for him has been jailed for 14 years.

Image source, Police handout

It’s the first time in UK legal history police have secured child trafficking convictions under the 2015 Modern Slavery Act.

Zakaria Mohammed, 21, from Aston, Birmingham, admitted running a "county line" drug network in which children as young as 14 were being groomed and trafficked into dealing from a drugs den in Lincoln.

He was sentenced at a Birmingham Crown Court hearing today.

A charity group in Stoke-on-Trent which distributes unwanted of surplus food is organising a free Christmas meal for people who would otherwise be alone this year.

Affordable Foods Stoke says that as well as giving everyone who attends a meal on Christmas Day, it wants to send them home with a small hamper.

Image source, Getty Images

The charity sells food that is either close to or past its "best before" date, saying that as well as helping those on low incomes, it prevents food waste and takes pressure off food banks.

A local lottery, with a jackpot of £25,000, has been started by Lichfield District Council.

It will cost people living in the area £1 to play and the authority says 60% of the money will go to local good causes.

Five people are arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving following the collision.

Shropshire Star

Here are three headlines from today's Shropshire Star:

• Cyclist killed as crash closes Shrewsbury road, external
• Emergency summit over Shropshire hospital concerns, external
• Raiders caused £27,000 damage in Newport school burglary, external

Bradley Tout escaped from a courtroom moments after he was found guilty of attacking a teenage girl.

Carol Ann Duffy is being honoured with a special postbox in Stafford today, on National Poetry Day.

The poet laureate was educated at St Austin’s RC Primary School in the town and said it was "the school where I was first encouraged to write poetry by the wonderful Mrs Tilscher".

Image source, Royal Mail

The postbox will remain in Market Square for a month and is covered in quotes from some of her most famous poems.

Stoke-on-Trent Live

Here are some of the top stories from Stoke-on-Trent Live:

• Plans for trams to return to city, external
• Teenager quits college after warning for supporting Tommy Robinson, external
• Well-known restaurant has closed suddenly, external