West Midlands Police say a former agency worker at a Birmingham mosque has been jailed for 16 years for rape and sexual abuse offences against children, with victims as young as nine.
A man has been jailed for 16 years after being convicted of rape and sexual abuse offences against children in Birmingham.
West Midlands Police describe the offending as a “campaign” of abuse and confirm the victims included children as young as nine.
The force’s court outcome update was published on 10 February 2026.
What is confirmed
Police confirm the offender was a former agency worker at a mosque in Birmingham.
The force does not name the mosque in its public update. Pulse Local will not add identifying details that are not clearly and lawfully published, particularly in cases involving child victims.
The sentence length and the fact of conviction are clear. This is not an allegation. It is a court outcome.
Why this case matters beyond one offender
Cases like this do lasting damage because they hit trust as well as victims.
Places used by families and children rely on safeguarding rules working in practice, not just sitting in a policy folder. Agency and temporary work arrangements can add risk if oversight is weak, although this case turns on criminal acts by an individual, not a press-release debate about systems.
What happens next
The offender begins a long prison sentence. Police and safeguarding agencies typically continue work behind the scenes after sentencing, including victim support and any review of safeguarding practice where relevant.
If you are worried about a child
If you think a child is in immediate danger, call 999.
If you want to report a concern, you can contact West Midlands Police on 101, your local council safeguarding team, or the NSPCC helpline. If you prefer anonymity for reporting crime, Crimestoppers can take reports without your name.
Unite says Birmingham refuse workers have backed extending their industrial action mandate into September 2026. Birmingham City Council calls the move “disappointing” and says service changes will roll out from June.
Credit: Unite the Union
Birmingham’s long-running refuse dispute is not going away.
Unite says bin workers have voted to extend their industrial action mandate beyond the May 2026 local elections and into September 2026, keeping the option of further strikes on the table.
The union frames the vote as proof its members are still prepared to keep fighting. The council frames it as needless and frustrating, and insists it has already offered a route out.
What Unite is claiming
Unite’s public line is that the dispute centres on Birmingham City Council’s contract changes for refuse roles, with the union arguing workers have faced pay cuts and a worse deal.
Industry reporting of the union’s position describes the row as involving so-called “fire and rehire” arrangements for loaders and drivers, and claims that some workers could lose significant sums depending on role changes. Unite’s general secretary Sharon Graham is quoted arguing strikes will continue until a “fair deal” is reached.
What the council is saying
Birmingham City Council’s response, quoted in industry reporting, is blunt.
Councillor Majid Mahmood describes the mandate extension as “disappointing” and “immensely frustrating” for residents. He also says the council has asked Unite to make a proposal to end the dispute, and claims Unite has declined.
The council also points to role changes already carried through. It states that 170 former Waste Recycling and Collection Officers (WRCOs) were redeployed or took redundancy, and that most of 144 driver team leaders accepted new roles with six months of pay protection, with others taking redundancy or alternative jobs. The council claims that makes it “hard to understand” why the strike continues.
It also signals it plans to press ahead with refuse service changes from June 2026, regardless of whether industrial action continues.
The timeline, in plain dates
The dispute has been running for more than a year.
Industry reporting states Unite members began industrial action in January 2025, and that it escalated into all-out strikes from 11 March 2025, which heavily affected collections across the city.
That background matters because “mandate extension” sounds like process. In real life, it means prolonged risk of missed collections, overflowing bins, and the knock-on issues that follow in densely populated neighbourhoods.
What this means for residents
This is not a political parlour game. Waste collection is basic civic infrastructure. If it becomes unreliable, problems stack up quickly: hygiene, vermin, fly-tipping, and streets that feel neglected.
The dispute also sits against Birmingham’s wider reality. The council has tried to reshape services and control costs in recent years. Unions see that as cuts dressed up as “transformation”. Councils see it as survival.
What happens next
The mandate extension keeps the dispute live into late 2026 unless either side shifts position.
If you are looking for the next hard milestone, it is not a slogan. It is whether negotiations restart and whether either side puts a concrete proposal in writing that the other can accept.
West Midlands Police say their Guardian Taskforce made arrests and seized knives, drugs and suspected criminal cash across several areas, including activity linked to Chelmsley Wood, Shard End and Balsall Heath.
West Midlands Police have set out a string of arrests and seizures by their Guardian Taskforce, as part of Project Guardian, which targets knife crime and youth violence.
In an update published on 10 February 2026, the force described action across the force area, including stops and searches that led to weapons and drugs being recovered.
The incidents police highlighted
According to West Midlands Police:
Officers patrolling around Wolverhampton city centre stopped and searched a man on 6 February. Police seized two wraps of Class A drugs and a knife. A 44-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of knife and Class A drug offences. The force names him as Dean Everall, from Bridgnorth, and confirms he has been charged and is due at Dudley Magistrates’ Court on 5 March.
In Chelmsley Wood on 7 February, officers spotted a vehicle in Roebuck Close. Police state they found a machete, cash, and wraps of Class A drugs. A 19-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possessing a bladed article and possessing Class A drugs with intent to supply. Police say he has been bailed while enquiries continue.
In Balsall Heath on 7 February, officers stopped a car on Edward Road. Police report they seized cannabis, arrested a 26-year-old man, and dealt with the matter by community resolution.
In Shard End on 9 February, police say a boy reacted to their presence and ran. Officers detained a 16-year-old after a short chase. Police report a “zombie knife” was found nearby and the boy was arrested on suspicion of possessing a bladed article. Police say he has been bailed pending further enquiries.
Also on 9 February, officers in Lye stopped a man on Lye High Street. Police describe finding cannabis, cash and mobile phones believed to be linked to drug dealing. They say a 22-year-old man has been charged with possession of Class B drugs with intent to supply.
What Project Guardian is, in plain English
Police describe Project Guardian as a specialist effort aimed at knife crime and youth violence, using a mix of plain-clothes work, high-visibility patrols, and what they call “positive engagement” with young people.
The enforcement is the visible bit. The deeper test is what happens next: charges that stick, court outcomes that follow, and whether the same hotspots keep reappearing in press releases.
The wider context
Knife-enabled crime remains a major issue across the region. ONS figures show 4,116 knife-enabled offences in the West Midlands Police force area in the year ending September 2025. That was down 18% on the previous year, but it is still thousands of incidents in a single year.
What the public can do
West Midlands Police have asked people to report suspicious activity through 101 or anonymously via Crimestoppers.
Leo Ross murder sentence confirmed, Birmingham bin strike mandate extended into September, and West Midlands Police reports a 16-year jail term in a child safeguarding case plus Guardian Taskforce arrests and seizures across the force area.
Teenager sentenced for murder of schoolboy Leo Ross in Hall Green
Credit: West Midlands Police
West Midlands Police says a 15-year-old boy has been sentenced to life, with a minimum term of 13 years in custody, for murdering 12-year-old Leo Ross.
Police say Leo was attacked in Hall Green on 21 January 2025 as he walked home from school, near Trittiford Mill Park.
Police say there is no indication the two knew each other and there is no known motive. The youth defendant cannot be named for legal reasons.
The Crown Prosecution Service says the boy pleaded guilty to murder at Birmingham Crown Court on 29 January 2026.
The CPS also says he admitted assaults on three elderly women in separate incidents near the same area between 19 and 21 January 2025.
Sentencing took place at Birmingham Crown Court on 10 February 2026.
Birmingham bin workers vote to extend strike mandate into September
Birmingham’s long-running bin strike could run into September 2026 after a reballot.
ITV News reports Unite says its members voted to extend industrial action for another six months, taking the mandate past the May local elections and into September.
ITV reports the dispute began after the council announced the scrapping of the Waste Recycling and Collection Officer role and changes to drivers’ and loaders’ conditions.
ITV reports Unite claims the changes mean some workers face pay cuts of up to £8,000, describing it as fire-and-rehire.
Birmingham City Council has said it has made offers and wants the dispute to end. ITV reports the council has also said Unite’s demands would risk another equal pay bill running into hundreds of millions of pounds.
ITV also reports the council confirmed fortnightly bin collections are set to begin in June 2026, even if industrial action continues.
Birmingham mosque worker jailed in child safeguarding case
Credit: West Midlands Police
West Midlands Police says a former agency IT support worker at a Birmingham mosque has been jailed for 16 years for a campaign of rape and sexual abuse against boys as young as nine.
Police say five boys were abused, with the oldest aged 14. Police say the mosque cannot be named for legal reasons.
Police say the offender, Said Daauud, stopped working at the mosque in February 2022 but continued to attend and was well known to the congregation.
Police say their investigation began in May 2022 after mothers raised concerns about grooming behaviour.
Police say the investigation led to charges including one rape, nine sexual assaults, and four offences of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.
Guardian Taskforce reports arrests and weapons seizures across force area
West Midlands Police says Guardian Taskforce teams have made arrests and seized knives, drugs and suspected criminal cash across multiple locations.
Police say a man stopped in Wolverhampton city centre on 6 February was arrested after officers seized two wraps of Class A drugs and a knife.
Police say Dean Everall, from Bridgnorth, has been charged with possession of a bladed article and possession of Class A drugs, and is due to appear at Dudley Magistrates’ Court on 5 March.
In Chelmsley Wood, police say officers found a machete, cash and multiple wraps of Class A drugs during a stop in Roebuck Close on 7 February, and a 19-year-old man was arrested and later bailed pending further enquiries.
Police say a 26-year-old man was given a community resolution after a stop in Balsall Heath on Edward Road where cannabis was seized.
In Shard End, police say a 16-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of a bladed article after a “zombie knife” was found nearby, and he was later bailed pending enquiries.
Police also say a 22-year-old man was charged in Lye with possession of Class B drugs with intent to supply after officers found cannabis, cash and mobile phones believed to be linked to drug dealing.
A 15-year-old boy has been sentenced to life with a minimum term of 13 years for murdering 12-year-old Leo Ross, who was attacked while walking home from school in Hall Green.
A 15-year-old boy has been jailed for the murder of 12-year-old Leo Ross, who was attacked while walking home from school in Hall Green.
West Midlands Police confirmed the teenager was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court on 10 February 2026. The court imposed life detention with a minimum term of 13 years before he can be considered for release.
Because the offender is a child, he cannot be identified.
What the court outcome confirms
Leo was killed on 21 January 2025, after he was attacked near Scribers Lane and Trittiford Mill Park, in Hall Green.
The Crown Prosecution Service confirmed the boy admitted murdering Leo at a hearing on 29 January 2026, ahead of sentencing. The police investigation then led to the life sentence being passed on 10 February.
The CPS also confirmed the teenager was sentenced for other offences linked to the same day, including serious assaults on two elderly women, plus assault and knife possession offences.
How police linked the boy to the killing
Police have described a fast-moving investigation, with officers and detectives working to identify and arrest the attacker.
The force has also set out that the boy tried to mislead officers at first, before later admitting the killing. That detail is important because it explains why the case moved from early uncertainty to a guilty plea.
Why this case has hit so hard locally
This was not a distant, abstract crime story. It was a child walking home from school in a Birmingham neighbourhood. That is why it still lands like a punch a year on.
The wider picture is messy too. Knife-enabled crime is not just a London headline. Official figures published by the Office for National Statistics show the West Midlands Police force area recorded 4,116 knife-enabled offences in the year ending September 2025, down 18% on the year before. “Down” is welcome. “Four thousand” is still the bit that sticks in your throat.
Nationally, ONS reporting for the same period puts knife or sharp instrument offences in England and Wales at 50,430, down 9%. Again: the direction is good. The volume is the problem.
What happens next
A life sentence does not mean automatic release at the minimum term. It means the offender must serve at least that minimum, and then convince the Parole Board it is safe to be released.
For Leo’s family, the legal process has reached an ending. The loss does not.
A new self-service dog wash is due to open at Sandwell Valley Visitor Centre later this month, according to Sandwell Council.
The council said the facility is set to open on 16 February 2026 and is being installed in time for the half-term break.
What’s being installed
Sandwell Council said the dog wash will be self-service and will accept card and mobile payments.
The council also said the unit includes a dryer, aimed at people who have been walking dogs around Sandwell Valley and want to clean them up before heading home.
Why it’s being added
In its announcement, the council said the facility is intended to improve the visitor offer at Sandwell Valley, which attracts walkers and families using the park and surrounding routes.
A statement in the release is attributed to Councillor Peter Kettle, who said the aim is to add practical, everyday improvements for people using the site.
