A drunken man terrified his partner and her daughter, who was holding a baby, when he produced an air rifle during an argument, a court heard.

Carl Stephenson, 40, of Main Street, Saltby, near Melton, admitted causing an affray on February 26.

He was given an eight month jail sentence, suspended for two years, and fined £1,000.

Leicester Crown Court was told that Stephenson had been in a six month relationship with his then partner when the incident happened.

They were living together in Thistleton village, in Rutland, along with his partner's adult son, daughter and her baby.

Esther Harrison, prosecuting, said an argument between the defendant and his partner broke out and "continued to rumble."

His partner had received some bad news that day about a death in the family and accused him of not being supportive.

Both ended up drinking too much, said Mr Gow, and things were said on both sides.

When the victim was with her daughter and baby in the kitchen, the defendant appeared.

Mr Gow said: "He had an air rifle and cocked it.

"He denies loading it, pointing it at anyone or making threats.

"The two women were extremely frightened."

Stephenson's then partner locked herself in the bathroom, taking her mobile phone, and called the police.

Mr Gow said: "Her daughter ran upstairs with the baby and also rang the police."

When his partner's son arrived, the defendant asked: "Are you going to stick up for me when the police come?"

The police found the air rifle in its case in the hallway.

In interview, Stephenson said he had been drinking and his partner was "kicking off" when he pulled the rifle out "in the heat of the moment" and his memory was a blur.

Mr Gow said: "He recognised he would have scared those present."

His then partner later made a withdrawal statement saying she did not wish Stephenson to go to prison, said Mr Gow.

Isabel Wilson, mitigating, said the defendant, who runs a business, worked six days a week and had no previous convictions.

Judge Nicholas Dean QC said: "He's self-employed and also employs other people and devotes a significant amount of time to his work."

He told Stephenson: "I accept you acted out of character.

"You had a domestic argument and picked up an air rifle, which must have been frightening.

"The fact this involved an air weapon and the circumstances in which it was used means a sentence of imprisonment is inevitable, but it's not appropriate to send you into custody immediately today."

A man who threatened a new neighbour as he was moving in - and stabbed a box being carried by his friend - has been given a suspended jail sentence.

Mark Powdrill, 36, admitted causing an affray in a communal area of flats on Butterwick Drive, Beaumont Leys, Leicester, on February 14.

He also admitted possessing a bladed article, a large kitchen knife measuring 30 centimetres.

Powdrill, now of Birds Nest Avenue, New Parks, was given a nine month jail sentence, suspended for two years, with supervision.

Gary Short, prosecuting, said a new resident was moving into a flat close to where the defendant lived and was being assisted by a friend to unload some furniture.

He said: "They noticed the defendant hanging around outside.

"He began arguing with them, shouting and swearing.

"The defendant went off saying 'just wait and see what happens.' "

The complainants were in the new resident's flat when they noticed the defendant in a communal area holding a large kitchen knife.

Mr Short said: "Powdrill lunged towards the resident's friend who was carrying a cardboard box and stabbed it.

"The police then arrived and arrested the defendant in the car park.

"The box had two penetrations from the knife, which was seized from Powdrill's flat.

"He was taken into custody and accepted there had been an argument and portrayed himself as the victim."

Leicester Crown Court was told that Powdrill's criminal record included several public order offences.

Judge Nicholas Dean QC said he accepted the defendant had mental health difficulties and a head injury he suffered several years ago may have affected his behaviour.

He told Powdrill: "You're lucky you didn't cause an injury.

"What you did could have caused serious injury or you could have killed someone.

"If you had, your position would be very different."

He said the supervision element of the suspended sentence was to enable the probation service to oversee mental health assistance he was already voluntarily receiving from a counsellor connected to a charity.

Sally Bamford, mitigating, said it would be helpful for the counsellor to continue making progress with the defendant.

Rolleston Primary, in Eyres Monsell, is celebrating being awarded a "good" rating by Ofsted in every area.

The school, which was already deemed to be good by the education watchdog, was visited by inspectors last month (Nov). A full report has just been published.

Inspectors said that head teacher Dwayne Toon led the school very effectively and was well supported by senior staff in checking pupils' progress and teaching quality.

Mr Toon said: "We're extremely pleased to have been rated good by Ofsted in every single area we were inspected in. This is testament to the hard work we put in every day to ensure that every child who attends Rolleston gets the most out of being at school. We're committed to helping all our children to achieve."

Inspectors said that pupils' experienced a good range of activities and their behaviour was good.

Good teaching was praised and the report said that staff were keen to improve even further and readily accepted advice and extra challenge.

In addition, the school was said to work well with parents and families, and as a result, attendance had risen significantly.

The school's "happy environment" was also highlighted, as was pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

To improve even further inspectors said that aspects of writing still needed to improve and pupils should be given more opportunities in science to investigate for themselves or use their maths skills to interpret results.

The school was visited this morning by Councillor Vi Dempster, assistant city mayor responsible for education, along with ward councillors Rory Palmer and Virginia Cleaver, who congratulated staff for their efforts.

The school's last full inspection was in September 2009 when it was rated "good" in most areas and overall.

Councillor Dempster said: "This result is a credit to Rolleston and to the teachers, families and governors who together make this school such a welcoming and productive environment for the pupils.

"I congratulate the school, and I'm delighted that the local authority's work in partnership with schools like Rolleston helps to produce such positive results."

Fellow ward councillor Virginia Cleaver, who is also vice-chair of governors at Rolleston, said: "Rolleston provides a fantastic education for local children. I'm delighted to be able to help them celebrate this result."  

Many of us dream of waking up on Christmas day to find a thick blanket of snow dusting chimney tops, roofs and trees.

The photograph above show troops clearing snow in Glen Parva during the First World War. 

But, how likely is it to snow in the city or county on Christmas day this year? Here at Mercury we have tried to find out. 

Lee Watts, office manager at betting shop Mark Jarvis, in High Street, Leicester said: "At this moment in time you are looking at the odds of six to one."

He added that there is a distinct possibility of a white Christmas as extremely cold weather is expected.

"No-one has had a bet on it yet but nearer the time we expect bets about Christmas day."

Leicester Mercury weatherman Dave said it was unlikely to snow over Christmas but he is sure we will see some of the white stuff in January.

"There will be one week in January which is sure to be really cold and snowy," he said.

Meanwhile, as you dream of a white Christmas, why not have a taste of nostalgia and have a look back at some old snowy photos from across Leicester and Leicestershire by clicking here.

A mum-of-five has revealed she eats an entire loo roll every day.

Jade Sylvester, 25, told the Daily Mirror she developed a craving for clean toilet paper during a recent pregnancy.

She said: "Two months into the pregnancy, I started craving toilet roll. I still don't know why.

"I like the feeling of the texture in my mouth, rather than the taste. I like the dryness.

"My family tell me it isn't good for me - but I can't help it."

And despite giving birth to her son 15 months ago, the Lincolnshire mum can't stop eating the stuff.

So, we want to know what are you craving right now? Have you been pregnant and fancied something odd to eat? We want to hear your cravings, the weirder the better. Tweet us: @Leicester_Merc or comment on our Facebook page.

An investigation has been launched after several firefighters were injured when a fire engine crashed into a burning coach on the M1 motorway.

The accident happened as emergency services responded to the incident, on the southbound carriageway, at junction 23, near Loughborough.

Two fire crews were called to the scene at about 4.50pm, yesterday.

One of them is understood to have collided with the coach as it burned on the hard shoulder.

A fire service spokesman said: "We can confirm that there was a collision involving one of our fire engines.

"There were no serious injuries and the incident is under internal investigation at this moment."

He added: "No-one at Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service will be making any further comment, or offering an interview to the media."

Police closed the M1 southbound between junctions 23 and 22, at Markfield, at about 5.30pm, causing long tailbacks.

Two people were onboard the coach, however, had managed to escape the vehicle before the fire service arrived.

The incident happened during a 24-hour strike by Fire Brigades Union (FBU) members in Leicestershire over changes to firefighters' pensions. 

A police spokeswoman said: "We were made aware of the collision. I think the fact that there was a lot of thick smoke on the motorway may have been a contributing factor.

"As things stand we are not investigating the matter." 

A rare silver penny made in Leicester nearly

one thousand years ago is to be sold at auction.

The coin, made during the reign of William the Conquerer, is expected to fetch up to £3500 when it is sold next week.

The coin, which belongs to a British collector, is to be sold by auctioneers Spink in London on December 18.

Jon Mann, a coins expert at Spink, said the solid silver penny was made in Leicester by a

'moneyer' named Friothekest

sometime between 1066 and 1087.

He said: "This coin is certainly in above average condition.

"There was a little uncertainty about whether the coin was from Chester or Leicester but it has been accepted that it is from the latter.

"It is an exciting coin to have and we expect there to be some interest in the item when it comes to auction."

Mr Mann said that Friothekest was a 'moneyer' - a person who oversaw the production of coins.

He said: "it is possible he was of Danish descent due to his name and that fact that at various time the Vikings were in charge in Leicester.

"Friothekest would possibly have been a merchant or an alderman who helped run various boroughs. He would certainly have been a man of some import."

The penny is solid silver and has the face of William the Conquerer on one side and a cross on the other.

He said: "These pennies were the lowest denomination of coin at the time but people got round that.

"People would often cut the pennies in half to produce a halfpenny or even into quarters to give them a farthing.

"Because of this it is rare to see a silver penny of such quality.

The silver penny is lot 526 in the ancient British and foreign coins sale.

History books record that, in the late eleventh century when the

penny was made, Leicester was a much smaller place than it is now.

At the time of the Domesday Book in 1086

Leicester was a small walled town, divided by two main streets leading to gates

at the four points of the compass.

There were about 1500 (people living in 322 houses in the town in those days.

The town was surrounded by open fields, except in the north, where woodland

began outside the town gate.

In 1086, according to the Domesday Book,

there were sixty five so-called burgesses - townsmen with certain privileges -

in Leicester.

It is possible Friothekest was one of these.                                  

The stories of those who lived through and experienced the First World War in Leicestershire and Rutland can be heard following the launch of an oral archive.

More than two hours of voice recordings of local people talking about when the war started, people's attitudes to the Germans and also how they coped with death and absence of loved ones, as well as other memories, can now be heard on a website.

The East Midlands Oral History Archive (EMOHA) at the University of Leicester, in partnership with Leicester Arts and Museum Service, started work on the archive in July this year.

Colin Hyde, who runs the East Midlands Oral History Archive, and has been working on the project, said: "I have drawn on material from all over the county and a few from Rutland. It took me by surprise - I did not realise how much material there was.

"I concentrated on the home front and what it was like for the people left behind.

"This highlights the upheaval, anxiety and grief that was experienced by many women and children.

"It is about trying to find food, queuing for rations. A lot is how to cope when your husband has gone away."

Colin and his team gathered the material from 300 recordings, made in the 1980s and 1990s by local historians, of people in Leicestershire and Rutland who lived through the First World War.

The recordings have been edited and arranged in different themes such as signing up, women working, and Armistice.

Colin added: "The way I have done this is from start to finish - we start with the how the war started and we finish with people cutting the costs after the war and I have picked up things in between."

Colin said one thing he found particularly interesting was the attitude to Germans.

"One said some of their Christmas decorations were from Germany so they were taken down."

He added that in Leicester streets in Highfields with German names were changed. Saxe-Coburg Street became Saxby Street and Hanover Street became Andover Street.

He said: "This is because at the end of the war local residents did not want their houses to have German names."

Other recordings include one man who was told the war had began when he was on holiday in Cleethorpes.

Then in the death and absence section one lady remembers that "almost every house in our street had someone killed". Another lady said: "I remember my friend's brothers one after the other getting killed."

Colin added that he was really pleased with the archive.

"I am hoping schools will use it. I think it is a really interesting website to dip in and out of.

"I'm delighted that we can make some of the earliest recordings in our collections available to the public through this website."

Jim Butler, events and engagement manager at the University of Leicester, said: "The First World War archive is hugely valuable especially as it is told by the people who lived through it.

"Thankfully the historians in the 1980s and 1990s thought the need to preserve this."

He added that The University of Leicester is the only UK university founded in memory of those who died in the First World War and it has many plans over the next few years to continue commemorating the war.

To listen to the archive click HERE. 

To hear the recordings on Soundcloud click HERE.

A group of students at De Montfort University have re-created Bob Geldof's Band Aid 30.

Watch the video here:

We will be speaking to some of the singers later today...

The charity single was released last month and is raising money for the Ebola crisis.

What do you think of the song? Have Demon Media done a good job? Let us know what you think by tweeting us: @Leicester_Merc 

County Hall's Conservative leader Nick Rushton warned he has had to look into "dark corners" to find millions of pounds of savings while setting out his future budget plans in the Mercury.

Now we shine a light into those gloomy corners to look at what he found and what will now face the axe over the next four years as he struggles to balance the books.

The authority is dealing with huge reductions to the funding it gets from the Government and has outlined £82 million worth of cuts and measures to increase its income.

Yet it still needs to find a further £9 million of savings before 2018 and has no idea where they will come from.

In all it anticipates a further 700 redundancies among council staff will be lost on top of 700 post already lost.

Coun Rushton said "horrendous" decisions lay ahead because of the council's stark financial situation which it set to worsen with increasing pressure on the statutory services it is obliged to provide.

Children and family services - saving £13.3 million

This is one of the council's biggest areas of spending.

Officials say they expect to save £1 million because of a reduced demand on services brought about by its Supporting Leicestershire Families programme.

The programme has specialist employees working with some 3,000 families affected by cycles of debt, poverty, violence, worklessness to try to turn their lives round so they are less dependent on council services.

A further £5.3 million will be saved by re-modelling the council's social care and early help services.

There will also be fewer work placements arranged for adults with learning difficulties.

Nearly £6 million will be saved through other measures such as reducing the educational psychology service, cutting the family information service entirely and not replacing staff.

Support for voluntary sector groups providing services on behalf of the council will be cut by £800,000.

More than £2 million will be saved by releasing the early help budget which is unallocated cash as a result of previous underspends.

Reducing management and administration costs within the department will save £460,000 while cutting careers advice will save £360,000.

Adults and Communities - saving £25.6 million

Caring for elderly and vulnerable adults is another of the council's major financial commitments as it looks to meet the needs of an increasingly elderly population while coping with shrinking funds.

The council intends to find alternatives to residential care. It could save more than £150,000 by placing elderly people in the homes of carers in a scheme similar to fostering children.

The authority aims to save £2.5 million by designing care package that allow older people to remain in their own homes and be cared for there where appropriate instead of funding them to go in private residential care homes.

About £1 million will be saved by using what is described as "assistive technology" such as installing fall alarms in peoples homes.

The meals on wheels service will be scrapped.

Other proposed savings from this department downsizing Snibston Discovery Park to a mining heritage museum.

Cuts to the budget for running libraries are set to reach £340,000 and some smaller village branches may shut if volunteers cannot be found to run them.

Community museums in Loughborough, Melton and Market Harborough as well as Donington le Heath will see their budgets cut by £135,000 meaning reduced exhibitions and opening hours.

A further £930,000 will be saved in the budget for looking after library and museum buildings.

Environment and Transport - Saving £23.5 million

Maintaining the roads network is a key responsibility of County Hall but the highways department will not escape the cuts.

Reductions in road maintenance.

There will still be spending on roads but potholes will take longer to repair, road markings renewed less often and roadside verges will be trimmed fewer times a year.

In all nearly £9 million will saved on highways maintenance.

Further savings of £450,000 are identified from the county's contribution to Leicester's struggling park and ride network.

Funding for the road safety partnership, which campaigns against drink driving, speeding and other poor driving practices is to lose £250,000.

Lollipop men and women could be hired from private firms as part of an £800,000 package of savings that includes the way County Hall commissions road safety measures and cycle training.

The council will also cut amount it spends transporting children too and from school by £365,000 and is likely to save £2 million by axing its remaining subsidies to rural bus services.

That means existing bus services to isolated parts of the county will cease and residents will be left with a dial-a-ride scheme when they need to travel.

The council is also looking to raise £600,000 through a new parking strategy that could see on-street car parking charges in some areas and more residential permit parking schemes.

The county's district councils are set to lose £1.7 million in recycling credits they receive from County Hall to encourage people to recycle waste.

Municipal waste tips could have their opening hours cut and some could be reduced from seven days a week opening while bringing in charges for the tipping of certain material and trade waste.

Non-Leicestershire residents could also be banned from using them.

County Hall's Chief executive's office - savings £3.6 million

Most of the savings from this department are internal such as a review of the council's legal team, aimed at saving £190,000, its democratic and civic support network, to save £260,000.

The council is seeking to increase its income from births, deaths, and marriage registrations.

The work of trading standards officers will be cut back to save £165,000 and the service will be merged with neighbouring Northamptonshire and Lincolnshire County Councils.

A £50,000 fund to support links with schools abroad is to be axed entirely.

Cuts in community grants and money businesses will be cut by £370,000.

Corporate Resources - Savings £10.5 million

This department will be asked to carry out a series of reviews designed to save more than £7 million.

They included reviews of the finance and property operation, information technology, how the council buys goods, its communications team and its business support set up.

Also included within this department's savings are reductions to country park maintenance and an end to a free tree planting scheme which will save £55,000 a year.

Capital Plan

Amid all the cuts and increased charges is a capital plan that will see £229 million spent over the four years from April.

More than £155 million will come from Government grants, £27.5 million from council reserves - of £97 million - £5.2 million from external contributions and £5 million will be borrowed.

The remaining £36 million will be raised through selling surplus council assets - in the main land for future housing developments.

Council leader Nick Rushton said the "vast majority" would go on providing new school places to cope with a growing demand.

There will be spending on replacing old street lights with more efficient and cheaper to run LED lamps, a £2 million bridge over the M1 to grant access to the new 4,250 home Lubbesthorpe development as well as a new £3.1 million bridge over the River Soar at Zouch.

More than £13 million will be spend to increase rural broadband speeds and £1.3 million will go towards the continuing development of Loughborough science park.

Leicester City Council's situation

While the Tory-led council has revealed precise details of exact services to be reduced or stopped entirely Labour-run Leicester City Council says it cannot be precise as to where the axe will fall.

While city mayor Sir Peter Soulsby also warns of appalling cuts ahead he says savings have yet to be firmed up.

He said the scale of the financial challenge ahead - the council is set to spend £56 million more than it receives by 2018 unless savings are made - is far too great to handle with a single budget passed in the new year.

Instead he has instigated rolling reviews of departments through the year and has asked them to meet targets in cuts to their spending.

He said: "We have deliberately chosen a list of cuts match by a much smaller list of growth items. You cannot just do it as a one-off budget because of the scale of the savings needed.

"What is clear is that what we face will impact on every aspect of the city's life and particularly the people most dependent on council services."

Lauren May Punter, 21, of Enderby, is a model signed to Models1 Curve, in London. She has been modelling since May after winning a competition with Models1 and ASOS.

FIRST MEMORY: I would say my first or one of the earliest memories I can think of is being about six and playing in my back garden with my little brother, who was three at the time. It was when the summers were actually hot, not like they are now. We'd be out playing in the tree-house at the end of our garden and picking flowers to make "perfume".

Also, I remember running away from the next-door neighbour's puppy. It was evil!

FIRST ALBUM: It would have been the Spice Girls. I was obsessed with them, like all young girls were at the time. I had a Spice Girls lunch box that my mum now uses as a tool box! I also went to nursery dressed up as Posh Spice one day, with a wig and everything.

FIRST GIG: The Sugababes, in a little studio in London. My mum won the tickets and there were only about 20 people there watching. It was really intimate because we were so close and there were so few people there.

FIRST SCHOOL: Church Hill Primary School, in Thurmaston. It was an amazing school, especially for sports, which I was a fan of. I went on to Church Hill Junior and then on to Roundhill, in Syston.

FIRST JOB: At Dorothy Perkins, at Fosse Park. I worked in the shoe department when I was 16, as a Saturday girl while I was at college.

FIRST CAR: I got my first car when I passed my test. I begged my dad for a car and I guess I annoyed him enough to get one! He surprised me with a black Volkswagen Golf. I was in love but I got pulled over on my first day of driving because I'd put the alarm on, which meant the hazard lights were on and flashing. I was stopped by the police. Whoops! I explained it was my first day and called my dad to help.

FIRST HOLIDAY ABROAD: When I was about three or four, my mum and granny took me to Disneyland Paris. Apparently, every time I saw the castle, I sang Beauty and the Beast.

FIRST MODELLING JOB: It was my first day at (online fashion retailer) ASOS after I won the competition looking for a curvy model. I was so nervous but the team was amazing and the shoot went really well.

FIRST "PINCH ME" MOMENT: It was winning the competition at ASOS. When they announced me as the winner I just burst into tears because it was so unexpected.

An elderly man drove his car onto a railway line when he put it into forward gear instead of reverse.

The 94-year-old man drove his car off the edge of a three-foot platform and crashed onto the tracks of the Battlefield heritage railway line at Shenton, near Hinckley at lunchtime today.

The distressed driver called Leicestershire Fire Service about his predicament and a crew from Hinckley was despatched to the scene shortly after 1pm.

Watch manager Steve Moore said: "An elderly gentleman was sat in the car park of the station when he put his car in forward gear rather than reverse and shot forward through the barrier, wedging his car onto the tracks.

"Thankfully, there were no trains running and he was at the end of the tracks. Bystanders helped him out of his vehicle before we arrived.He was uninjured, but was shaken up."

The crew retrieved the man's car using winches on the fire appliance and airbags to raise it off the tracks.

Mr Moore added: "It was an unusual one that caused us a bit of head scratching and occupied us for about an hour.The gentleman was taken home by a paramedic who was looking after him."

A coroner has criticised a hospital trust for the treatment they gave to a young mum who died of multi-organ failure after she had two operations cancelled because she had head lice.

Leicester assistant coroner Lydia Brown spoke out after an inquest heard that Lindsay Swanson was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis at Leicester General Hospital but died eight months later after never having had surgery to remove gall stones that had caused the onset of the life-threatening condition.

Ms Brown heard how Lindsay, 34, was admitted to the hospital, which is run by the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, with severe abdominal pains on October 26 2012.

Ms Swanson, of New Parks, was discharged days later and told she would have keyhole surgery to remove the gall stones about six weeks later.

The three-day hearing was told that Ms Swanson was not seen for pre-operative assessment until about 12 weeks later on February 20 2013.

Ms Swanson, who had lost a third of her body weight by then, was sent home without any observations being taken and told that the surgery was cancelled because she had head lice.

The mum-of-three was seen again in March and the operation was once again cancelled.

Ms Brown said: "I find that sending home a patient who should have had her operation many weeks earlier, without observations being taken and without senior review, to be unacceptable.

"The hospital seemed to me to be distracted by the head lice and not why this lady may not be able to deal with this issue herself.

"The hospital deprived itself of the opportunity to follow up this patient.

"I am dismayed that for reasons not established the waiting list system did not work, opportunities to treat both in February and March were missed and there was no follow up to ensure that Lindsay made a good recovery."

She said chances to improve Ms Swanson's prospects were missed.

The inquest was told how Ms Swanson was admitted to Leicester Royal Infirmary by ambulance on April 1.

She was transferred to Leicester General Hospital on May 3. She died on the high dependency unit on June 6.

Ms Brown, who recorded a narrative verdict,  said that Ms Swanson died of multi-organ failure caused by acute pancreatitis.

Matthew Metcalf, a consultant gall bladder surgeon at Leicester General, said that Ms Swanson was one of the 20 percent of people in a high risk category who suffer pancreatitis.

He said: "Half of those 20 percent die and she was one of those.

"I don't think there was anything that could have been done that would have affected the outcome."

John Jameson, clinical director for general surgery at Leicester's Hospitals, said he would like to express his heartfelt condolences towards the family for their sad loss.

He said: "Unfortunately Lindsay had progressive inflammation of her pancreas which was the ultimate cause of her death.

"We recognise that there were some elements of Lindsay's treatment that could have been done differently and we have made changes to some of our processes to address these issues."

Lindsay Swanson's family are suing the hospital trust over the treatment she received.

Her long-term partner Lee Dunning said he believes the delaying of the operations led to her death.

The 30-year-old store detective said: "I feel that Lindsay was let down by the hospital and that she could have received better care. There were too many delays.

"It was terrible news to find out that Lindsay was ill and needed an operation, but we thought that once she was on the waiting list everything would be OK.

"But it wasn't. Everything then went from bad to worse.

"It was awful to hear that Lindsay couldn't have the operation, as she still didn't feel right and was in more and more pain.

"It was also becoming obvious that she was unwell from her appearance, as she was losing a lot of weight."

Nelson solicitors represented the family during the inquest and are pursuing the civil claim for compensation against the hospital trust.

Matthew Olner, expert clinical negligence solicitor at the Leicester firm, said: "We have started a civil claim on behalf of Mr Dunning against the University Hospital of Leicester NHS Trust.

"Lindsay was supposed to receive a very simple and routine operation within six weeks of being discharged in October but due to what appears to have been an administrative error on the part of the Trust she instead was listed routinely for 18 weeks from discharge.

"This is a truly tragic case, in which opportunities were lost to treat this young woman's condition in a timely way."

Steve Murray, head of legal services for Leicester's Hospitals, said: "In this case, as with any other, action will be placed in the hands of our lawyers and we hope that matters can be resolved between them as quickly as possible."

One of two Leicester criminals who went on the run from an open prison has been recaptured.

Wayne Smart, 37, absconded from Sudbury prison on November 26, while serving four years for burglary.

The prisoner, from Leicester, appeared before Leicester Magistrates' Court on yesterday where he was remanded in custody.

He will appear before crown court at a later date.

Smart apparently absconded with James Sheldon, 34, also from Leicester, who was given an indeterminate sentence for public protection in 2006 for assault with intent to rob.

A primary school administrator, who stole £6,380 of funds from work, was given a suspended jail sentence.

Diane Brightwell (49) used a bank card belonging to Swallowdale Primary, Melton, to withdraw sums of between £50 and £300, on 31 occasions.

She admitted stealing the cash between June 2010 and July last year. Brightwell, of Dalgliesh Way, Asfordby, was given an eight-month jail sentence, suspended for two years, with supervision.

Judge Robert Brown said: "It was a breach of trust placed in you by the school and the headmistress.

"It was money the school could ill afford to lose and would have been greatly needed, especially in times of austerity like this.

"Some of the references I've read are from people in the teaching profession who have spoken about your ability in your job.

"There are many people who want the court to see there is another side to you and I accept you're remorseful.

Ben Gow, prosecuting, said Brightwell's duties included looking after a bank account used for buying items for the school.

"However, the headmistress became suspicious and county council auditors inspected the accounts," he said. "There were 31 unexplained cash withdrawals totalling £6,380."

When arrested, she said she had been struggling with debts of about £30,000.

Brightwell initially said she withdrew the money at the behest of others who wanted to buy things for the school.

It resulted in 21 people at the school being interviewed. They said they never asked her for money upfront for school purchases.

Mr Gow said: "She was given a high degree of trust as signatory of that particular account and had a bank card to use on behalf of the school."

John Hallissey, mitigating, said Brightwell had no previous convictions and was "terrified" to be in court facing jail.

He said: "She wasn't responsible for the main school bank account, but one containing funds raised through events such as fetes."

Mr Hallissey said Brightwell's husband was laid off work as a railway engineer in about 2009, reducing the family's income by two thirds.

He said: "Because her husband was suffering from depression, she shouldered the burden and kept quiet about bills going unpaid and having to put the shopping on her credit card. She also became depressed and felt unable to cope."

She is unemployed and on benefits while her husband has occasional work as a courier, Mr Hallissey said.

They now have an arrangement to deal with their debt issues and the defendant is on medication for depression.

Brightwell's family were in court to support her.

She was ordered to pay £150 court costs.

Police have made a second arrest in connection with an attack in Leicester Market which left a man critically ill in hospital.

A 29-year-old man was seriously injured in the incident, near to the Yorkshire Bank, at about 12.20pm on Monday.

The man left the scene before police arrived and at around 2.30pm he collapsed inside a shop in Belgrave Gate.

He remains in hospital in a critical condition.

Earlier today a 19-year-old man was arrested in connection with the incident.

Police announced tonight a second man, aged 18, has also been arrested in connection with the incident. Both remain in police custody.

The victim remained in hospital last night where his condition was said to be critical despite undergoing emergency surgery within hours of the attack.

A number of shoppers and stall-holders watched as two men repeatedly kicked the victim as he lay helpless on the ground in Market Place, near the Yorkshire and Santander banks, at 12.20pm.

Police were called to the scene but all three men had disappeared by the time officers arrived.

Police said the two suspects were black.

The injured man, who is white and was wearing an orange top, reportedly staggered away from the scene and collapsed in a shop in Belgrave Gate two hours later.

A Belgrave Gate business owner said he watched as the paramedics treated the man in the back of an ambulance before a decision was taken to send him to a specialist trauma unit at the University of Coventry Hospital.

The businessman said: "The ambulance was there for, probably, 20 minutes before they took the poor man off to hospital.

"I just hope he makes a full recovery and that whoever did this to him is caught and sent to prison.

"Whatever the reason, there is no excuse for attacking someone so violently."

Witnesses in Market Place said the victim was lying on the ground being kicked by two men.

A stall-holder told the Leicester Mercury on Tuesday: "It was the middle of the day, so there was a lot of people around but nobody was prepared to intervene to help the man.

"He was on the ground and the men were kicking him in the head. It was horrible.

"I can't believe they thought they could get away with doing this in the middle of the day.

"The man got up and walked away. You could tell he was injured because he had blood on his face."

Police have appealed for witnesses to the assault to come forward.

Officers have visited the market and Belgrave Gate in the search for people who saw the man before, during or after the attack.

They have not released his name, but have said he was wearing an orange top.

Contact the Force Serious Crime Team at Leicestershire Police on 101 or Crimestoppers, which is anonymous, on 0800 555 111

Firefighters were called to tackle a blaze in a building in Bradgate Street, Leicester, early this morning.

A building, measuring 80 metres x 30 metres, near to Frog Island, was "well alight", when three appliances attended.

Additional engines were later called to the scene and at one stage six jets and an aerial ladder were being used to fight the blaze which is believed to have started in a derelict part of the building and was spreading to a knitwear unit.

Gas supplies were being isolated.