Eight arrested over Polish lorry driver's death

Eight men were arrested today on suspicion of the manslaughter and robbery of a Polish lorry driver found dead at a roadside in the Black Country.

Detectives investigating the death of Bogdan Bartczak, raided addresses in Tipton, West Bromwich and Oldbury at around 5am today.

The eight men, aged between 22 and 41, are being questioned by detectives from Force CID. A ninth man, aged 53, was also arrested by officers on suspicion of cultivating cannabis. He also remains in police custody.

Mr Bartczak's body was found in Vale Road, Netherton, Dudley, on November 1 by a resident on their way to work.

It was later discovered that the 57-year-old was a Polish lorry driver whose lorry, containing a load of LG 47in flatscreen televisions, had been taken from Oldbury some time on October 30 or 31.

The lorry was later found, minus its load, on the morning of November 1 on the Vectra Industrial Estate, off Whites Road, Hill Top, West Bromwich.

A post mortem examination failed to determine the cause of Mr Bartczak's death and the results of further tests are awaited.

The load of televisions stolen from the vehicle are yet to be recovered. They are described as LG LCD flatscreen TVs, sized 47in. Some were in 3D format.

DCI Steve Bimson is leading the inquiry. He again appealed for information from the public: "We want to know what has happened to these TVs. They may well be being offered for sale somewhere, and we urge anyone who is offered such items to get in touch. They would be fairly distinctive, being so large in size, and also the 3D variety remain fairly rare at the moment," he said.

Anyone with information should contact Force Criminal Investigation Department at Harborne police station on a dedicated number of 0121 626 5967 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.