Age: 58
Sex: male
Date: 30 Dec 2011
Place: Dudley Road, Winson Green
Richard Williams was beaten to death whilst sheltering in a bus stop, near the junction of Barford Road and Dudley Road, in Winson Green on 30 December 2011.
He was a homeless man and was hit in the head five or six times just after midnight.
He had been either sitting in the bus stop or sleeping there at the time of the attack which was described as motiveless.
A man was tried for his murder but the trial collapsed after the prosecution offered no further evidence against him. The man tried had required a Russian interpreter. When the prosecution offered no evidence at the trial they said, 'Our position is that, in our duty to review the evidence as it unfolds, we take the view there is no realistic prospect of a conviction'.
A person that had been driving by at the time and witnessed the attack had stopped their car and reported it to the police. The attacker was then seen to flee across the road towards Heath Street.
The attacker was described as:
Richard Williams was taken to hospital but died a short time later. He died from head injuries.
CCTV footage was later released of a man that the police were interested in speaking to. He had gone into a nearby takeaway and spoken to staff there but only stayed for about 15 seconds. The attack was witnessed by the driver of the car shortly after. The police said that the man seen in the CCTV footage might not have been involved but that he might have been a crucial witness.
They said:
The police also examined a stretch of the Birmingham Canal for clues.
It was heard that Richard Williams had become homeless after becoming addicted to alcohol and was known at a number of hostels in the Birmingham area.
The police investigation into his murder was called Operation Lorian.
Following the collapse of the trial the police said, 'No unsolved murder case is ever truly closed and if new information comes to light we will, of course, take the necessary action'.
