Tracey Higgins

3 weeks ago | bbc.com | Tracey Higgins

'I was Birmingham's most prolific shoplifter' Tracey HigginsAida FofanaBBCKeeley Knowles works alongside the Offending to Recovery programme and does outreach work with drug usersFor nearly three decades Keeley Knowles' life consisted of shoplifting thousands of pounds worth of goods to fuel her heroin addiction. Previously known as "Birmingham's most profile shoplifter", Ms Knowles had been to jail 28 times but is now 18 months clean and on a mission to give addicts hope.

2 months ago | yahoo.com | Richard Price |Tracey Higgins

Two boys have been sentenced for rioting outside a hotel used by asylum seekers – actions that were part of widespread disorder seen in the UK last summer. The pair, aged 14 and 17, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty in February to their role in violence outside a Holiday Inn in Tamworth, Staffordshire, on 4 August. A judge told the older boy his actions were "fuelled by hatred for those who didn't look like you or sound like you".

2 months ago | ca.news.yahoo.com | Richard Price |Tracey Higgins

The Holiday Inn Express in Tamworth was targeted in the disorder [PA Media]Two boys have been sentenced for rioting outside a hotel used by asylum seekers – actions that were part of widespread disorder seen in the UK last summer. The pair, aged 14 and 17, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty in February to their role in violence outside a Holiday Inn in Tamworth, Staffordshire, on 4 August.

Feb 21, 2025 | bbc.com | Tracey Higgins

'Town is not racist, but riot fired migrant fear'Tracey HigginsBBC Midlands InvestigationsEpitogMore than 300 rioters targeted the Holiday Inn Express in Tamworth "Tamworth is not a racist town at all. We're a great community. We're welcoming and inclusive". The words of vicar Andrew Lythall are in stark contrast to last summer's riots sparked by migrants being housed in the town's Holiday Inn Express - one of a series of disturbances that flared over three girls' murders in Southport.

Feb 14, 2025 | yahoo.com | Tracey Higgins |Richard Price

A man has been jailed for five years and seven months for encouraging people to set fire to a hotel during rioting in Staffordshire. Mitchell Cleaver, 25, from Burton-upon-Trent sent messages to a number of people prior to the unrest, urging them to "burn the place down" and "make it the maddest night in Tamworth history", according to Staffordshire Police. Cleaver pleaded guilty to riot in September at Stafford Crown Court.