With less than a month until the grand finals, the pressure is mounting for X Factor hopeful Sam Bailey.

This weekend will see the seventh live show in the competition and tonight 36-year-old Sam will be singing Bleeding Love, by Leona Lewis.

The mother-of-two, from Leicester Forest East, said: "It's really, really tough this week. It is a big one, the pressure's on.

"I am nervous, I'm not going to lie, but I'm looking forward to going out there and singing such a big song."

With the theme this week being 10th anniversary, the contestants are celebrating a decade of The X Factor.

As such, each hopeful is singing a song by a finalist from a previous series.

"I wanted to do a Leona Lewis song – I'd said it before I found out," said Sam.

"She's another one of my idols and I'm singing one of her songs, it's mind-blowing.

"It is a great opportunity and an honour to sing a Leona Lewis song."

During the week, Leona visited the X Factor house in London to meet Sam before her performance.

"I got to meet her and she gave me a few tips," said Sam.

"She told me to put the emotion into the song, to strip it back.

"I like to belt songs out, so it will be a challenge."

Last year, Sam took her eight-year-old daughter Brooke to see a Leona Lewis concert in Nottingham.

Sam said: "I'm singing this one for my little girl – I just want to do her proud."

This weekend, members of the Leicester City squad will be travelling to London to support Sam during the results show.

Foxes players Jeff Schlupp, David Nugent, Andy King and Paul Konchesky will be in the crowd rooting for Sam tomorrow.

Sam said: "I'm so excited for the footy lads to come down.

"They are my idols – I can't wait. I'm going to be star struck to hell."

Her husband, Craig Pearson, 40, said that he hoped Sam would "steal the show" this weekend.

He said: "Sam has told me this is probably going to be the hardest song she will sing in the competition but, touch wood, she will do great again.

"The pressure is heating up for Sam and I think it is worrying her.

"We just need everyone to keep voting – it's keeping Sam's dreams alive.

"We really appreciate all of the support she is getting, we can't thank people enough."

To see Sam perform, watch ITV tonight and tomorrow, at 8pm.

A woman who drove off after running over a 22-month old toddler on a pedestrian crossing has been jailed.

The girl's mother watched in horror as the infant was flung into the air when Parvinder Biring jumped a red light in Belgrave Gate, in Leicester's city centre.

The toddler was walking in front of her mum, who was pushing another child in a buggy, when the collision happened at 1pm on May 13.

Leicester Crown Court was told the youngster suffered a severely fractured leg, requiring surgery, as well as cuts and bruising.

Biring (38), of Canon Street, Belgrave, Leicester, initially braked after the incident, but then drove away. A bus driver witness followed and forced her to stop on nearby Burleys Way and called the police.

Biring, who pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, was jailed for five months.

Michael Waterfield, prosecuting, said Biring was driving towards the city in the offside third lane in Belgrave Gate, near St Mark's Street, approaching the roundabout at Burleys Way flyover.

Two vehicles in the nearside lanes had stopped for a red light at the crossing. Biring approached alongside them, but failed to stop.

Judge Robert Brown said: "The young mother was proceeding to cross with a child in a buggy and the 22-month-old child walking just in front.

"The child had crossed two lanes by the time of the collision and was crossing the third lane when your vehicle hit her, throwing her into the air on impact. This isn't a case of a child running out unexpectedly. She landed in the road.

"Other vehicles were stationary and you failed to stop. It wasn't a changing light, it was clearly red. You braked momentarily and drove off, followed by another driver who was concerned you had no intention to stop – and I think he was right.

"You denied, when stopped, you'd hit anyone, but later told the truth saying you hadn't seen the child and there was a loud bang.

"This was a serious error of judgement in your driving which could easily have resulted in a death."

He banned Biring from driving for two years.

Balraj Bhatia, mitigating, urged the judge to pass a merciful sentence, saying: "She's saying daily prayers for the child and, thankfully, the little girl is making a full recovery."

He said Biring was a nervous, occasional and inexperienced driver who was showing visitors from London their route back to the M1 motorway.

Mr Bhatia said: "She was the lead car in a convoy and was concentrating on the rear view mirror to ensure they were following. That's why she didn't see the red lights.

"When she struck the child she panicked and failed to stop, not borne out of callousness, but because she was petrified."

She went to the police station to inquire after the child and to take a teddy bear.

He said: "Since the accident she has refused to drive and doesn't intend to ever drive again. She's never done anything wrong in her life, not even had a parking ticket.

"She's a vulnerable, timid, petrified woman who couldn't show any more remorse than if she wrote it on a placard and held it up every day of her life."

The court heard that Biring, who has been married for 15 years, adores children but is unable to have a child of her own.

She and her husband have made arrangements to adopt a baby in India next spring.

Leicester City striker David Nugent is expecting a frosty reception from the Ipswich fans this afternoon but says he revels in the role of pantomime villain.

Nugent is infamous at Portman Road because of his incredible goalscoring record against the Tractor Boys.

The 28-year-old has scored 11 times in 11 games against Ipswich, and has netted on every occasion he has played at Portman Road.

In five visits with Preston, Portsmouth and Leicester he has scored six goals in total, and has even scored there for England Under-21s.

Nugent takes the boos as a compliment and is relishing the opportunity to continue his goalscoring streak.

"Every time I go there I seem to score," said Nugent. "I get booed and that gees me on. I seem to wind the crowd up a little bit and it gets my game going when the fans get on my back. I like to try to punish them.

"The more they boo me the better I play, it seems. I enjoy that pantomime villain act and it seems to work for me.

"It is a compliment because they must think I am one of the best players in the side.

"You could say they are one of my favourite teams to play against. I made my debut for Preston at home against them and scored, and it has kicked on from there. I have always scored at Ipswich and I scored there for England Under-21s too. It is weird."

Nugent had a day to forget against Nottingham Forest in City's last fixture and missed a second-half penalty, the first spot-kick failure of his career.

But he said he will not hesitate to put the ball on the spot today if City are given another penalty.

"The penalty miss bothered me but I am over it now," he said.

"It is never nice to miss a penalty and it is the first I have missed in my career.

"I only started taking them this season, but I have scored six so that isn't too bad.

"Hopefully, I can get another one and put it away."

Meanwhile, Ipswich boss Mick McCarthy has said he could be slapped "with a wet copy of the Radio Times" if City do not line up as he expects this afternoon.

McCarthy is convinced City will retain their 4-4-2 formation, despite losing winger Anthony Knockaert to suspension.

Many expect City boss Nigel Pearson to opt for a three-man midfield, with either Dean Hammond or Matty James coming into the starting line-up, but not McCarthy.

"Leicester are coming here and will be 4-4-2," he said. "If they don't, then you can slap me with a wet copy of the Radio Times.

"I think Leicester are the best team in the league. If anyone else beats them this season in the league, then they'll have done very well."

Leicester City have to get back to business at Ipswich today and look to start another unbeaten, manager Nigel Pearson has said.

City return after the international break with a trip to Portman Road hoping to bounce back from their home defeat to Nottingham Forest in their last game.

City boss Pearson said the players were refreshed and confident after the break, and determined to repeat their achievement following the previous international breaks when they returned with victories.

"The games we have lost so far this season, we have played worse and won," said Pearson.

"We have to keep things in perspective. We have made a positive start.

"The players are in a very positive frame of mind. We look forward to this game.

"The mind-set of players has helped us bounce back before. We have seen that during the season. They should take a lot of credit for that.

"We will have tricky spells during the season. We are looking to get back to business."

Pearson knows his side face one of their toughest tests so far this season at Portman Road against a typically spirited and committed Mick McCarthy side.

"When you look at them as a side now, Mick has stamped his identity on them," said Pearson.

"They are a very hard-working side. They are a typical Championship side who have good individuals, but it is the collective which is the strength of them.

"You have to have that collective spirit and I don't think I have ever seen one of Mick's sides that doesn't have that as one of its main ingredients. We have to be spot on."

City are without Ritchie De Laet, Sean St Ledger and Tom Hopper through injury, and winger Anthony Knockaert will miss the game through suspension.

Pearson has been able to name an unsettled side for most of the campaign but Knockaert's absence means he may have to change the formation, as he has no obvious straight replacement.

But Pearson has no concerns that any formation changes will present a problem for his players.

"We have had a pretty settled side this season," he said.

"We have done very well so far this season, but it is important we go into the game with the right mentality and the players who are selected execute the game-plan."

A handyman snapped and punched a colleague, breaking his jaw, because he blamed him for letting his paint brushes dry out, a court heard.

James McDermott (57) admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm at the Charnwood Arms pub, in Bardon, on February 27.

He was given a 13-month jail sentence, suspended for two years, and ordered to do 120 hours of unpaid work.

At Leicester Crown Court, Judge Michael Pert QC said: "He lost his temper because a workmate let the paint brushes dry out and thumped him in the face, breaking his jaw."

He told McDermott, of Northfield Drive, Coalville: "You know what you did was wrong."

Richard Holloway, mitigating, said McDermott was a hard-working man, who was sorry for his actions.

He said: "The reason why it happened was because he's suffered from anxiety for the last five years and is now on medication for depression.

"He just snapped.

"There's no excuses for what he did."

A former soldier is cycling from Leicester to south Wales to help raise money to fly home a former comrade who is in a coma after a motorcycle accident in Thailand.

Kevin Stanton set off from the Clock Tower in Leicester city centre yesterday to raise money to help Stuart Kyffin.

Stuart, a former soldier with the 2nd battalion the Royal Anglian Regiment who also spent 10 years in the SAS, suffered severe head injuries in the crash on October 4 and doctors have told his family he may only have weeks to live.

His brother, David, who lived in Markfield, has organised a public appeal to raise £100,000 to bring the 43-year-old home.

Yesterday, the appeal total stood at more than £58,000.

Kevin, 50, from Netherhall, said: "I served in the Army with both Stu and David and this is the least I can do.

"I did a tour of Northern Ireland with Stu and he was the bloke you wanted in your corner in a tight spot.

"I was best man at Dave's wedding and I want to keep his appeal in the spotlight and help him get his brother home.

"I hope people see me and wonder what I am doing, then donate to help Stu."

Kevin, who works at a printing company, plans to make the 140-mile trip in two days.

He said: "It's going to be hard work but it will be worth it if I manage to raise funds. Stu is fighting for his life so if I start to get tired or down I will think of my old mate to inspire me."

David, 45, who now lives in Pontypool, said the family was grateful to everyone who has helped and raised money.

He said: "Stu is as tough as nails. The doctors have said his reactions are improving – we're not quite sure what that means but, while he is fighting, we will be fighting for him.

"We will not stop until we raise to full amount and get Stu home where he belongs."

To donate, search for "Medevac for Stu" at:

www.youcaring.com

De Montfort University is to launch a new centre which it hopes will be a Chinese cultural hub for Leicester.

Its Confucius Institute aims to celebrate Chinese language and culture.

An open day was held yesterday to showcase the range of activities to come later in the academic year which included cultural performances in its home opposite Gateway House.

DMU has about 800 Chinese students from undergraduates up to PhD level.

It is estimated there will be a further growth in the next few years as more are drawn to its courses.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Dominic Shellard said: "It is our intention to make this a dynamic hub for staff, students and the local community which will enhance the employability of our graduates and enrich the deepening relationship between the UK and China."

Primary school children were among those who took part in language lessons and saw traditional dragon and lion dances and musicians play. The university has partnered with Hanban, a non-profit organisation affiliated to the Ministry of Education of China, to create the CI, which is being funded by the university and through donations from its overseas partners.

The institute will enable a fusion of Chinese and UK creativity on campus.

There are plans to offer DMU students two-week intensive Mandarin courses at the institute prior to Chinese placements with #DMUglobal – the university's initiative to provide more than half of all its students with an international experience as part of their studies.

Leicestershire schools and residents will also benefit from travelling workshops, taking Chinese cultural activities into the community in the coming months.

James Gardner, dean of international studies at the university, said: "The institute will not only play an important role in celebrating Chinese culture and welcoming our Chinese students, but allowing everyone to experience a taste of Chinese life, enjoy creative activities and develop their cultural and linguistic knowledge."

DMU has also partnered with the University of Science and Technology in Beijing (USTB) and the Sunwah Group, a diversified conglomerate based in Hong Kong, to establish the CI.

Key staff from USTB will be visiting DMU in early 2014 for a grand opening ceremony of the CI to coincide with Chinese New Year festivities. Professor Yi Peng, Chinese director of the CI said: "Situated at the heart of campus, this will be a place of cultural interest designed for all, enriching the diversity already celebrated at DMU and in Leicester."

The savage history of beating, flogging and whipping schoolchildren for educational benefit has been studied by an academic.

Dr Ben Parson, from the University of Leicester, has written a paper on corporal punishment in the Middle Ages and come to the conclusion that classroom beatings may not have been as brutal as thought.

Strict rules for when and how youngsters should be punished were set out by Dominican friar, Vincent of Beauvais, in the 13th century.

His reasons for the use of physical discipline included, pain to help students remember their mistakes and beating to instil morality.

Dr Parson said he found evidence beating pupils went hand-in-hand with helping them learn – or so teachers believed.

His paper, The Way of the Rod: The Functions of Beating in Late Medieval Pedagogy, looked at the history of classroom castigation.

He said: "Why do schoolchildren need to be beaten?

"For much of the history of education, there has been a general acceptance instruction should be accompanied by violence.

"The long-standing link between schooling and flogging is attested by a host of artefacts, from the whipping stools that survived in many early schools to Harrow Punishment Book, in which Edwardian schoolmasters assiduously recorded the punishments meted out to their charges."

The practice was outlawed in the UK in 1987, but some still claim youngsters would benefit, said Dr Parson.

"Even today the association persists. After the riots of August 2011, there were widespread calls to 'bring back the strap' or 'return to a clip round the ear culture', voiced by MPs and journalists alike," he said.

"However, what these sources and statements fail to reveal is why corporal punishment should make instruction more effective and how exactly it assists in the acquisition of knowledge.

"It is the purpose of this research project to account for this strange association."

Dr Parson examined texts from the Middle Ages and concluded while the use of punishment instruments was more aggressive than in recent times, teachers were not sadistic.

He said: "Although their assumptions fall far outside the bounds of acceptability for us, the ways in which medieval writers treated corporal punishment is very much to their credit.

"Even when in agreement boys needed to be beaten, teachers did not take this responsibility lightly, but with a level of care and sensitivity that remains impressive."

Patients and staff at Leicester's hospitals have been hit by the winter vomiting bug norovirus.

Five wards were affected on Thursday and three yesterday.

Leicester Royal Infirmary, Glenfield and Leicester General Hospital have all been affected and some admissions restricted on wards hit by the infection.

Visitors with symptoms of the bug are being urged to stay away until at least 48 hours after they have recovered.

On Thursday, 17 patients and nine members of staff were affected. Yesterday, numbers had dropped to 11 and seven respectively.

Managers at the hospitals are hoping they will be able to contain the spread of the bug.

A spokesman said: "Unfortunately, norovirus has been brought into some of our wards from the community, most notably by ill people visiting patients."

Dr David Jenkins, microbiologist at Leicester's hospitals said: "Norovirus is highly-contagious and can be picked up easily by ill and vulnerable people. We have taken extra measures to contain it and prevent its spread.

"Norovirus can be a nasty experience for those affected but it is normally a short-lived, self-limiting infection from which people will usually recover within 12 to 48 hours.

"It's really important that if people are ill, or have been ill, that they don't visit friends or relatives in hospital until they have been free of symptoms for at least 48 hours."

He said in the vast majority of cases there was no benefit to someone with norovirus being in hospital.

"People with the condition should stay at home, ensure that their personal hygiene is good, particularly hand-washing, and avoid contact with others where possible," he said.

"However, the elderly and very young can sometimes get more severe infection or become dehydrated. If that should be the case, they or their family, friends or carers should telephone their GP or NHS 111 for advice."

Dr Phillip Monk, consultant in health protection, said: "Norovirus infection is particularly serious when it gets into environments where people live or work in close proximity.

"In hospitals, it inevitably leads to ward closures as measures are taken to contain the infection and stop it spreading.

"It can also lead to staff illness and, of course, it increases the risk to patients who have other serious illnesses.

"There are things that people can do to limit the impact and we want to make sure that people play their part in protecting our healthcare services from the worst effects of norovirus infections, especially during the next few busy winter months."

Most importantly, they should not visit friends or relatives in hospital or residential care homes in case they spread the infection.

A Leicestershire County Council spokesman said: "Norovirus is a widespread problem but we have not had reports of any major outbreak at Leicestershire care homes.

"We continue to remind people that it can be controlled by good hygiene standards."

Anyone concerned about their condition should first call NHS 111 for advice.

The first sign of norovirus is usually a sudden sick feeling followed by forceful vomiting and watery diarrhoea.

People may also have a raised temperature (above 38C), headaches, stomach cramps and aching limbs.

Drinking plenty is important for young children and the elderly, as they are more like to suffer dehydration.

A healthy adult should drink about six to eight glasses of fluid every day to stop getting dehydrated.

Someone with norovirus should drink more than that to replace lost fluids.

Suitable drinks include water, squashes and fruit juice.

Infants and small children should receive frequent sips of water, even if they vomit.

Campaigning cyclists have warned that new bike paths outside a new supermarket are obstacle courses which will lead to people being injured.

David Warnock, a member of the Leicester Cycling Campaign Group, says that signposts, a lamppost and control boxes are blocking the footways – paths shared by cyclists and pedestrians – near the new Sainsbury's store, in Melton Road, Rushey Mead.

Mr Warnock, 48, of Syston, who is a Methodist minister, said: "I cannot believe how anyone can position these posts as they have done."

He said he feared they had created an obstacle path which would lead to people being injured as it would bring pedestrians and cyclists into conflict.

Mr Warnock said: "Quite apart from that, the positioning of the posts and obstacles in the pathways means that cyclists are in real danger of hitting these obstacles.

"They have spent millions on this development so I think they could spend a few more pounds to take these obstacles out and re-position them so as not to block the paths."

Mr Warnock, who regularly uses the paths, has commented about the situation on his blog, which contains photographs of the obstacles on the paths near Sainsbury's.

Dedicated cyclist David Binks, 65, of Mountsorrel, who is secretary of The Leicestershire Road Club, Leicester's oldest cycling club, said: "This really beggars belief.

"I cannot comprehend how anyone can plan to put these posts and the like in the way on the paths.

"What must the people who were putting them in place think? Could no-one have taken the time to actually think about blocking these paths like this?

"These have to be moved or people will get hurt."

A Sainsbury's spokesperson said: "We have invested significantly in the road infrastructure around our new Leicester North store in Melton Road, which has brought long-term benefits for road users, pedestrians and cyclists travelling in the area.

"We are aware that some concerns have been raised relating to the new shared pedestrian/ cycle path, including the location of signs.

"We are working with Leicester City Council highways department to review these approved highway works.

"Sainsbury's contractors have already made significant enhancements to accommodate cyclists, when compared with the approved plans.

"This includes extending the shared pedestrian/cycle path along Troon Way up to the Nicklaus Road/Gleneagles Avenue junction and upgrading this junction to have Toucan crossing facilities."

A Leicester City Council spokesperson said: "We are aware of concerns regarding the location of some signs at this junction and are liaising with Sainsbury's accordingly.

"We are continuing to work closely with Sainsbury's contractors to ensure the scheme is completed as planned and that any issues highlighted are addressed."