Leicester Mercury
PCC’S MISCONDUCT HEARING IS KEPT BEHIND CLOSED DOORS
LEICESTERSHIRE’S police and crime commissioner (PCC) has faced a complaint relating to allegations of misconduct in office at a private meeting. This was despite challenges from the Mercury to make the meeting public. The police and crime panel’s...
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BURGLARY BROTHERS WENT ON A FOUR-MONTH NATIONWIDE CRIME SPREE
TWO brothers went on a burglary spree that saw them target homes across the country. Between October 2024 and January 2025, Danny, above left, and Terrence Casey, of Meynells Gorse, Braunstone, were linked to 37 offences. Their victims included a...
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BOYS, 16, CHARGED WITH CITY MURDER ATTEMPT
TWO boys have appeared before magistrates to face charges of attempted murder and carrying knives following an incident where a man was left bloodied in a city takeaway, writes Tom Mack. Leicester Youth Court heard that CCTV from the incident, at 1pm...
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SHOPLIFTING RATE IS ONE OF THE WORST IN COUNTRY
LEICESTER city centre has one of the highest number of shoplifting offences in England and Wales. The 1,453 crimes reported in the 12 months to March was the sixth highest total recorded nationwide. Shop workers said there is often nothing they can do.
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‘LONG WAITS FOR CARE COULD HAVE HARMED PATIENTS’
LONG waits for mental health care, averaging 133 days in May last year, could have harmed patients in the county, inspectors have warned. The Care Quality Commission rated community-based services for adults of working age in Leicestershire as...
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TEENAGER ATTACKED POLICE IN INTERVIEW ROOM
A TEENAGER punched a police officer in the face and then assaulted his female colleague when his interview turned violent. Aven Smith had been arrested after sending malicious messages to his ex-girlfriend, including threats to kill.
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DRUG DEALER CAUGHT BY HIS PROFIT PREDICTIONS
A DRUG dealer claimed to be just an addict – but was caught out by his calculations about how much money he was going to make for himself. Police found cannabis and ecstasy in Kurt Harris’s home in Belgrave, Leicester – and scraps of paper with profit...
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STUDENT 20, DIED IN RIVER
AN INQUEST has opened into the death of a student whose body was found three weeks after being reported missing, writes Dylan Hayward. The inquest into the case of Aryan Sharma, pictured, was opened by assistant area coroner Sophie Lomas at Rutland...
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WOMAN STOLE £21,000 FROM BOSSES AT FUNERAL DIRECTORS
A WOMAN has admitted stealing about £21,000 from her Co-op funeral director bosses – but will find out next month if the Crown Prosecution Service will pursue her for a higher total, writes Tom Mack. Personal funeral adviser Laura Gamble, 39, of...
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BOGUS TAXI DRIVER LOSES APPEAL OVER RAPE CONVICTION
A MAN who raped a woman in Leicester city centre after she got into his car thinking he was a taxi driver has lost his bid for freedom. Zaheer Shah, of Leicester, who was jailed for 15 years in 2024 after being found guilty at a trial, had argued that...
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AN URGENT CALL EVERY 21 SECONDS
THE ambulance service handled more than 4,000 emergency and urgent calls on New Year’s Day - a figure that breaks down to one call every 21 seconds. Between the clocks striking midnight and 7am on January 1, East Midlands Ambulance Service staff...
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THE BIG FREEZE STARTS THE YEAR
AN OFFICIAL cold weather alert has been upgraded from yellow to amber as the new year starts with widespread freezing temperatures. The alerting system from the UK Health Security Agency provides an early warning when adverse temperatures are likely...
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VICTIM IN HOSPITAL AFTER AN ATTACK BY BURGLARS
A MAN is in hospital with injuries to his face and body and after being attacked in his home by burglars. A number of intruders forced their way into the home in Warwick Street, off Tudor Road, in Leicester, at about 11am on Sunday. A spokeswoman...
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COUNTING THE COST
BUSINESSES say trade is down and deliveries cannot be made because of a large sinkhole in a city street, writes Dylan Hayward. The sinkhole appeared on Monday in Victoria Road East, in Humberstone, after a pipe burst. A worker at Hirix...
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WELL DONE SIR!
THE University of Leicester’s ViceChancellor has been recognised in the King’s New Year Honours. Professor Nishan Canagarajah is knighted for his services to higher education and his work championing inclusion. Two public figures from Leicester are...
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TRIBUTES TO ‘DEVOTED’ DAD WHO DIED AFTER PUB ATTACK
THE family of a man who died a week after an incident outside a village pub have paid tribute to a “devoted family man”, writes Tom Mack. Dave Darke, 66, had been the victim of an alleged attack outside The Crown Inn in Appleby Magna on December...
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SHE WAS AN INSPIRATION
TRIBUTES have been paid to assistant city mayor Manjula Sood, who has died at the age of 80. Mrs Sood, who was the first Asian woman to be Leicester’s Lord Mayor, died on Christmas Eve. Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said: “She was a truly exceptional...
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MAN FACING MURDER CHARGE
A MAN was due in court today charged with murder after the death of a 49-year-old former serviceman. Police were called to George Toon Court, in Syston, just after 11.45am on December 23. Simon Geary, right, was pronounced dead at the scene. Graham...
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BABY’S FIRST CHRISTMAS - THANKS TO BRILLIANT FLYING DOCTORS
THE family of a baby who underwent lifesaving treatment just hours after she was born have thanked clinical teams at University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust (UHL) for saving her life. Baby Amelia was diagnosed in the womb with a Congenital...
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HEADING OUT THE DOOR IN THE WINDOW?
MARTI Cifuentes says no players have yet asked to leave Leicester City this January but the manager did not rule out exits at the King Power Stadium in the new year. As the winter window nears, there are a number of City players whose futures appear...
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CITY ‘RUIN’ CHRISTMAS FOR STAFF
LEICESTER City staff are crying foul over a late change to their payday that some say has ruined Christmas. Employees who had been expecting their December salaries yesterday were told on Thursday they would not be paid until December 31. Staff said...
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BODY FOUND IN SEARCH FOR MISSING STUDENT
A BODY has been found following extensive searches for a missing Loughborough student, writes Dylan Hayward. Aryan Sharma, 20, right, was last seen on CCTV in Meadow Lane, on the outskirts of the town, at about 12.30am on Saturday, November...
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POLISH POLICE HAVE SUSPECT, INQUEST INTO MUM’S DEATH IS TOLD
POLICE in Poland have identified a suspect in the Malgorzata Wnuczek murder investigation, an inquest has revealed. An inquest into the death of the 27-year-old mum – who disappeared in Leicester in 2006 and whose remains were found in October in city...
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HUMAN REMAINS CONFIRMED AS MUM MISSING SINCE 2006
POLICE have confirmed that human remains found during a search in Leicester in October are those of missing mum Malgorzata Wnuczek. Malgorzata, pictured, was last seen on May 31, 2006. A police investigation into her death is continuing.
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WOMAN IS ARRESTED AFTER THREE DIE IN CRASH
A WOMAN has been arrested after three people died in a crash on the A46 between Thrussington and Sileby in the early hours of Saturday morning. A 37-year-old woman, arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving, was released under...
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‘I WANT HER TO DIE’ - SON AS HE STABBED HIS MUM 30 TIMES
A MAN who stabbed his mother to death in the family home and in the street outside as his father and a neighbour tried to stop the frenzied attack has been sentenced. As Daniel Cook attacked 72-year-old mum Ellen, below, he told his dad: “I want her...
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DANGER DRIVER LEFT E-BIKE RIDER WITH SEVERE INJURIES
A DANGEROUS driver who was over the limit hit an e-bike rider, causing life-changing injuries. Rahul Singh, 22, caused the crash while attempting to overtake on a bend in Forest Road, off Humberstone Road, Leicester, at 11.30pm on July 28. The...
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CITY TAX BILLS SET TO RISE BY MAXIMUM ALLOWED
COUNCIL tax bills in the city are expected to rise by 5 per cent next year – the maximum allowed. The move will add about £60 to the annual bill for households in a band A property. Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said the council had moved back from a...
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‘MAN LAY DEAD IN POLICE CELL FOR 11 HOURS DESPITE REGULAR CHECKS’
A MURDER suspect reported to have taken his own life in custody was not discovered for 11 hours despite regular checks by officers, writes Dylan Hayward. Sebastian Zarnoch, 30, was found dead after being arrested over the kidnapping and murder of...
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THAT’S MORE LIKE IT, CITY!
JAKE Dennis kicked off Season 12 of the Formula E World Championship with victory in a dramatic Sao Paulo E-Prix after a late red flag. Pepe Marti, making his Formula E debut, caused the stoppage after a frightening accident in which his Kiro...
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BUS DRIVERS SET FOR FESTIVE PERIOD STRIKES
BUS services are set to be disrupted over the Christmas and New Year period after about 300 drivers and other staff voted to go on strike. The union Unite has served notice to Arriva of strike action across eight days, starting next week, in a dispute...
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MAYOR WILL ‘NEVER’ GIVE UP ON RAIL STATION REVAMP
SIR Peter Soulsby will “never” give up on Leicester Railway Station’s major redevelopment despite the project’s continued delays. Originally priced at £22 million and expected to be completed in March 2024, little progress has been made to date....
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MULTIPLE CHANCES LOST TO SAVE MAN WHO DIED IN M-WAY TRAGEDY
A POLICE call handler received a written warning for her part in a catalogue of missed chances to save the life of man who died on the M1. Shafiqul Haidhar, 39, a maths teacher, walked into traffic near Lutterworth and was struck by a lorry after his...
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DYING INMATE WAS KEPT IN HANDCUFFS ON LAST DAYS IN HOSPITAL
A PRISON “inappropriately restrained” a prisoner during hospital visits despite him being terminally ill and confined to a wheelchair, a prison watchdog has found. Brian Kemp remained handcuffed for eight days during his final hospital stay and was...
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PRISON OFFICER ADMITS SEXUAL RELATIONS WITH AN INMATE
A PRISON officer has admitted she had a sexual relationship with an inmate. Custody officer Alicia Novas, from Northamptonshire, and inmate Declan Winkless, pictured, formerly of South Wigston, both pleaded guilty to a string of charges at crown court...
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NUMBER OF BOBBIES TAKEN OFF BEATS UNCOVERED
LEICESTERSHIRE Police pulled neighbourhood officers from their beats for 81,863 hours in just three months – the equivalent of 157 full-time bobbies removed from local communities, writes Dylan Hayward. The figures had been redacted from public...
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MAN DIES AFTER GETTING TRAPPED UNDER MACHINE
A MAN has died after becoming trapped under machinery. Police said officers were called at 7.18am on Thursday to a report of a man trapped under a piece of machinery in an industrial premises in Whitehill Road, Ellistown. A spokesman for the force...
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TEACHER CAUGHT DRUNK IN FRONT OF CHILDREN
A TEACHER was sacked the day he was seen waving his arms wildly and dancing while drunk in school. Christopher Small had also been drunk at Charnwood College the previous day, a Teaching Regulation Agency professional conduct panel heard. Small...
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10,000-SEAT VENUE PLAN FOR THE CITY
BUSINESS leaders say they exploring plans for a 10,000-seat concert and conference venue in the city. The Leicester Growth Engine this week published a list of early ideas it believes will strengthen the economy and revitalise the city. It also wants...
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STORE IS SMASHED APART IN RAM RAID
POLICE are on the hunt for the perpetrators of a smashand-grab ram raid at a supermarket. The Londis store in Markfield was severely damaged when heavy construction equipment was used to smash into it in the early hours of yesterday. The criminals...
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CANNABIS WORTH OVER £1M SEIZED IN CITY RAIDS
A SERIES of drugs raids by police have seen cannabis plants with a street value of about £1.1 million seized. Police made a number of arrests after the major drugs busts, which included a warehouse in Birstall and other properties in Spinney Hills and...
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FIFTH MAN IS JAILED AFTER POLICE BROKE INTO CRIME CHATS
A FIFTH member of an organised crime group is starting a jail term. Balvinder Singh-Gill, of Leicester, was part of a criminal network that moved cocaine worth over £1 million across the East Midlands. Police said the criminals thought they were...
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DETECTIVES FEAR MORE GIRLS WERE TARGETED BY ONLINE PREDATOR
POLICE fear there may be more victims of a prolific paedophile who targeted young girls online. Detectives spoke out yesterday after Paul Lipscombe, above, was jailed for more than 28 years. He had admitted to 34 charges, the most serious of which...
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Memorial to Bing, heroic parachute dog of D-Day
A DOG which was parachuted into Normandy in the 1944 D-Day landings and later awarded the equivalent of the Victoria Cross has been honoured with a statue. A metal representation of Bing, an alsatian/collie cross who was trained as a patrol and guard...
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TEACHER FOUND WITH ALCOHOL IN SCHOOLS IS BARRED FROM THE PROFESSION
A TEACHER caught with alcohol at two schools has been barred from the profession. Michelle Stant worked at Oakwood School, in Bagworth, in 2020 and in Wellingborough in 2024. She was found with alcohol – and crashed into bollards while driving – at...
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MADELEINE FANTASIST FACES BEING DEPORTED
A POLISH woman who claimed to be Madeleine McCann faces deportation after being convicted of harassing the missing girl’s parents by turning up at their home and repeatedly begging for a DNA test. Julia Wandelt, 24, put her hands to her face and...
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ELABORATE BANK FRAUD USED TO BUY £37 , 000 CAR
MEN who conned a couple into giving them access to their bank account used the money to buy a £37,000 Range Rover. But 31-year-old Harry Lunn, pictured, and 29-year-old Nathan Kennedy were caught after the dealer became suspicious when Kennedy tried...
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COUNCIL TO SPEND OVER £1M FOR ADVICE ON HOW TO CUT COSTS
EXTERNAL consultants are being brought in by a cash-strapped council for a top-tobottom audit in a bid to make savings. Leicestershire County Council, under Reform UK leadership since May, is set to pay up to £1.4 million to a consultant firm as it...
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CITY PLANS TO EXPAND: VERSION 2
NEW proposals by the city council for local government reorganisation would see it take over three districts. Blaby, Harborough and Oadby and Wigston would be merged with Leicester under the proposal, pictured, an alternative to its previous plan to...
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Pc FACES HEARING OVER ALLEGED PUB ASSAULTS
A POLICE constable is facing a misconduct hearing following allegations she attacked the landlord and landlady of a pub. The officer, who cannot be named for legal reasons, denies using violence and misconduct at the Soar Bridge Inn, pictured, in...
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Trusted local news: in the community, for the community, we will always... DEFEND YOUR RIGHT TO KNOW.
Plans for licensed premises in your neighbourhood could be hidden from view if new government proposals for secret alcohol licensing notices get the green light.
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Blow as City star out for two months
AARON Ramsey may not play again this calendar year, with the Leicester City midfielder’s hamstring injury described as “significant”, writes Jordan Ramsey was withdrawn just after half-time during City’s 1-0 defeat to Millwall after a “pop” in his...
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PITCHFORK’S BID FOR PAROLE DENIED
COLIN Pitchfork cannot be released from prison, the Parole Board has ruled. The 65-year-old, who murdered 15-year-olds Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth in Leicestershire in 1983 and 1986, will also not be transferred to an open prison for the protection...
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JUSTICE AT LAST
A TAXI driver who raped a woman in the back of his cab 19 years ago is today starting a 12-year prison sentence. Mahbubur Rahman, pictured, thought he had got away with the 2006 attack in Loughborough after police exhausted all avenues of inquiry,...
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DRUG DEALER STABBED HIS VICTIM IN BACK BEFORE WALKING OFF
A 20-YEAR-OLD who stabbed a man in the back before walking away has been jailed. Drug dealer Hussein Elyas was caught later that night, still in possession of the knife with the victim’s blood on it.
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UNIVERSITY MAN TO GET DAMAGES OVER STEVE COOGAN RICHARD III FILM
STEVE Coogan and two production companies will pay “substantial damages” to a university officer over his portrayal in the 2022 film The Lost King about the discovery of Richard III. The defendants settled the case brought by Richard Taylor,
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TENANTS’ REPORTS OF MOULD AND DAMP SOAR
HUNDREDS of damp and mould repairs have been needed in city council-owned homes over recent years, but it is taking the authority months to deal with the problems, writes Hannah Richardson. The number of reports each year have soared from 485 in 2023...
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RUSSIAN TERROR GROUP STOOGE ACTED FROM ‘UGLY GREED’
THE architect of an arson attack on behalf of Russian terrorist organisation the Wagner Group has been jailed for 17 years. Dylan Earl, 21, below, from Elmesthorpe, was one of a group of stooges jailed for their role in setting fire to a Ukraine aid...
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RAPIST WHO LURED VICTIMS TO UK JAILED FOR 17 YEARS
A RAPIST who lured women to the UK from Uganda has been jailed for 17 years. Sentencing, Judge Steven Evans said Charles Isabirye, 48, pictured, blamed the women for his predicament and painted himself as the victim. The judge told him: “I have no...
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FOUR DENY MURDER IN ‘DRUG GANG TURF WAR’
A WOMAN was shot dead when a turf war between rival gangs turned violent, a court heard. Joanne Penney, 40, was killed after she opened the door of a flat in South Wales on March 9. Six people, including four from Leicestershire, deny murder. Cardiff...
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‘THE GLIDER PILOT STOOD NO CHANCE’
A WITNESS has described watching a glider plummet to earth after a mid-air collision, writes Dylan Hayward. Philip Dolan, 67, died when his aircraft collided with another glider, severing the tail section, shortly before 3pm on August 17, 2023, an...
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A DAZZLING DIWALI
THOUSANDS of people from across the UK descended on the Golden Mile last night for the city’s Diwali celebrations. Despite the scaled-down festivities and rain, families and friends gathered beneath the colourful and bright decorations lining Belgrave...
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DRUG USER SENT TO PRISON TELLS MAGISTRATE ‘NICE ONE, YOU’RE SAVING MY LIFE’
A DRUG user has thanked a court for sending him to prison, telling a magistrate: “Nice one, mate. You’re saving my life.” Francis McGrane, 48, was arrested for brandishing a homemade Taser outside the Flora Lodge residential home in Glenfield Road...
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A46 CRASH MURDERER BIDS TO GET SENTENCE REDUCED
A WOMAN convicted of murdering her mother’s lover and his friend in a crash on the A46 has asked the Court of Appeal for a cut in her sentence. Mahek Bukhari was jailed for a minimum of 31 years in September 2023 for her involvement in the murders of...
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THREE INJURED IN ATTACK BY A MACHETE GANG
THREE men have been stabbed, one of them seriously, in machete attack at a block of flats, writes Dylan Hayward. Police said they received a report at 7.19pm on Wednesday of men with machetes going into a building in Alexander Street, off Jarvis...
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REFORM DROPS COUNCIL TAX CUT PLEDGE
COUNCIL tax bills will rise in the county next year. Reform UK, which took control of Leicestershire County Council in May, had pledged to lower bills. However, leader Councillor Dan Harrison, right, has now said his ambition is hold next year’s...
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ROADSWEEPER DRIVER HELD AS MAN DIES FROM HIS INJURIES
A MAN was in police custody yesterday after a pensioner died in hospital from injuries suffered in a collision with a roadsweeper. Police arrested the man yesterday after the incident in Holy Bones, Leicester. The pedestrian, a man in his 80s, was...
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‘I HOPE THAT YOUR LIVES ARE FULL OF TURMOIL AND TORMENT’
THE brother of a man stabbed in the chest with a zombie knife told his teenage killer and his family: “I hope your lives are filled with turmoil and torment.” It came as the youth, aged 17, was sentenced after admitting manslaughter.
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‘A DECADE OF DELAY’
A WOMAN has been left “crying all the time” after she was allegedly not told she had lung cancer for more than a decade. By the time Leicester hospitals are said to have told Pamela Sadler about the diagnosis, the illness had progressed to the stage...
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VILLAGE HALL ‘TRICKED INTO HOSTING A RALLY FOR FAR RIGHT’
THE trustees of a village hall were shocked that what they thought was an anniversary party at the venue turned out to be a far-right rally. Trustees at Long Clawson Village Hall only discovered afterwards that a white nationalist group, called...
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REMAINS FOUND IN SEARCH FOR MISSING WOMAN
POLICE searching scrubland in the city for a woman who disappeared almost 20 years ago, have found human remains. Specialist officers made the grim discovery while searching land off Great Central Way as part of their renewed investigation into the...
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TEACHER WHO FILMED UP SCHOOLGIRLS’ SKIRTS GIVEN LIFETIME BAN
A MATHS teacher who filmed up schoolgirls’ skirts has been banned for life from classrooms. Stuart Norris used his phone to video 14 and 15-year-old girls while they were taking part in their mock GCSEs. During the police investigation, tech experts...
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