16.02.23 – Man charged with Valentina Cozma Murder, Lord Mayors Football Tournament, Gladstone Pottery Museum Display

Detectives investigating the murder of Valentina Cozma have arrested a man on suspicion of murder. Georgian Constantin, 42, of Stoke-on-Trent, was arrested in London on Tuesday
Valentina, aged 40, tragically died following a fire at her home on Campbell Road, Stoke, on Thursday 9 February. A post mortem provided a provisional cause of death, as inhalation of products of combustion.
Enquiries surrounding Valentina’s death continue and forensic investigations are ongoing at the scene

Senior Investigating Officer Detective Inspector Adrian Webb, from the force’s Major and Organised Crime department, is appealing for anyone with information, including CCTV and Dashcam footage to come forward and help with the investigation.

He said: “We are grateful for the community’s support during this investigation. Enquiries into Valentina’s tragic death continue and we remain keen to speak to witnesses who may have relevant information or material which could support the investigation, such as CCTV or dash cam footage. My thoughts remain with Valentina’s loved ones, in particular her young son, at this deeply traumatic time.”
We have a dedicated section on the Major Incident Portal here: https://mipp.police.uk/operation/STAFFS19A01-PO1 select Staffordshire Police, Operation Cuda.
Alternatively, you can call 101 quoting incident 440 of 9 February. If you have information, but want to remain anonymous, call Crimetoppers on 0800 555 111.

____________________________________________________________________

26 teams and over 200 players from a range of local businesses will be taking part in the Lord Mayors knock-out football tournament at Fenton Manor Sports Centre on Friday

The tournament is the first of its kind in Stoke-on-Trent’s civic history, and donations and sponsorships will help to raise money for the Lord Mayor’s chosen charities – Brighter Futures and The Hubb Foundation.

The Lord Mayor, Councillor Faisal Hussain’s will present a trophy to the winning team following the tournament.

_________________________________________________________________

A number of rare Staffordshire ceramics, that were aboard a sunken vessel are set to go on display at Gladstone Pottery Museum.

The mid-19^th century emigrant ship the Josephine Willis was on its way to New Zealand but sank on 3 February 1856, following a collision with the steamer Mangerton, resulting in the death of 70 people including Captain Edward Canney.

The ceramics recovered from the seabed of the wreck, included the complete toilet bowl which has been gifted to the Museum, with its back stamp revealing it was made by Staffordshire sanitaryware firm Armitage.

The dinnerware recovered was also made by local firms Davenport, Longport and Charles Meigh & Son, Hanley.

A selection of ceramics recovered from the site was gifted to The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery in 2015. The wreck site has since been granted protection by the UK government meaning nothing more may be taken from the site, making this new display the only opportunity to see these shipwreck ceramics.

Cllr Lorraine Beardmore, cabinet member for culture, leisure, and public health said:

“We are extremely proud to be the custodians of this rare and historically fascinating collection of Staffordshire ceramics. The new display at Gladstone Pottery Museum will be completely unique and provides an insight into the types of Staffordshire ceramics exported all over the world; even the ones that ended up at the bottom of the sea.

“Items recovered from the Josephine Willis will be on display at Gladstone starting from the Wednesday of February half-term. The site will be open to the general public from Wednesday 22 then until Sunday 26 February for visitors to view the items.”