Nigel Pearson described Leicester City's defeat at Millwall as a missed opportunity.

The City boss said his side should have taken at least a point from the Den but instead succumbed to a sloppy goal, converted by Lions substitute Chris Taylor in the second half.

City had the lions' share of possession and created several chances in the first half, but did not take their chances and paid the price.

"That is a game from which we should have come away with something," said Pearson.

"I can't fault the players' application because they always go out and work hard. We didn't make our chances count.

"It was a frustrating day because that was a missed opportunity. In the first half, we created quite a few chances and were unlucky with one or two situations.

"But we conceded a poor goal from a free-kick in our own half and were punished.

"On the whole, we dealt with their threat very well but just had one lapse.

"We had opportunities to hurt them as well but it either did not fall for us, or we did not make the right decision or executed the final ball accurately.

"As a result, we didn't turn good opportunities into goal-scoring situations. When we had shooting opportunities, we didn't hit the target enough times.

"The players are disappointed because they know they are better than that.

"You don't get many better opportunities to come away with a win than that. Towards the end, we left ourselves open to the counter-attack because we were been pressing for an equaliser, but we didn't manage to get one."

People living outside Leicester should pay more for tickets at Curve and De Montfort Hall than city residents, a senior councillor has suggested.

Councillor Sue Waddington said it may now be time to consider a pricing scheme that reflects the amount of public subsidy given to the city's major venues.

Coun Waddington is chairman of a Leicester City Council panel which has spent the past few months reviewing grants given to venues and is due to present a report on the issue to colleagues this week.

She said: "There is a feeling that city residents are subsidising audiences that are coming in from the county."

While the city council puts large amounts of money into Curve and De Montfort Hall, Leicestershire County Council makes no contribution to either.

Last year, 45 per cent of Curve ticket bookings came from county residents, 39 per cent from the city and 16 per cent from further afield.

At De Montfort Hall, 33 per cent of it audiences last year were from the county, 48 per cent from the city and 19 per cent from elsewhere.

Coun Waddington said: "One of the things that could be considered is a differential price structure where county residents pay more than people who live within the city.

"Given the financial pressures on public funding, I think this could be looked at."

Coun Waddington accepted the proposal could be controversial and said it might be better if the county council reinstated its financial contribution to Curve.

In the last financial year, it scrapped its £88,000 subsidy to the theatre. It has never made a contribution to De Montfort Hall.

The city council puts £818,000 a year into Curve and more than £1 million into De Montfort Hall.

Curve chief executive Fiona Allan said she was wary of charging people different rates depending on where they lived.

She said: "Some theatres have tried this but my view is we want to be encouraging people to come into the city to see performances because it benefits the economy.

"If we ask people to pay more because they live outside the ring road, it might put them off coming, especially because they have the added expense of travel.

"I think a better way of doing it would perhaps be to offer discounts to city residents for special events rather than having something across the board."

Deputy county council leader Byron Rhodes said: "It is a ridiculous suggestion without any logical foundation.

"I could understand the city council wanting to subsidise tickets for its residents, but the idea of charging people from the county more would simply encourage them to look elsewhere for entertainment, such as Nottingham, Birmingham or Peterborough.

"That would mean the bars and restaurants in the city would also lose out."

Imran Patel, 42, from Highfields, Leicester, said: "I don't think its right that my council tax pays for people from Market Harborough or Melton to go to the theatre, especially as I have only been to Curve once.

"It would be better if there were no subsidies to theatres. They should stand on their own two feet."

Helen Phillips, 43, of Cossington, said: "Why price out your best customers?

"Would it not be better for the city council to get more people from the city into the theatres rather than penalising those who make the effort to travel into the city?

"That seems wiser to me."

Health bosses have withheld payment of £4,434 from the company responsible for ferrying patients to and from hospital.

Officials said they had kept back the cash because of the poor performance of Arriva, which failed to meet all its performance targets in October.

The company, which took over the service from East Midlands Ambulance Service in July, winning a £31.3 million, five-year contract in Leicestershire and Rutland, has been told it will get the money if it meets its targets for at least three months.

Simon Freeman, managing director of Leicester City clinical commissioning group, which manages the contract, said: "Improvements in performance are being seen.

"However, performance is still not at the levels set in the contract and in October contract penalties were triggered for under-performance."

Arriva failed to get enough patients to hospitals within an hour of the appointment time or to collect them from outpatient appointments within an hour of the requested time.

It failed to collect enough patients being discharged from hospital within two hours of the requested time.

Journeys for patients living more than 35 miles from hospital took too long and there was concern about the number of people who tried to ring the service but then abandoned the call.

Mr Freeman said: "Arriva's remedial action plan is on track and performance is forecast to be recovered by the end of December."

Arriva has faced a barrage of criticism since taking over the service – and was told to improve by the health watchdog, Care Quality Commission.

Its inspectors found patients were often picked up late, there was no proper plan for cleaning ambulances and that new staff were allowed to start work before Criminal Records Bureau checks were completed.

Agnes Greensmith, of Rowlatts Hill, Leicester, waited nearly four hours for transport home from Leicester Royal Infirmary in October.

The 93-year-old, who suffers from chronic conditions including diabetes and angina, said: "I hope this will give the company the incentive to improve.

"I am supposed to be going back to the hospital but I am putting it off because of the risk I will have to sit there waiting for hours to get home."

Ron Jenkins, of Wymeswold, who missed an appointment at Loughborough Hospital because his lift from Arriva failed to turn up on time in October, said he was pleased action had been taken.

The 75-year-old said: "The contract should be taken away from Arriva altogether.

"The company should concentrate on buses and leave ambulance services to others.

"I wrote and complained and have still not even received an acknowledgement."

Zuffar Haq, of Leicester Mercury Patients' Panel, said: "I have been asking for some time what sanctions might be imposed on Arriva.

"I am glad these have now been applied and I hope it will focus the minds of Arriva on providing a better service."

Arriva declined to comment.

London 2012 Olympics chief Lord Coe, a graduate and pro-chancellor of Loughborough University, was also honoured at the Sports Personality of the Year event.

The former Olympic middle-distance runner and MP won the Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to UK sport.

The award recognised not only his career as an athlete, during which he won four Olympic medals including two golds, but also his leadership in the organising of the London Olympic and Paralympic Games.

He was presented with the award on Sunday night by the Duchess of Cambridge.

A Loughborough University spokesman said: "We are delighted that Lord Sebastian Coe has been recognised with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

"Lord Coe is one of the greatest advocates of the university, alongside being a leading figure for sport in the country.

"It is fitting that he has received the award this year, after playing such a pivotal role in ensuring the successful staging of the Olympics and Paralympics."

Lord Coe studied economics and social history at Loughborough in the 1970s and was made an honorary doctor of technology in 1985. He is also a member of the university's governing body.

They have spent the past 26 years transforming the sports facilities in their village.

Now, Sue and Jim Houghton, of Desford, have been recognised for their hard work and dedication.

They received the Unsung Hero award at Sunday's BBC Sports Personality of the Year ceremony in London

The couple launched their Sport in Desford committee in 1986 after a group of villagers appealed to the parish council for help in creating better sports facilities.

Thanks to the support of other volunteers and about £1 million in grants, the facilities now include a bowling green, sports halls, squash courts, tennis courts, a Scout headquarters, football pitches and changing rooms on two sites in the village.

The space is used by a variety clubs and groups in Desford and their two-storey clubhouse building is also a party venue with four staff members.

The couple were presented with their award by ex-footballer Fabrice Muamba – who was forced to retire after suffering a cardiac arrest on the pitch – and were interviewed by BBC presenter Sue Barker.

Jim said: "It's just tremendous. This award is for all the dozens of coaches and many volunteers at Sport in Desford – the people who make it possible."

Sue put their success down to always demanding more, quoting George Bernard Shaw to the audience and television viewers.

She said: "George Bernard Shaw said that the reasonable adapt themselves to the ways of the world, the unreasonable persist in adapting the world to themselves, so all progress is made by the unreasonable.

"Be unreasonable, dream huge dreams and with a good team around you it's amazing what you can achieve."

The couple went forward for the main honour after winning the BBC East Midlands award.

They were nominated by Graeme Chilvers, health and recreation manager at Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council.

He said: "Jim and Sue have an amazing ability to inspire and support other people to be healthy and give something back to the community with no thought for getting recognition themselves.

"They have changed lives, the community and inspired thousands of individuals to participate in sport."

Ruth Camamile, a parish, borough and county councillor for Desford, said: "It's brilliant that they received the award. They've masterminded Sport in Desford from the very beginning."

Clubhouse manager David Bielby said: "It's fantastic and very well deserved.

"When they started Desford just had a couple of old football pitches with a wooden changing block that was falling apart."

For the second time in almost two years, the Braunstone parkrun field included Olympians Lisa Dobriskey and Ricky Soos.

The husband-and-wife duo took first and second places at their last appearance at the weekly 5k race, in February 2011, and, not surprisingly, they won their respective categories once again.

Soos took 10 seconds off his previous time to cross the line in 16min 04sec and seal his second win.

The Mansfield Harrier, who competed in the 2004 Olympics in the 800m, recorded a 56-second advantage over his wife, who still holds the women's record time for the course of 16.15.

Dobriskey, herself part of Team GB during London 2012, recorded the third-fastest time run by a woman over the course.

Debutant Simon Allen, of Owls AC, was second overall in a time of 16.33 while Canix's Chris Lockhart, running with two huskies, took third place in 16.58.

The 17-time runner, himself a winner 11 months ago, sealed his eighth top-three finish.

In the women's race, Leicester Coritanian Joanne Bradford secured her second runner-up spot from as many appearances, crossing the line in a personal best of 18.38, a 19-second improvement.

Charnwood's Clare McKittrick, a winner on four previous occasions, ran home in 19.06 to take third.

Harry Wheeler was the first home for the under-15 section, crossing the line in a personal best time of 19.46.

Paul Leaney was the latest Braunstone parkrunner to join the exclusive 50 club, the national group of runners that have completed 50 or more parkruns.

The Senior League Premier Division title is far from a done deal.

A second-half rally at Caterpillar, however, established Rothley Imps firmly in the role of favourites to retain their crown as they completed a 4-2 success.

Imps now have a nine-point advantage over second-placed Caterpillar. They might have two games in hand on the defending champions, but they have already suffered a brace of defeats to Rothley.

That did not look like being the case when goals from Adam McNally and Shaun Robinson gave Caterpillar a 2-1 half-time advantage.

But the Black brothers struck after the interval to turn the game on its head. Aiden helped himself to a treble and the other Imps' goal came from Aaron.

Highfield Rangers returned to action – and winning ways – as they completed a 3-0 victory at Desford.

Jackson Powell, Tim Bond and Fariq Yusaf shared the goals, which pushed Rangers up to fourth place.

Birstall United maintained their upturn in form with a useful point at Cottesmore Amateurs. The goalless draw in Rutland snapped Amateurs' winning streak at four.

Blaby & Whetstone Athletic's hopes of putting pressure on the leading pair in the East Midlands Counties League were dashed – for the time being at least – by Basford United.

The second-placed side snatched all three points at Warwick Road courtesy of an own goal, the only one of the match.

There were finally smiles around the Ibstock United camp as they claimed their first league win of the season, pipping Holwell Sports at Welby Road.

Goals from Andy Fell and Jamie Chamberlain gave United a flying start as they went 2-0 up in the first 13 minutes.

The hosts did pull a goal back but Ibstock held on to clinch three points. They remain at the foot of the table but life will seem a good deal rosier now.

Lutterworth Athletic went down to a last-minute goal at home to Radcliffe, and Thurnby Nirvana finished empty-handed as they were beaten by the only goal at Greenwood Meadows.

St Andrews had not won in the previous seven matches as they travelled to Gedling Miners Welfare. But they ended that difficult sequence in some style with a 3-0 victory.

Brady Hickey, Sam Hollis and Rich Saunders – who could prove a key acquisition over the second half of the season – scored the goals.

Bardon Hill Sports earned a place in the second round of the League Cup with a good win at Holbrook.

Dean Partner and Sam Saunt netted to give the county side a 2-0 verdict.

Loughborough Students and Leicester Lions held their nerve to land important home victories in their penultimate matches of 2012.

Students recovered from a 17-0 half-time deficit to beat Cinderford 28-25 in National One, while Lions again demonstrated their superb form at Westleigh Park with a 10-9 National Two North success against play-off chasers Preston Grasshoppers.

Loughborough stormed out after the interval and reduced the arrears to three points within 13 minutes through tries from Matt Rogerson and Chris Kinloch, both converted by Stuart Hall.

Another Cinderford penalty stretched the lead before Students finally got themselves in front with 11 minutes to go. Rhys Owen crossed and Hall added the extras.

Jordan Brooks secured the bonus point four minutes later and Hall again did the business to put Students 28-20 ahead.

A late try gave Cinderford hope but, ultimately, it proved to be just a bonus point as Loughborough held on.

Students are now 11 points clear of the bottom three and are just seven points behind a Cinderford side who sit comfortably in mid-table.

Lions have now won six out of eight league fixtures at home after seeing off another top-six side.

Sean Taylor kicked two penalties for visitors Preston before Lions captain Gareth Collins got the all-important try after 37 minutes.

Jonathan Lowdon converted but Taylor added another penalty to put Preston back ahead by the interval.

Visiting hooker Philip Mills saw red after 53 minutes but gutsy Grasshoppers held on until the 68th minute when Lions replacement Jon Boden slotted the winning penalty.

South Leicester and Hinckley were narrow National Three Midlands winners.

Third-placed South had a 17-15 win against Longton, while Hinckley remain fifth after taking the derby honours by a narrow 22-17 margin at Syston.

Before the game at Welford Road, both South Leicester and Longton paid their respects to long-serving South member Alan Cocks, who passed away last week.

It was a tough game for South as, although Sam Greasley scored early on, he and Josh McLaurin were sent to the bin and Longton took advantage to move 15-5 ahead.

South dragged themselves back into the game when McLaurin crossed before he saw red.

South kept pressing and Joe Glover's last-gasp conversion of a penalty-try sealed the four points.

Phil Brocken, Kris McFedries and leading scorer Devon Constant were on target for Hinckley against Syston at Barkby Road, while the consistent Josh Smith added two conversions and a penalty for his side.

Cases dealt with at Leicester Magistrates' Court include:

Ieuan David Bowkett (55), of Heybrook Avenue, Blaby, pleaded guilty to fraud by providing a CV with false details, intending to cause a person a loss.

He was given a community order to carry out 120 hours of unpaid work and pay £50 compensation to the victim.

Bowkett was also ordered to pay £85 in court costs.

Stefan Lescott (23), of Drinkstone Road, Crown Hills, Leicester, was found guilty in his absence of failing to produce a vehicle test certificate and of using a vehicle without a valid test certificate.

He was fined £200 and ordered to pay £85 court costs.

Jason Hughes (40), of Upper Hall Close, Humberstone, Leicester, pleaded guilty to assault and being drunk in a sports ground.

He admitted committing the offences while serving a suspended sentence for an offence of excess alcohol.

He was given a community order for six months and told he must not consume alcohol in a public place for six months.

Hughes must pay £100 compensation to the victim of the assault and was given a football banning order for three years.

His suspended sentence was extended to 24 months.

Nathan Randall (19), of Guildford Street, Westcotes, pleaded guilty to possessing cannabis.

He was conditionally discharged for 12 months and ordered to pay £85 costs.

Taryn McLeish (20), of Fosse Road South, Leicester, pleaded guilty to stealing food to the value of £34.52 from Asda, in Braunstone Town, on October 23.

She was conditionally discharged for 12 months and ordered to pay costs of £50.

Nigel Wigley (58), of Mill Lane, Frisby on the Wreake, was found guilty in his absence of driving at 36mph in a 30mph zone in Aylestone Road, Leicester, on May 8.

Wigley was fined £200 and ordered to pay court costs of £85. He was also given a three-point penalty on his driving licence.

A burglar who targeted the home of friends when he knew they were out shopping has been jailed for two years.

The victims returned home to find a light on in their flat and Robert Tobolski helping himself to their possessions.

He was arrested after a skirmish with the couple in the back yard of their home, in Montrose Road, Aylestone, Leicester.

Leicester Crown Court was told that the 28-year-old had been introduced to the couple three weeks earlier and they had met him on about seven occasions.

On the day of the break-in – November 10 – Tobolsk met the pair in Leicester city centre.

He asked for a lift to Evington Road but they refused so they could carry on with their shopping and he left.

The couple returned home at 6.45pm to find Tobolski in their home, near a window, with his hood up.

Victoria Rose, prosecuting, said: "His hood fell down and they realised it was him."

Outside, he tried to push the male victim to get away, causing him to fall over.

The defendant shouted threats that he would harm them and destroy their car, the court heard.

The victim's partner also tried to stop him and ended up chasing him and grabbing a rucksack off his back, containing some property from their home.

Miss Rose said: "Inside, they found their belongings had been turned over and there was a television and DVD player also missing, along with a necklace."

The police detained Tobolski at 7.20pm and recovered the necklace and two remote controls.

Tobolski initially lied, claiming he had called to see the couple and realised their flat had been burgled and climbed in to look for the intruder.

However, he later pleaded guilty to committing the burglary.

He asked for four other Leicester break-ins, in Narborough Road and Western Road, between September and October, to be taken into consideration.

The court heard that Tobolski, who had no previous convictions recorded in the UK, was of no fixed address and had been living rough. David Charman, mitigating, said: "He very much regrets his behaviour and would like to apologise to the victims.

"He lost his job and took those items in order to live.

"He'd drunk half a bottle of whisky."

Judge Simon Hammond said: "He committed the burglary no doubt knowing they were in town.

"For many burglary victims their homes are never the same again."

Leicester Tigers skipper Geordan Murphy paid tribute to his side's never-ending spirit and determination as they bagged a dramatic Heineken Cup win in Italy.

Tigers hammered away at the Treviso line in the closing stages as they sought a go-ahead try in energy-sapping conditions of the soaked Stadio di Monigo.

That persistence finally paid off with just 160 seconds of the game remaining when referee Alain Rolland awarded a penalty-try to the visitors after Treviso had repeatedly infringed in the scrum.

George Ford's conversion pushed Tigers back in front by a point at 14-13 and they hung on for victory.

"It was not pretty but we showed an abundance of spirit, a great work-rate and an ability to dig in," said Irishman Murphy, who made a huge impact after going on as a second-half replacement.

"Treviso's defence was amazing and they slowed the ball down at the breakdown.

"They were right on the edge of legality and they made it difficult for us. It was a tough game.

"When we saw the rain falling that morning, we thought that would play into their hands. We thought it would be trench warfare and that's what it was.

"The ball was so wet and it was so heavy underfoot that we were inaccurate at stages. It was difficult to get the timing right. You could get stuck in the mud if you weren't moving and, if you were, you tended to get ahead of the ball.

"Handling was very difficult in conditions like that. It probably was not a good spectacle. It was an old-fashioned game of rugby on a waterlogged pitch.

"But now we have two difficult games to go and, hopefully, in a few months' time, people will just remember the four points which is what we came here to get."

Tigers may have needed a late try to win it, but they went ahead in the 14th minute with their try of the season which began underneath their own posts.

Murphy said the end-to-end move was something reminiscent of the Barbarians in their 1970s pomp.

"It was up there with some of the best tries we have scored over the years," said the 34-year-old.

"Right from the go, it had a bit of Barbarians from 1973 in it, with Ben Youngs near his own posts deciding to tap-and-go.

"When he set off, (director of rugby) Richard Cockerill was probably in the stands shouting at him to kick it into row Z.

"But he sprinted past three players, passed to Ant Allen, who got stuck in quicksand but off-loaded to Mat Tait.

"Someone made a great tackle on him but he managed to offload back to Ant and he passed to Adam Thompstone, who raced it in. It was great stuff.

"I enjoyed getting on after the break. I managed to get up to speed quickly and I enjoyed rolling up my sleeves, helping out and getting stuck in."

A solicitor whose career was in ruins after he was jailed for a crime he said he did not commit has won his four-year quest to clear his name.

Mohammed Imran Hussain served three months in prison after a jury convicted him of the offence of witness intimidation, in January last year.

The conviction meant the 35-year-old was not allowed to practice as a lawyer – a career for which he had studied for seven years.

Now, the married father-of-four is again working for Sakhi Solicitors, in Greyfriars, Leicester, after an appeal court quashed the conviction.

He had been accused of pointing a client in the direction of a room at Loughborough Magistrates' Court in which a prosecution witness was sitting alone waiting for their trial to begin.

Mr Hussain's client went to the room and made threatening gestures to the witness. He was later jailed for criminal damage and witness intimidation.

Mr Hussain was jailed after a jury saw CCTV footage which apparently showed him pointing his client toward the room.

An appeal court ruled the conviction was unsafe because the CCTV did not record sound and therefore there was no evidence of Mr Hussain encouraging his client to commit the offence.

Mr Hussain said: "I don't break easily because I am a tough character but I was distraught.

"I was inside for three months and I will never forget it. I met people I had represented and I have to say they helped me stay sane.

"My young children had to come to see me in prison. I will remember that for the rest of my life and so will they.

"It took me seven years to become a solicitor and everything I worked for was gone when I was convicted.

"I was convicted on the basis of a hand gesture which was caught on CCTV.

"I did not encourage my client to go to the room to intimidate a witness.

"Why would I do that? I would never do anything so stupid.

"I'm finally free after this extensive ordeal and nightmare.

"My family has suffered financially and we have borrowed to survive."

Raza Sakhi, Mr Hussain's employer then and now, said: "He told me he was innocent from day one and I never once doubted him.

"I have supported him financially and morally even though people were saying to me 'your firm will get a bad name for supporting a solicitor who has been convicted of a crime'.

"Now he has been vindicated and is able to practice I am glad to say I have supported him and his family."

Mr Hussain told his original trial at Lincoln Crown Court that the day in question was only the third time he had been to the Loughborough court and he did not know the private room was used as a witness waiting area.

He said he suggested his client go to the room as he believed a woman his client was interested in was there.

Senior judges at the Court of Appeal in London ruled Mr Hussain's conviction unsafe following a hearing in March last year.

They ordered a retrial, which took place at Nottingham Crown Court two months ago.

A judge at that trial ordered the jury to acquit Mr Hussain.

His Honour Judge Sampson told the hearing that asking jurors to judge the case on the basis of a gesture captured on CCTV and without sound was unsafe.

It is believed to be where Richard III spent his penultimate night before he was killed at Bosworth.

Now, more than 170 years after Leicester's Blue Boar Inn was demolished, university researchers say they have produced an accurate model of the building.

The University of Leicester experts were able to make a reconstruction of the building following the discovery of a notebook in a private collection containing a survey of the timber-framed inn.

The notes, by architect Henry Goddard, are thought to have been compiled shortly before the inn was demolished in 1836 and were discovered at the family's Leicestershire home where they had remained untouched for decades.

The university used the drawings to create a computer model, which was turned into a scale model using a 3D printer.

They hope the model will eventually go on display to the public.

The 15th century Blue Boar stood in Highcross Street – partly on the site now occupied by a Travelodge.

Richard Buckley, co-director of archaeological services, at the university said: "This is another piece of the Richard III story and that's why it's so exciting.

"The Blue Boar was one of medieval Leicester's principal inns – a place where aristocrats and wealthy merchants would stay when moving around the country. It was the grand hotel of its time.

"It's where Richard III is believed to have stayed on his way to Bosworth from Nottingham.

"He is said to have come down to Leicester on August 20 and stayed the night in a large first-floor chamber.

"Legend has it Richard didn't like sleeping in strange beds, so had his own brought down from Nottingham in knock-down form so it could be put together at the inn.

"His death meant he never returned to claim it, so the bed became a tourist haunt and may have eventually ended up in the collections of the county museum service at Donington le Heath Manor House."

Until now, the only evidence for what the inn looked like was a pair of engravings made by Leicestershire artist John Flower in 1826.

The notebooks contained extensive measurements of a large timber-frame building which Richard immediately recognised as the Blue Boar Inn.

He said: "What was thrilling about it was that the drawings were so detailed. They showed how the building was put together in feet and inches."

Richard asked Steffan Davies, an architect with experience in historic building drawings, to make a computer plan.

This was then passed to the university's physics and astronomy department and converted into a scale model using a 3D printer.

It shows fireplaces and the chamber in which Richard III was said to have stayed .

It is still not known whether the bones found underneath a city centre car park in August are those of the king.

Results of DNA tests are expected next month.

A pharmacist who exposed himself to two teenage girls and committed an indecent act in front of a woman has been suspended.

Fateh Kumar Patel (58) regularly walked naked around his house in Berkeley Close, Oadby, and held a sign up reading "I like your pretty panties", which was witnessed by people outside his home.

He had worked as relief pharmacist in various branches of Boots in Leicester for 30 years.

Patel was convicted of eight counts of indecent exposure in 2010 and the General Pharmaceutical Council yesterday suspended him from the profession for a year.

The panel decided not to strike off Patel, who now works in a call centre, because he had responded well to rehabilitation and quit his job and reported himself for misconduct.

Police initially took no action when a woman complained he was performing a lewd act in full view of her.

But he was eventually arrested and pleaded guilty to eight counts of indecent exposure, at Leicester Crown Court on July 1, 2010.

He was given a community sentence, made to sign the sex offender register for five years, ordered to complete 120 hours of unpaid work and forced to undergo a rehabilitation programme.

Panel chairman Siobhan Goodrich said: "When in his own home he walked around naked and exposed himself to [the victim].

"Police obtained statements from two others.

"Such sexual misconduct, albeit at the lower end of the scale, is very serious."

Patel said he carried out the acts at a time when he was "experiencing difficulties in his marriage".

His wife and daughter gave statements supporting him and was described as hard-working by his new employer.

Ms Goodrich said: "He did not return to pharmacy and does not intend to do so because of the effect his conviction would have on public confidence in the profession.

"We considered his remorse is complete, profound and, above all, sincere.

"Nonetheless, we considered issuing a warning would be wholly insufficient to maintain public confidence in the profession."

The panel said it would be disproportionate to permanently remove Patel from the pharmaceutical register.

A man had to be rescued from a first-floor flat after fire broke out in the kebab shop downstairs.

The man raised the alarm in the early hours of yesterday as smoke came up from the ground floor of the premises in Mill Street, in Oakham.

A fire service controller told him over the phone what to do to keep safe until the fire crews arrived.

Within minutes, a ladder was put up to a first-floor window in the Victorian building and the man was taken to safety.

He was treated at the scene by an ambulance crew for the effects of breathing in smoke.

The incident at Zorba's Kebab Shop destroyed half the premises.

A fire service spokesman said: "We received a call at 4.17am from the occupant of the flat. He was advised on how to keep safe while the crews made their way to the scene.

"He was rescued through an upstairs window."

Firefighters quickly got the blaze under control, preventing it spreading upstairs.

They remained on site for about two hours to damp down the embers.

Nobody was available for comment at the shop but it is believed the damage will take thousands of pounds to repair.

An Oakham resident said: "It is a popular late-night food stop for people leaving pubs and clubs.

"It is in a real mess and damaged equipment has been pulled out and left in an alley nearby."

The fire service said the blaze was caused by faulty electrical equipment in the shop.

Martin Crowson looks back at five key points from the weekend's rugby action.

1 If anyone needed to be reminded of the value of club captain Geordan Murphy to Leicester Tigers, the last few weeks have made that perfectly clear. As he ponders whether to continue his career by seeking another contract at the club, the Irishman has made huge impacts off the bench against both Bath, in the Premiership, and Treviso, in the Heineken Cup, on Saturday. He went on, rolled up his sleeves and lifted his team-mates' flagging fortunes. Leading by example, Murphy has been clever, skilful and very spiky.

2 I ordered a celebratory peppered steak at Da Pino restaurant in the centre of Treviso after the game on Saturday night. It was superb. But it was served on a piece of toast. Potatoes, carrots, courgettes and peppered steak – on toast! Is this some sort of local speciality or had the chef had one too many sangiovese? Please tweet me @martin_crowson if you know the answer.

3 The Toulon bench for their nine-try, 62-0 drubbing of Sale Sharks in the Heineken Cup was as follows: Sebastien Bruno, Andrew Sheridan, Carl Hayman, Jocelino Suta, Mathieu Bastareaud, Juan Fernandez Lobbe, Jonny Wilkinson and Simon Shaw. At a rough guess, I reckon that talent would cost around £2million a year to keep. That's half the English salary cap – on the bench! And South Africa star Bryan Habana is on his way next season too!

4 The controversy surrounding referee Alain Rolland's performance in Treviso over-shadowed a Leicester try that should be lighting up highlights reels for weeks to come. Adam Thompstone's 14th-minute score was sensational. The try-scorer and Anthony Allen did well to keep up with play, Ben Youngs created it with superb vision and pace after a quick tap-and-go, and Mat Tait's back-handed offload was world-class. More of the same please Leicester.

5 Hats off to two sides at the weekend for crucial results. Clermont showed what a world-class side they are by beating champions Leinster in their own back yard, winning every single facet of the game. And Northampton's 10-9 win at Ulster showed tremendous character and resolve with their backs against the walls and their players and coaching staff under fire. Ouch, it almost hurt to write that sentence.

Nigel Benn has bowed out of boxing after an exhibition bout in Leicester.

Promoter Scott Lansdowne brought 'The Dark Destroyer' to Liquid Envy nightclub for his final ring appearance in a career that included world titles at two weights and epic ring battles against Gerald McClellan, Chris Eubank and many more.

Lansdowne paired Benn with Barinder Singh at the city-centre venue – and a big crowd saw Benn show glimpses of the skills and power that made him arguably Britain's most exciting fighter of the post-war era.

Singh said afterwards: "It really hurt in there, but it was the best experience of my life."

Benn, who is emigrating to Australia, took the microphone to thank fans for their support throughout his career and introduced them to his 16-year-old son Conor. "He will be world champion," he predicted.

The EBF-sanctioned show, backed by Wigston Tyres and Ramada Encore, also featured Braunstone welterweight Lester Walsh in British-title action.

Walsh picked himself off the floor to outpoint heavy-handed beanpole Kieran Cumberbatch in March – and the rematch produced six rounds of give-and-take thrills.

The fight was decided by a dramatic last round. The referee docked Cumberbatch a point and the Manchester fighter was relieved to hear the final bell after Walsh buckled his knees with a big attack in the dying seconds.

That was enough to secure a 58-57 points win for the Walsh.

Loughborough heavyweight Lenny Buttling was also in action.

Buttling, making the first defence of the EBF Novice Midlands Area title he took from Scott King in September, stopped Craig Hyton in the fourth round.

Buttling soon got his jab working and forced a standing count in the opening round after he pinned Hyton in a neutral corner.

The referee waved off the fight in the dying seconds of the fourth with Hyton under heavy fire again.

There was big-fight heartbreak for Rowlatts Hill ticket-seller Robbie Everitt. He took the full count in the opening round of his clash against Jamie Wheeler for the vacant EBF Novice Midlands Area super-middleweight title.

Thurmaston light-heavyweight Shaun Warner hopes a title fight will be next after he dominated Johnny Zico and there were wins for Robert Scholten and Kevin Flannigan.

The daughter of a missing woman has made a plea for her to come home in time for Christmas.

Michelle Grimbley, 45, was last seen by her family on Friday, October 19, near to her home in Beaumanor Road, off Abbey Lane, Leicester.

Her daughter, Nicola, said: "We really miss you, Mum, and we want to have you home for Christmas. Please come home."

Today, police were due to carry out searches in Beaumont Leys as part of the investigation into Michelle's disappearance.

Officers hope this will provide information that will lead them to Michelle, who is white, 5ft 4in, of medium build and with shaved hair.

Inspector Pete Williams, the senior investigating officer, said: "We are understandably concerned and, with Christmas just around the corner, we want to get Michelle home and with her family.

"Officers will be carrying out searches in Beaumont Leys Lane, Corporation Road and Abbey Lane in the hope of finding a clue that will lead us to Michelle. There have been a number of sightings of Michelle since she was reported missing to us, mainly in Beaumont Leys.

"However, the last sighting of her was at the beginning of December, in Marwood Road.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Leicestershire Police's missing from home team on 101.

Goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel said Leicester City did not deserve to lose against Millwall.

City slumped to defeat after substitute Chris Taylor grabbed a second-half winner which decided a scrappy, physical encounter in which City had enjoyed the majority of possession without looking anywhere near their attacking best.

But Schmeichel said the defeat was harsh on Nigel Pearson's men.

"I thought we started well," he said.

"When you come here you know what you are going to get, but I thought we didn't deserve to lose the game.

"We were well in the game but conceded a sloppy goal. Then we were on a back foot.

"Up to then, we had things under control and hoped to make a push in the last 10 minutes. It was an annoying goal to concede and we couldn't pull it back.

"There weren't too many chances and their keeper made a good save from David Nugent in the first half. Nine times out of 10 he would score that one.

"We are gutted. We have scrapped it out, given everything but couldn't manage to do it."

City took a more direct approach in the closing stages as they searched for an equaliser, but Schmeichel said City just did not get the luck they needed to force a breakthrough.

Schmeichel himself came up for several set-pieces in the final minutes as City pushed for an equaliser.

"When you get into that physical battle and are pumping balls into the area, you need that bit of luck and the ball to fall for you. When the box is so congested, no-one is going to be able to chest it down and shoot," he said.

"You need the ball to fall for you. I came up and got my head on one but it hit their goalkeeper, David Forde. Another day it doesn't hit him and it may have fallen to one of our players.

"When you are chasing the game that is the luck you need to go for you."

"They had some tall players at the back and you have to put the ball into areas and hope you can make it as difficult for the defence as possible. It is difficult for strikers to hold the ball up and flick balls on against two very big physical centre halves. I thought our strikers did all right but it didn't happen for us."