Birmingham headlines 16 February: Building company director spared jail after labourer died in wall collapse at Birmingham construction site

A company director has been spared jail after a labourer was crushed to death. A court heard Simon Briggs had decided to put "cost cutting at the expense of safety". He was sentenced to 23 weeks in prison, suspended for 18 months and ordered to do 100 hours unpaid work.

A prolific shop thief who targeted supermarkets across the West Midlands more than 500 times has been jailed. Samad Ali is believed to have taken over £18,000 worth of items in just over six months.

A brewery in Dudley has been crowned CAMRA's Champion Winter Beer of Britain for 2024. Snowflake - an amber barley wine from Sedgley's Sarah Hughes Brewery won the prestigious title after over a year of local blind-tasting panels and vigorous regional heats.