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IN THE COURTS

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Cases dealt with at Leicester Magistrates' Court include:

Bianca Ridgway (24), of Aikman Avenue, New Parks, admitted failing to comply with a police officer's direction not to return to an area within 24 hours on March 9. She was conditionally discharged for three months and ordered to pay a £15 victim surcharge and £20 costs.

Thomas Sim (31), of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to three burglaries of commercial premises in Leicester in January and stealing goods including computers and cash. He also pleaded guilty to stealing food from a shop on January 20. He was sent to prison for four months.

John Cadwallader (45), of Bartles Hollow, Ketton, pleaded not guilty to dangerous driving on the A1 slip road at Tinwell on January 11. He was convicted and ordered to carry out 120 hours unpaid work in the community. He was also ordered to pay £400 costs and banned from driving for 12 months.

Sterlin Barana (31), of London Road, Leicester, pleaded guilty to driving at 38mph in a 30mph zone on October 9. He was fined £60 with a £20 victim surcharge. Three points were endorsed on his licence.

Roger Betts (49), of Landcroft Lane, Sutton Bonington, pleaded guilty to driving at between 90 and 96mph on the M1, near Markfield, on March 9. He was fined £300 with £60 costs and ordered to pay a £30 victim surcharge. Six penalty points were put on his licence.

Selva Ariyakunarajah (40), of Warren Lane, Leicester Forest East, pleaded not guilty to driving through a red light on June 16. He was convicted. He was fined £65 with £200 costs and ordered to pay a £15 victim surcharge. He was given three penalty points.

Scott Lennon (32), of The Close, Anstey, pleaded guilty to assaulting a man on November 14. He was fined £50 with £150 costs and ordered to pay a £20 victim surcharge.


All eyes on Hot Stuff fancy dress entries

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When the stars of the hit Curve musical Hot Stuff are strutting on to the stage each night they always love to see the audience in fancy dress.

So we sent our snapper down to the Rutland Street theatre at the weekend to capture some of the best-dressed theatre-goers and last night the cast were asked to pick their favourite outfit.

Jason Denton, who plays Joe Soap in the jukebox musical, said: "We love it when the audience dresses up and it's always great for the Saturday matinee – you tend to have lots of hen parties coming with their feather boas and wearing the devil horns.

"Looking through the pictures there are lots that obviously made a big effort with their fishnets, hotpants and wigs."

Yildiz Hussein, who plays Miss Hot Stuff, said: "When we're on stage it's great when people in the audience are really getting into it and dancing and swaying their arms and are all dressed up as well."

The winner of the competition will be announced in tomorrow's Leicester Mercury and they will receive two free tickets for Curve's Christmas show, Chicago, which begins on November 29.

Hot Stuff, which premiered in Leicester at the Haymarket Theatre in 1992 and is enjoying its second run at Curve, continues until May 26.

All eyes on Hot Stuff fancy dress entries

Fears bus routes may be scrapped

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Bus routes used by hundreds of thousands of passengers a year could be scrapped if Leicester City Council chooses to stop funding.

Currently, the authority pays bus operators more than £500,000-a-year to serve 14 routes around the city.

City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby has announced a review of the routes which he says have been developed in a "haphazard" way since the 1990s.

He insisted the review was not driven by the need to save money but to take a more strategic approach.

However, he admitted the current set-up was not giving tax-payers good value for money and pointed out one service, the Centrebus 10/11 Inner Circle route, has been subsidised to the tune of £5.16 per passenger, per journey.

"At the moment we do, in effect, choose to purchase some bus services. They are the ones the operators will not run because they are not profitable.

"It is not a very efficient way of doing things.

"We have to ask if there is a better and more economical way of providing services.

"It may be at the end of the review there are fewer services.

"It could be that we can reroute some of them.

"We want to make sure we are not duplicating any services.

"As we pay for the services, we can choose what to do with them."

The council will today launch a consultation with the bus companies and passengers about the way it carries out the review, which will be followed by a public consultation at a later date.

Any changes would come into effect in the autumn.

Steve Zanker, general manager of First buses, said: "Some of these services need the subsidy but whatever the council decides we will look at them individually, at their patronage, and the demographics of the area they serve and decide whether there is a commercial case to continue them."

Passenger Simon Frost, 36, from Evington, uses the number 36 bus to get into the city centre several times a week.

He said: "It's great for me and I hope they keep it, but there are times when only one or two people take it all the way into the city centre.

"I do think they should keep these bus services though. There is a social need and no alternative means of travel without them."

Currently, £200,000 of the council's subsidy for bus travel comes from fine income generated by bus lane cameras in Charles Street and Causeway Lane.

Sir Peter said: "It is widely anticipated income from that will drop off as more people get the message about not driving in them."

Sir Peter has asked the Government for greater powers to regulate bus services in the city, as London's mayor Boris Johnson has the power to do.

As yet, he has not succeeded in gaining any concessions.

He said: "It is rather frustrating. I keep banging on the door at every opportunity."

Important digs in Leicester

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1930s: Jewry Wall. Excavations by archaeologist Dame Kathleen Kenyon. One of the two largest upstanding pieces of Roman public architecture in the country.

1973 to 1978: Austin Friars excavations. Waterlogged preservation of medieval artefacts found just west of the Soar.

1979: Norfolk Street Roman villa. A nationally important preservation of Roman wall plaster from the villa buildings.

1993: Bonners Lane, near Leicester Royal Infirmary. The first excavation to highlight the potential for archaeology in the south suburb – complete sequence of activity from Roman through to the Civil War, first evidence for Anglo-Saxon occupation from Leicester.

2000 to 2009: Leicester Abbey, Abbey Park. Early excavations in the 30s produced the abbey and church outline laid out in the city centre park. Later excavations produced a wealth of new evidence detailing kitchens, a guest house, an infirmary and a gate house.

2001: Humberstone. On the site of the Gateway College campus – near Humberstone Heights golf course. The largest Iron Age settlement in Leicestershire, and largest collection of Iron Age pottery and animal bone in the East Midlands.

2004: Highcross, former St Margaret's Baths. Discovery of the lost church of St Peters and one of the largest medieval parish cemeteries outside London.

2005: Highcross, Vine Street. One of the largest Roman townhouses excavated for the past 25 years, Roman curse tablets found.

2005: Highcross, Freeschool Lane. The only known section of a collapsed wall of a Roman public building from a town in the country. Evidence of a medieval brewery also found.

2009: Bath Lane, the former Merlin Works factory. Evidence of Iron Age coin minting, large Roman public building and medieval tanning.

2012: Greyfriars, New Street. The discovery of Richard III, the last English king to die in battle, found in a city council car park.

Important digs in Leicester

Cycling tour of country pushing Claire to limits

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Fund-raiser Claire Lomas enjoyed her first free evening last night, eight days after setting off on her cycle ride around England.

The former eventer, who was left paralysed from the waist down in a riding accident, described her latest feat – cycling 400 miles across England to visit schools – as harder than the London Marathon she walked last year in her robotic suit.

Claire, 32, of Eye Kettleby, near Melton, spent a frantic first week attending evening events, as well as cycling during the day.

She said: "It has gone really well so far. Last night was my first evening off. I didn't get any rest last week, with various events."

Claire has been joined on the trip by two-year-old daughter Maisie, who is being looked after by Claire's mum Joyce.

She said: "Maisie's loving it, she's having a great time following in the support van."

Yesterday, Claire visited St Christopher's School in Letchworth, Hertfordshire, as part of her ride.

She said: "It was a lovely school, the kids were really interested in what I'm doing and that's what keeps me going, it makes me want to go and do it more.

"It is harder than the marathon because I'm cycling, visiting places, getting in and out of the suit. I'm exhausted, but it makes me sleep well."

Claire is cycling 400 miles over three weeks, from Nottingham to London, to raise money for Spinal Research and the Nicholls Foundation through her JustTextGiving by Vodafone code LEGS60.

Anyone wishing to donate can text LEGS60 £3 to 70070.

Richard Attenborough's blessing for culture city bid

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The city's best-loved thespian, Richard Attenborough, is backing Leicester's drive to be crowned 2017 UK City of Culture.

Lord Attenborough has been unveiled by the team behind the city's bid for the title as its most high-profile supporter.

The respected actor and director grew up in Leicester with his brother, David, the renowned naturalist, and made his stage debut as a boy at the city's Little Theatre.

He has been a life-long supporter of the city's arts scene ever since.

The 89-year-old is in a frail state following a stroke in 2008, but is well enough to lend his support to Leicester's campaign to land the title.

The city is hoping to be chosen to succeed Londonderry in Northern Ireland in the competition, which is being run by the Government.

Today, Leicester and its 11 rivals submitted details of their bid in the hope of being shortlisted in June, before the winner is selected in November.

Lord Attenborough said: "I am delighted to offer my unconditional endorsement and support to Leicester's bid.

"In recent years, as the city has evolved into a huge multi-cultural centre, I have been thrilled to witness Leicester embrace and celebrate this in such an enlightened, inspired and visionary manner."

The celebrity, who has opened a Centre for Disability and the Arts here and loaned his collection of rare Picasso ceramics to be displayed in the city, said: "My experience and knowledge of Leicester's rich vein of cultural and, in particular, theatrical activity goes back over 80 years, from my first stumbling steps on the stage of the Little Theatre, through to the Phoenix, the Haymarket and now Curve."

City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby, who is chairman of the consortium behind the bid, said Lord Attenborough's support had given it considerable weight.

"We have been touched by Lord Attenborough's heartfelt support," said Sir Peter.

"He is indeed a product of this city and very proud of his association with it.

"I am confident we have a very strong bid to put in."

The consortium revealed details of some of the events and activities it would stage in 2017 if the bid is successful. They include a "Festival of Light" based on the city's existing Diwali and bonfire night celebrations, as well as a large scale re-enactment of the Richard III story to mark the discovery of the king's bones.

Geoff Rowe, Dave's Leicester Comedy Festival founder and a member of Leicester's bidding board, said a key feature of the programme would be a portable light installation which would project images onto buildings around the city, such as the National Space Centre.

Curve chief executive Fiona Allan, also on the bidding board, said the Richard III re-enactment would involve both professional actors and thousands of members of the public, and would take place over several days at a number of venues.

The bidding team has been told by the Government that it should expect to spend £10 million on a programme of events if it is successful in being named 2017 UK City of Culture.

Sir Peter said the council was prepared to underwrite the cost but said that a large amount of the funding would come from organisations such as the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Arts Council.

He said any public funds put in would be paid back "10 or 100-fold" from the tourism boost.

Richard Attenborough's blessing for culture city bid

Live traffic and travel updates for Leicester and Leicestershire

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10.28am: The A50 Groby Road in Leicester near the Darlington Road junction is clear following an accident.10.20am: All sets of traffic lights at Fosse Park are now up and running following an earlier problem. 10.00am:One lane of the A50 Groby Road in Leicester near the Darlington Road junction is blocked because of an accident9.35am: The B581 New Road in Stoney Stanton has been cleared after an accident.8.45am:A number of sets of traffic lights are out after a power cut in the Fosse Park area of Leicester. Drivers are urged to take care.8.20am: An accident on the B581 New Road in the centre of Stoney Stanton is partially blocking the road. The incident between the Sapcote Road junction and the Hinckley Road junction is causing delays through the village.8.00am: Drivers should expect delays on the A6 between the M1 at J24 and Kegworth due to the temporary lights. 745am: Drivers should expect slight delays on the M1 southbound between J21a, A46 (Leicester) and J21, M69 (Leicester)in Leicestershire. The average speed for drivers is 25 mph. Expect five minute delays.For more local and national travel information and weather updates see the links below:MOTORWAY UPDATES: For traffic updates on UK motorways and other key roads - CLICK HERE.LIVE CAMERAS: Check the M1 through Leicestershire with our live traffic cameras - CLICK HERE.NATIONAL RAIL: For live UK train updates - CLICK HERE. FLIGHT INFORMATION: For East Midlands Airport visit: CLICK HERE.WEATHER: See the latest five-day weather report at: www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/weather.CONTACT NEWSDESK: Send us your news and pictures. Tweet us @thisisleics or email newsdesk@leicestermercury.co.uk

Live traffic and travel updates for Leicester and Leicestershire

Jury told carer murdered ex-boxer Shaun Cummins and chopped his body into pieces

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A carer murdered ex-boxer Shaun Cummins, before chopping his body into 10 pieces and hiding them in two freezers, a jury heard. Thomas Dunkley, who denies the killing, then went on a spending spree "without a care in the world" using the alleged victim's money, it was claimed. He was said to have raided Mr Cummins' bank accounts and trust fund of more than £25,000. The dismembered and disembowelled remains were discovered by police at Mr Cummins' bungalow in Marriott Road, Saffron Lane, Leicester, on September 12. He was last seen alive by two community nurses on September 1. Leicester Crown Court was told that at about the time of the alleged murder, Dunkley (29) used Mr Cummins' laptop to carry out internet searches about death. Questions he sought answers for included: "How long does it take to bleed to death from a stab wound" and "What's the fastest way for a human to bleed to death?" Opening the prosecution case at Leicester Crown Court today, William Harbage QC told the jury: "It's a rather gruesome case and some aspects are unpleasant and shocking. "Mr Cummins was 45 when he died. "In his younger days he'd been a professional boxer of real talent at a national level and was known as The Governor." A motorbike accident in 2004 left him paralysed from the waist down and virtually bed-ridden. Shortly before his death £44,000 remained in his trust fund. Mr Harbage told the court: "He (Dunkley)admits dismembering the body but denies killing him. "The prosecution say, having killed Shaun Cummins he left the body where it was for a few days. "It started to decompose and smell. "Dunkley embarked on a plan to try and cover up what he'd done in a callous and deliberate way." Using the ex-boxer's money, he went out and bought a chainsaw, gloves, overalls, a mask and goggles. He also obtained a bin incinerator, which was used to burn evidence, it was claimed. Mr Harbage said: "He set about the grizzly task of dismembering the body. "The parts were wrapped in bin liners and sealed with duct tape and placed in a freezer, until he worked out how to get rid of it." There was not enough room in the freezer – so Dunkley went out to a Comet store to buy another. Mr Harbage asked the jury: "Who does that? "Who goes to those extremes, unless he's responsible for the killing." He said because the body had partly decomposed prior to freezing it was not possible for the pathologist who carried out a post-mortem to determine the cause of death. Mr Harbage said: "The prosecution cannot say exactly how Dunkley killed the deceased. "Having murdered him, the defendant went on a spending spree using Mr Cummins' bank cards to obtain money from cash machines and buy items. "He took over £10,000 and transferred £15,000 from a trust fund." Dunkley met the ex-boxer through a mutual friend, David Pratt, who runs the Leicester Railwaymen's Amateur Boxing Club. Mr Pratt was a trustee and signatory for Mr Cummins' trust fund. The alleged victim, because of his disability and bed sores, had daily visits from community nursing staff. In the last two years of Mr Cummins' life, Dunkley became his full-time carer on an informal basis. Dunkley gave up his job to look after Mr Cummins. Mr Harbage said: "The nature of the relationship between the two was rather curious. "It appears no payment was made to the defendant in such tasks as personal care and companionship. "He may have hoped there would be financial recompense in the end, either as a direct payment or profit from a business venture Mr Cummins was embarking on." Dunkley fell into debt, owing about £16,500. The defendant ensured the ex-boxer's medication was taken and he would go shopping for him and help him with banking transactions and often stayed the night. Mr Harbage said: "Dunkley was Mr Cummins' only regular companion and it wasn't an easy task. "Despite his physical disabilities he was strong-willed and seemed bitter about the consequences of his motorbike accident. "It's clear to some extent Shaun Cummins took advantage of the defendant. "The defendant felt bullied. "He told David Pratt he was getting away from Shaun Cummins because he'd wrecked his life over the last couple of years. "It could be a motive, to be free of Mr Cummins. "Another possible motive may be financial to get his money." The community nurses who visited noted the invalid had good and bad days. On August 8, he was given medication for a urinary infection. On August 30 and 31, nurses noted he "was not his normal self." However there did not appear any cause for concern. Two nurses last saw him at his home on 11.25 am on September 1. Mr Harbage said: "He wasn't seen alive by anyone other than the defendant after that visit. "That the defendant murdered Mr Cummins we can say we have no doubt. "It's likely he was killed on September 1 or 2. "On September 2 the defendant intercepted two nurses outside the property and said Mr Cummins had been admitted to hospital. "It was a lie and the most obvious explanation was Shaun Cummins was already dead and it was told to prevent discovery. "The nurses had no reason to disbelieve him and asked him to let them know when Mr Cummins was discharged." Dunkley, of no fixed address, denies murder between September 1 and 9. He denies theft of Mr Cummins credit card or taking out a payday loan in his name, prior to the death. He admits preventing the lawful burial of the body and four counts of fraud by using Mr Cummins' bank accounts and cheques from his trust fund, after his death. Mr Cummins retired from boxing in 1995 with a record of 22 wins, six defeats and a draw. The trial continues.

Jury told carer murdered ex-boxer Shaun Cummins and chopped his body into pieces


Richard Cockerill expects Tom Youngs to be among six or seven Leicester Tigers players in Lions squad

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Richard Cockerill says he will be amazed if hooker Tom Youngs is not one of "six or seven" Leicester Tigers players named in today's British & Irish Lions squad for the tour of Australia.

The 26-year-old has had an amazing season, having secured a starting shirt with both club and country.

Youngs will be up against some serious competition for a place in Warren Gatland's 38-man squad for the three-Test series Down Under. But Tigers director of rugby Cockerill believes his man is a perfect fit for a tour that will largely be played on hard, fast surfaces.

"Tom has done things in this one season that blokes haven't done in 15-year careers," said Cockerill.

"The jammy devil has timed it well, hasn't he, in a Lions year!

"Tom is perfect for the Lions and I would be amazed if he doesn't get picked.

"Who would you pick in front of him? Of all of the hookers in Great Britain, who is playing better than Tom Youngs?

"Week in, week out, at Test and club level, Tom has been very good.

"He is very mobile and very powerful carrying the ball and, technically, he is very good in the set-piece.

"There will be three hookers going on tour and he has to be one of them."

Although Gatland's squad is expected to be dominated by Welshman, with up to 15 members of their squad likely to make the cut, Leicester could provide the biggest contingent from any club with Youngs, Dan Cole, Geoff Parling, Ben Youngs, Tom Croft and Manu Tuilagi all with a good shout of selection, and Toby Flood an outside bet.

Only Leinster and the Ospreys have a realistic chance of matching those sorts of numbers.

That would mean some of the Tigers' biggest names not being involved in preparation for the 2013-14 season until one month before the season gets under way following statutory post-Lions R&R.

But Cockerill said that is a hit that he is willing to take if it means the club gains the kudos of having so many people involved in the tour, and added: "Potentially, we could have six or seven players on the Lions tour who we would get back on, or around, August 5.

"So that is the date that our season will start properly with only a few weeks to go until we begin the Premiership campaign.

"There's no point in moaning about it. You just have to be patient and you cannot bring those players back too early or they would be struggling come January time.

"And to have six or seven players in the Lions squad would be a great accolade for the club. I hope they all get picked."

Richard Cockerill expects Tom Youngs to be among six or seven Leicester Tigers players in Lions squad

Kasper Schmeichel: 'I am very happy at Leicester City'

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Kasper Schmeichel's form for Leicester City this season has prompted speculation that he could be on the radar of some Premier League clubs.

The Denmark international goalkeeper was named in the PFA Championship team of the season on Sunday, voted for by his fellow professionals, along with team-mate Wes Morgan.

Schmeichel said he has been pleased with his own form this season. And although the 26-year-old will be entering the final year of his contract next season, he insists he is enjoying life at the King Power Stadium.

"I don't pay any attention to speculation," he said. "I have another year on my contract and I am very happy here. I like being here. The club has been very good to me and the fans have been great to me.

"I genuinely enjoy coming into training every day. We have a great training facility and good coaches who make the day enjoyable. They make sure we work hard but with a smile on our face.

"I genuinely do drive to training every day very happy."

Defeat to Watford on Friday has left City's play-off hopes hanging by the thinnest of threads and Schmeichel admits this season has been a rollercoaster ride.

"Emotionally, it has been very up and down," he said. "The first half of the season we played very well and the second half we haven't really been able to get things going in the same gear as we did before.

"Personally, I am happy enough with my form. For me, being a goalkeeper is about being consistent and I feel I have played very consistently this season."

Schmeichel admits if City do fail to make the play-offs it will come as a crushing blow to everyone at the club.

"There is no secret we have been going for promotion this season," he said. "The Championship is a difficult league but we should have done better than we have done."

Championship team of the season: Kaspar Schmeichel (City), Kieran Trippier (Burnley), Wes Morgan (City), Mark Hudson (Cardiff), Wayne Bridge (Brighton), Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace), Thomas Ince (Blackpool), Peter Whittingham (Cardiff), Yannick Bolasie (Crystal Palace), Glenn Murray (Crystal Palace), Matej Vydra (Watford).

Kasper Schmeichel: 'I am very happy at Leicester City'

Legal test for burial of Richard III

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The legal process of challenging the University of Leicester's exhumation licence linked to the remains of Richard III is expected to begin this week.

A group of individuals calling themselves the Plantagenet Alliance has sought legal advice aimed at quashing the Ministry of Justice certificate obtained by university archaeologists last year.

The exhumation licence gives the university the power to reinter the bones wherever it chooses – which will be Leicester Cathedral.

The Alliance's ultimate aim is to have the remains of Richard III taken to York and reinterred at York Minster.

However, they must first convince the High Court, in London, that the case should be heard.

Matthew Howarth, partner and head of commercial litigation at Gordons, which is acting on behalf of the Plantagenet Alliance, said: "I expect that we will not get a decision at this permission stage for several weeks."

A spokesman for the University of Leicester said it did not recognise that Richard III had any living descendents and therefore refuted the claim.

Legal test for burial of Richard III

Brook in the clear after mystery pollution alert

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Environmental experts were called in when pollution was spotted in a brook.

The Environment Agency and Severn Trent Water sent out teams after a man having lunch at a nearby pub noticed a "milky" discolouration in Whetstone Brook on Sunday afternoon.

The source of the pollutant was traced to a storm drain near the junction of Dog and Gun Lane and Cambridge Road, and a team from Severn Trent Water pumped it clear.

Officials from the Environment Agency have tested the oxygenation levels of the water and have found it to be fine.

An Environment Agency spokesman said: "We don't know what this pollutant was but it has not affected the oxygenation levels, so that is good. We have not got any dead fish on our hands."

Richard Macefield raised the alarm as he enjoyed lunch with his family at the Kaffir Inn along Cambridge Road.

The 46-year-old father-of-one, from Evington, said: "The children crossed a small bridge over the brook at the back of the pub to get to a playground.

"I walked over and saw the water was a milky colour. It looked like someone had poured millions of gallons of milk into the brook. I have no idea what it was but it did not look good, so I called the water company."

A spokeswoman for Severn Trent Water said the storm drains were not connected to the domestic sewage system. She said: "The Environment Agency will carry out an analysis to establish just what it was which affected a small stretch of the brook.

"We are assisting them with inquiries with local businesses to try to find out where it came from and how it got into our system.

"Our aim is to try to prevent a repeat of this pollution."

Brook in the clear after mystery pollution alert

Now look what they've found under a car park

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Archaeologists have discovered a 1,700-year-old cemetery in the city – beneath another car park.

The University of Leicester hit the headlines last year when it unearthed the remains of King Richard III which were buried under a city council car park.

Now, archaeologists from the university have identified 13 sets of remains, thought to date back to about 300AD, at a car park in Oxford Street, near the Magazine.

The site is believed to be a Roman burial ground and includes a number of personal items, such as rings, hairpins, belt buckles and remains of shoes.

Project officer John Thomas said the site was significant because the team had found both Christian and Pagan graves.

"We were surprised by this," he said. "It's quite a juxtaposition of traditions, so it may be that we've found an area of a cemetery where they mixed religious beliefs."

The cemetery, which held the bodies of men and women of varying ages, lies outside the boundary of the old Roman town, as Christian burials were not permitted inside the walls.

Among the finds was the skeleton os a young person with a ring with a Christian symbol etched into it.

Close by was another body, which had the head taken from the shoulders and placed by the feet.

"The head had been removed, and it was one of two bodies which had been buried facing north to south," said John.

"All Christian burials were buried facing east and nicely ordered.

"The polished jet ring we found on one of the skeletons had the letters IX (Iota Chi) inscribed – which represent the initials of Jesus Christ in Greek.

"We're just waiting for it to be authenticated. The same skeleton had an iron ring on."

The project was first conceived in about 2006, after maps of the area were studied and the site was identified as being of interest.

Now, developers are planning to build student flats on the site and John and the team have had to carry out the work before it was too late.

The applicants, Thomas May & Co, plan to build 353 student flats on the car park, as well as demolish existing buildings.

John said: "We excavated three areas, we had to carry out the dig now because the area is under threat of development."

Oxford Street would have been the main route into Roman Leicester from the south, said John.

The team of four from the university also found a number of medieval artefacts and a 17th century civil war trench – used to defend the town.

"It all helps to flesh out the picture of Leicester through the years," said John.

Now look what they've  found under a car park

Two people cut free from wreckage after crash in Leicester city centre

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Firefighters had to cut two people free from the wreckage of their vehicle after a two-car crash on Leicester's inner ring road last night. Four fire crews battled for an hour to release the front seat passenger of one of the cars at the accident which happened at the junction of Highcross Street and Vaughan Way at about 9.08pm. A back seat passenger in the same vehicle had been released after half an hour. Both injured people were taken to Leicester Royal Infirmary. Two other people injured in the incident were treated at the scene by paramedics. Highways Agency staff cleared the road of 40 litres of fuel, oil and coolant.

Two people cut free from wreckage after crash  in Leicester city centre

Double joy at awards night for Leicester City captain Wes Morgan

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Wes Morgan was crowned Leicester City's Players' Player and Player of the Year last night at the club's end-of-season awards presentation.

He was voted by his City team-mates as the Players' Player and won an online poll by the fans for the Players Player.

It capped an excellent season for club captain Morgan, who was also named in the PFA Championship Team of the Year on Sunday night.

Frenchman Anthony Knockaert also picked up two awards. He was named the Young Player of the Year, and his sublime goal at Huddersfield, when he back-heeled Paul Konchesky's cross over his own head to score City's second goal, was voted the goal of the season.

City's 3-2 home win against Bolton was voted by manager Nigel Pearson and his staff as the performance of the season, while goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel was recognised with the Champagne Moment for his game-changing save in the 3-0 win against Blackburn in February.

Midfielder Michael Cain's promising displays for the club's Under-18s and table-topping Under-21 side gave him the edge in a close race for the Academy Player of the Year honour, with forwards Harry Panayiotou and Joe Dodoo also in the running.

Double joy at awards night for Leicester City captain Wes Morgan


£3.5m revamp nears end

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The finishing touches are due to be made this weekend to a £3.5 million revamp of a city centre street.

The second phase of the project to improve Humberstone Gate East is expected to be completed.

The redevelopment scheme aims to reduce congestion along the road and improve the area for pedestrians, bus passengers and cyclists.

The works had been due to be complete by Easter but the freezing weather meant the asphalt surface could not be applied. Resurfacing work at the junction of Charles Street and Humberstone Gate East will be the last phase of the project, to be carried out from Saturday to Monday.

Business leaders have welcomed the finishing of the project.

Peter Wilkinson, chairman of the Leicester City Centre Forum, said: "It is great to see the place looking better for this redevelopment.

"I am pleased that the council is able to invest in the public infrastructure to make visiting and shopping in this part of town a more enjoyable experience."

The scheme includes a new road layout and bus stops for easier access to the east of the city, along with better crossing points for pedestrians, separate bus stop and kerbside loading areas, and environmental improvements.

This means the junction of Charles Street and Humberstone Gate East will be closed during those days, with traffic diversions and temporary traffic changes in place in the surrounding streets.

The one-way traffic order in Clarence Street, between Humberstone Gate East and Lee Street, will be suspended while the one-way order on St James Street, between Humberstone Gate East and Lee Street will be temporarily reversed.

Waiting and loading restrictions will also be in place on parts of Yeoman Street, Belgrave Gate, Gravel Street and Humberstone Gate East.

The project, which is partly funded by the European Regional Development Fund, has been carried out along a section of Humberstone Gate East from its junction with Charles Street to the junction with Wharf Street/Rutland Street.

Martin Traynor, chief executive of Leicestershire Chamber of Commerce, said: "This initiative represents very valuable investment in the city.

"It will help establish Leicester as a real shopping and tourist destination. All this can only bolster our bid to be the City of Culture."

The works at the weekend will also affect some bus services and bus stops.

For more information on the temporary bus changes, go to:

www.leicester.gov.uk/ publictransport

£3.5m revamp nears end

Future of heart surgery unit could lie in report

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The future of children's heart surgery at Glenfield Hospital could lie in a report given to Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt yesterday.

Campaigners fighting to save the Leicester service described completion of the report by the Government's Independent Reconfiguration Panel (IRP) as a "significant step".

They are hoping the findings will secure the future of children's heart surgery at Glenfield Hospital.

It follows the decision by an NHS review, known as Safe and Sustainable, in July, to cut the number of hospitals offering surgery for children with heart problems from 11 to seven.

The Glenfield service was one earmarked for closure but last year Mr Hunt asked the IRP to review the decision.

Robyn Lotto, from Stoneygate, who helped collect petition signatures and questionnaires in response to a public consultation, said: "The IRP gave us the first real chance to be heard, and for that we are really grateful.

"We must now wait to see how views have been portrayed in its report and what the Secretary of State for Health does with it. I hope he moves quickly and ends this terrible uncertainty."

A spokesman for the IRP, headed by Lord Ribeiro, said the panel had more than 25 days of evidence gathering from individuals and organisations.

He said: "The IRP visited all 10 sites providing services for children with congenital heart disease and three cardiology centres in Manchester, Cardiff and Oxford."

However, it is not yet known when Mr Hunt will make a decision on the findings.

A spokesman for the Department of Health said: "The Health Secretary will consider this report in detail and make a decision in due course."

There is also uncertainty about a decision by NHS England to challenge a High Court decision in a case brought by campaigners in Leeds.

Eric Charlesworth, from the former health watchdogs, the Leicester and Leicestershire local involvement networks, said: "Completion of the IRP report is a significant step as far as we are concerned.

"The panel did listen and, on the basis of the quality and depth of questions, it will be interesting to see the outcome."

Dr Aidan Bolger, a consultant cardiologist at Glenfield Hospital, said: "The panel members appeared to listen carefully to concerns about a number of details, seemingly overlooked in the original review.

"This included the lack of a meaningful measure of quality, such as the latest mortality data, which shows we have one of the lowest mortality rates in the country, the latest population estimates which show our closure would leave the Midlands woefully short of clinical capacity, and warnings from international experts that in dismantling our leading Ecmo – extra corporeal membrane oxygenation – service and trying to create a new one elsewhere, mortality is likely to increase.

"Throughout this process our priority has been to provide excellent care to patients and families and that will continue as we all now await the decision of the Health Secretary."

Future of heart surgery unit could lie in report

Salute to heroes of 617 Squadron

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Air force veterans are planning a memorial service to honour the men who died carrying out the most audacious bombing raid of them all.

This year marks 70 years since the Dambusters raid, which famously saw Barnes Wallis's "bouncing bomb" breach two dams in Nazi Germany's industrial heartland.

Fifty-three airmen from 617 Squadron lost their lives in Operation Chastise, on the night of May 16, 1943.

Members of the Leicester branch of the Royal Air Forces Association are now planning a wreath-laying service to commemorate their sacrifice.

It is being organised by ex-RAF policeman and branch secretary Roy Rudham, who wants the occasion to also remember a Leicestershire airman whose administrative skills made the raid possible.

"Our intention is to hold a service in Victoria Park, by the war memorial, on May 15, the day before the raid," said Roy, 70, of Clarendon Park.

"As far as I am aware, it will be the first memorial of its kind in Leicester for the airmen of 617 Squadron who took part.

"We feel younger generations need to be aware of the sacrifice of these airmen, and thousands of others, who gave their lives to help preserve the freedoms we all enjoy today. They had to fly at night, 60ft off the ground and skimming the trees, all the way to Germany – and with the biggest bombs known at the time beneath them.

"They faced a huge amount of flak from the defenders. I really think their actions were as heroic as portrayed in the famous Dam Busters film."

Roy said RAFA veterans would also be remembering the late Harry Humphries, who served as Wing Commander Guy Gibson's adjutant.

"Harry, you could say, was the organisational brain, in logistical terms, behind the operation, certainly in the final hours of preparation," said Roy "When appointed by Gibson, he had just 48 hours to make all the essential arrangements for the aircrew.

"His role included everything from organising flying rations to getting them to the right aircraft in time.

"It also included sending telegrams to the families of the men who didn't return."

Harry, who died in 2008, aged 92, worked as a sales manager at Parker Shoes, Leicester, both before and after the war.

In his own account of the raid – Living With Heroes – published in 2001, he described how elation back at 617 Squadron's base at RAF Scampton, Lincs, soon turned to dismay as the scale of the losses became clear.

He wrote: "I returned to the mess in a daze.

"I had to send 56 telegrams to next of kin."

When Parker Shoes was taken over by the British Shoe Corporation, Harry retired to the village of Weybourne, in Norfolk, where he spent the last 30 years of his life.

Roy wants to trace Harry's surviving family and relatives so he can invite them to join veterans at the Victoria Park memorial service.

"I'm not sure if Harry's widow, Ethel, is still with us," he said. "If she is, I imagine she would be quite elderly.

"However, his son, Peter, and daughters, Pat and Pauline, would be similar ages to us.

"We would love for them to be our guests, or indeed some of Harry's grandchildren or great grandchildren if we can get a message to them."

The veterans are hopeful that serving airman with 617 Squadron, now based atRAF Lossiemouth, Scotland, will also be able to join them at the service.

Salute to heroes of 617  Squadron

Cycling: Next stop Shanghai as Garner eyes big chance

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It is only 12 months ago that Lucy Garner was preparing to tackle the national junior road race in South Wales.

Victory there gave her the first leg of a stunning triple crown as she went on to add the European and world crowns.

But just how much her cycling world has been transformed can be gauged by her next port of call.

On Sunday, the 18-year-old from Cosby leaves her base in the Netherlands with three of her Team Argos-Shimano colleagues, Amy Pieters, Willeke Knol and Janneke Busser, for a stint of racing in Shanghai.

The riders face a three-day race at Chongming Island, starting a week today, before completing the trip with the latest World Cup round at the same venue.

The team was dealt a blow last week with the loss to injury of star sprinter Kirsten Wild, but Garner, pictured, remains undaunted.

"It will be hard because there are only four of us going now," she said.

"I don't think the courses will be really hard, not that hilly, so it gives us all a chance to get a result. It is all experience. I'm sure the racing will be fine.

"I don't know how things like jet-lag and different food might affect how we go, but I am really looking forward to it.

"We would have been working for Kirsten because she is our strongest sprinter. But her not being there opens doors for the rest of us, if we get the chance."

The Mercury's Young Sportswoman of 2011 and 2012 will travel in good heart.

The former Leicestershire Road Club rider has had a quiet spell since finishing sixth in the Dwars door de Westhoek race in Belgium 10 days ago.

However, fourth place in a training race at Amersfoort at the weekend shows the Great Britain Academy star remains in good order.

She was certainly in decent company in a fast race as her boyfriend, Lars van der Haar, who rides professionally for the Rabobank Development squad, was second.

Welland Valley's defending super veteran champion Vic Barnett rode to victory in the second round of British Cycling's national mountain bike cross-country series in Cornwall.

Following on from his first-round victory, Barnett crossed the line two minutes ahead of his nearest rival after four laps of the 5.6km course at Redruth.

With large sections of single track, overtaking proved difficult anywhere apart from the finishing straight.

For the first two laps, Barnett and eventual second-placed rider John Lloyd (mtb-marathon co.uk) could not be split, until the county man attacked on a steep climb to forge a gap.

The Welland Valley stalwart then attacked on every climb as he countered Lloyd's ability on the technical descents and secured a convincing win.

Win number nine of the season came for Matt Bottrill on familiar territory at Six Hills as he won the VTTA 25-mile time-trial.

The Drag2zero man clocked 49min 53sec to beat Pedal Power's Adam Gascoigne (53.52). James Perkins, riding for Zenith-Buzz Cycles, was third on 54.06, with Matt Sinclair (Lutterworth Cycle Centre) fourth in 54.14.

Cycling: Next stop Shanghai as Garner eyes big chance

Leicester City's player of the year Wes Morgan focuses on final fling

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Leicester City captain Wes Morgan said clinching a place in the play-offs would be the ultimate accolade after picking up two awards at the club's end-of-season awards night.

The defender picked up the Players' Player of the Year award, which was voted for by his team-mates, who picked him ahead of Paul Konchesky and Kasper Schmeichel.

Morgan also won the Player of the Year award, voted for by supporters who had Schmeichel and Michael Keane as runners-up.

But while Morgan, pictured, said it was an honour to receive the recognition for his performances, he said his sights were fixed on Saturday's crunch clash with his former club Nottingham Forest.

City must win and hope results elsewhere go their way to break into the play-offs, but Morgan believes anything is possible and said: "It's nice to receive personal recognition, but it's a team effort and we're still working hard to achieve what we want to achieve this season.

"We're not exactly where we want to be, but it's not over yet, so we'll keep fighting.

"Stranger things have happened in football, but we've got to go out and do our own job first and foremost, and then see what happens. We owe it to ourselves and to the fans to give it everything we've got and, hopefully, we'll get a bit of luck from elsewhere along the way."

Schmeichel lost out in both the Player of the Year awards but, along with Morgan, was named in the PFA Championship Team of the Year on Sunday night.

Schmeichel did not leave the City presentation empty-handed, as he picked up the Champagne Moment of the Season award for his amazing save in the victory against Blackburn in February, when he changed direction in mid-air to palm away Morten Gamst Pedersen's deflected shot.

"It happened at 0-0, at an important time of the game, and we went on to win," said Schmeichel.

"It is one of the best saves I have made, definitely."

Frenchman Anthony Knockaert picked up two awards. He was named the Young Player of the Year, and his sublime strike at Huddersfield, when he back-heeled Paul Konchesky's cross over his own head to score City's second goal, was voted the goal of the season.

Jeff Schlupp picked up the Performance of the Year award on behalf of the team for the 3-2 home victory against Bolton, which was picked out by manager Nigel Pearson and his staff as their best of the campaign.

Midfielder Michael Cain was named Academy Player of the Year, finishing just ahead of team-mates Harry Panayiotou and Joe Dodoo.

Leicester City's player of the year Wes Morgan focuses on final fling

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