'Please help us get Isaac Brown’s bench back': Wednesbury academy launch appeal for help finding stolen memorial bench
A Wednesbury academy has put out an urgent appeal asking for help to find a bench created in memory of a student which it said was stolen over the weekend.
Wodensborough Ormiston Academy in Wednesbury said the bench was the centrepiece of a memorial area created to honour Isaac Brown.
The 15-year-old had was fatally wounded during a confrontation between two groups in West Bromwich's New Square Shopping Centre on April 7 last year, with Reehan Nezir and a 14-year-old boy being convicted of manslaughter, robbery and possession of an offensive weapon.
The academy said the memorial area was created to allow for friends and fellow students to have a place to remember Isaac, but said that the bench had been stolen from the site over the weekend.
In a post put out on the Academy's Facebook page, it asked for anyone with information about the whereabouts of the bench to get in touch.
The post read: "Earlier this year, we created a memorial area in memory of a student that tragically lost their life last year so that his friends and fellow students had a spot to stop and reflect and remember him.
"Sadly, the bench that is the centre piece of this area has been stolen over the weekend from the school site.
"This is a plea for anyone that has any information regarding the benches whereabouts to contact us if they can help in anyway.
"We have logged the theft with police.
"Please help us get Isaac’s bench back."
A spokesman for West Midlands Police said: "We were made aware of a memorial bench being stolen from a school in Hydes Road, Wednesbury.
"Officers from our Partnerships team have spoken with the school, and are carrying out enquiries including reviewing CCTV footage.
"We know how upsetting this has been for everyone involved, and would urge anyone with information to contact us via 101 quoting crime reference number 20/286417/25."
