Press release: Birmingham road-rage attacker has sentence increased after Solicitor General’s referral

A man who drove over another man in an act of road-rage will spend longer in prison after the Solicitor General, Robert Buckland QC MP, referred his original sentence to the Court of Appeal as unduly lenient.

In July 2017, Shahid Ali, 43, shouted and swore at his victim before deliberately driving over him at a slow speed. Ali blamed his victim for holding up traffic along Brighton Road in Balsall Heath. He then drove away and attempted to conceal his involvement by cleaning his car using abrasive materials and hiding his phone.

Patrick Colbert, who was in Birmingham celebrating his 35th birthday, was left with severe brain injuries, fractures to his skull, ribs, and sternum, and collapsed lungs. He will likely suffer long-term complications from these injuries, and requires professional care.

Ali was originally sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court in April, where he was sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment. Today, after the Solicitor General’s referral, the Court of Appeal increased his sentence to 15 years.

Commenting on the sentence increase, the Solicitor General said:

Ali made a deliberate choice to carry out an horrific act, and further to this attempted to conceal his actions. I am pleased that the Court of Appeal has agreed to increase Ali’s sentence, and hope that this brings his victim some comfort.



Corporate report: Nuclear Decommissioning Authority: Annual Report and Accounts 2017 to 2018

The NDA exceeded its targets for generating revenue, earning £1.2 billion of income to offset the total £3.3 billion annual budget that is spent on tackling the UK’s historical nuclear legacy.

The details are outlined in the Annual Report and Accounts for 2017/18, which reports on a year of progress across the 17 sites as well as organisational change to build a foundation for long-term success.

NDA Chief Executive David Peattie said that spending had remained below the annual limit set by government, while the income from reprocessing and management of spent fuels and waste had helped to offset the costs for taxpayers.

Mr Peattie, who was appointed in 2017, added:

Our mission remains unchanged, as does the relentless focus on cleaning up and decommissioning the UK’s civil nuclear sites and delivering value for the taxpayer, with the safety and security of people and the environment at the forefront of our minds.

My vision now is to build a stronger NDA Group, where all parts of our business are working together with a collective focus on delivering the mission more efficiently.

He said that changes to the organisation and its businesses would reflect learning from the Magnox competition and contract, with the key aim of improving delivery and building a foundation for long-term success.

The report highlights significant decommissioning progress across the estate including:

  • Retrieval of radioactive waste from Sellafield facilities that date back to the very beginning of the nuclear industry.
  • Start of a programme at the Dounreay Fast Reactor to remove fuel elements which had been trapped for decades
  • Final preparations for Bradwell, in Essex, to become the UK’s first former Magnox power station site to enter a state of care and maintenance during the year, after all mobile hazards and the vast majority of buildings have been cleared.


News story: Home Office hosts roundtable on mental health demand on policing

The Home Office has today hosted a cross-agency roundtable as part of its efforts to tackle the demand on police of dealing with cases involving mental health issues.

The police and health response to those in mental health crisis has improved, supported by government funding, legislative changes and better partnership working. But it remains the case that many calls to the police have a mental health component.

Today’s roundtable brought relevant agencies together to share good practice and consider further opportunities for collaboration to ease the burden on the police and provide mental health sufferers with appropriate care and support.

It was attended by Minister for Policing and the Fire Service, Nick Hurd, officials from the Department of Health and Social Care and representatives of the emergency services, among others.

Minister for Policing and the Fire Service, Nick Hurd, said:

Police are too often left to deal with people suffering from mental health issues, who actually need help from healthcare professionals and social services.

We have made progress but are determined to do more to free up police time so they can focus on fighting crime, while ensuring vulnerable people get the care they need.

The roundtable follows the minister writing to all forces and police and crime commissioners in February asking for more information about the scale and nature of the demand they face.

The feedback showed a sizeable proportion of the cases involving mental health issues that the police deal with relate to ‘concern for welfare calls’. They may involve injury, missing persons or suspicious circumstances, for example, and come from the public or health and social service agencies.

Some individuals with complex needs are also persistent callers to emergency services. The Metropolitan Police said they logged 2,269 calls from one individual in 2017.

Police have previously estimated that they may spend between 20 and 40 per cent of their time dealing with mental health cases.

Examples of good practice shared by police forces included street triage schemes, which enable officers to access health professionals for timely and relevant advice, and initiatives to put care packages in place for persistent callers.

The government has invested £30 million to increase health-based places of safety and banned the use of police cells for under 18s in mental health crisis. This has led to significant reductions in the use of police cells to hold people detained under section 136 of the Mental Health Act.

A roll-out of mental health assessments in custody suites and criminal courts also continues, supported by government funding.

Those present at the meeting included representatives from:

  • Association of Police and Crime Commissioners
  • National Police Chiefs Council
  • College of Policing
  • Independent Office for Police Conduct
  • HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services
  • British Transport Police
  • Association of Ambulance Chief Executives
  • Association of Chief Fire Officers
  • National Fire Chiefs’ council
  • Department of Health and Social Care
  • Public Health Wales


Notice: SY10 8BG, Morton Growers Limited: environmental permit issued

The Environment Agency publish permits that they issue under the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED).

This decision includes the permit and decision document for:

  • Operator name: Morton Growers Limited
  • Installation name: Morton Ley Farm
  • Permit number: EPR/TP3930NH/V003


Notice: MK45 2JQ, Millbrook Proving Ground Limited: environmental permit application advertisement

The Environment Agency consults the public on certain applications for Radioactive Substances Activity. The arrangements are explained in its Public Participation Statement

These notices explain:

  • what the application is about
  • which Environment Agency office you can visit to see the application documents on the public register
  • when you need to comment by

The Environment Agency will decide:

  • whether to grant or refuse the application
  • what conditions to include in the permit (if granted)