A 14-year-old boy who collapsed and died while out jogging was a victim of sudden adult death syndrome, an inquest heard.

Joe Humphries, who was 6ft 3in and fit and healthy, died minutes from his home in Rothley.

At an inquest in Loughborough on Thursday, pathologist Roger Malcomson said tests were unable to determine the cause of the teenager's death.

The pathologist said Joe, of Halywell Nook, died of either a seizure or cardiac arrhythmia (an abnormal heart beat) on October 4.

The inquest heard Joe might have been saved if he had been treated within minutes of being taken ill – the same kind of immediate treatment Premiers League footballer Fabrice Muamba received when he collapsed on the pitch in March last year during an FA Cup game between Spurs and Bolton.

The 24-year-old survived despite his heart having reportedly stopped for an hour.

Mr Malcomson said: "Mr Muamba was a very lucky man. That was a good example of how the right people with the right expertise and the right drugs were on the spot.''

Mr Malcolmson said Joe was most likely unconscious while still upright, as evidence showed he did not put his arms out to stop his fall.

The pathologist told Joe's father, Steve – a former Leicester city goalkeeper – and mother, Angela, that their son's brain and heart had been sent for analysis by neurologists and cardiologists.

Coroner Carolyn Hull recorded a verdict that Joe, a pupil at De Lisle College in Loughborough, died of sudden adult death syndrome.

She said: "Joe had everything to live for. He had his whole life in front of him."

Joe's parents, who were too upset to talk after the inquest, have set up the Joe Humphries Memorial Trust in their son's name.

On the trust website, they say: "This trust will promote research into, and awareness of, sudden unexpected death in young people and promote education and training for young people and those who live and work with young people into how to react to unexpected life-threatening situations.

"This is without doubt a most fitting tribute to such a gentle, loveable and humble giant who, in his very short life, has touched the hearts and minds of so many people across the community.

"Just an ordinary Joe, with an extraordinary talent and ability to reach out to people and who lived life to the full."

For more information about the trust, go to:

www.jhmt.org.uk

Campaigners have launched a petition opposing plans to build more than 600 homes in a town.

Developers want to build on a swathe of farmland at Money Hill, off Nottingham Road, in Ashby.

But more than 700 people have signed a petition organised by the newly-formed Nottingham Road and Wood Street Action Group (NoRAG).

Initial plans for a first phase of 130 homes were submitted to North West Leicestershire District Council last month by a consortium of developers, including Colonnade, Taylor Woodrow and Bloor Homes.

Opponents are concerned about the scale of the project and increased traffic along Nottingham Road and Woodcock Way, where vehicles would turn in to the estate.

Nottingham Road resident Mike Ball, 57, who helped set up NoRAG, described the scheme as "crazy".

"The scheme is too big and will swamp the town," he said.

"We are particularly concerned about increased traffic along Nottingham Road and it being channelled through Woodcock Way, which at present is nothing more than a cul-de-sac.

"Nottingham Road is already congested with traffic and we have serious doubts about the safety of the proposed access to the initial development through Woodcock Way.

"It is on a blind bend and opposite a large secondary school.

"They also plan to build a medical centre in phase one which will only bring even more traffic."

Alan Mason, 66, who lives in Woodcock Way, said: "The junction with Nottingham Road is just two tight for any significant volume of traffic.

"They would need to take land away from numbers 1 and 2 on either side just to get in.

"Expecting elderly and infirm people to walk 400 metres up a hill from Ashby town centre to get to the medical centre is unrealistic – it's not going to happen.

"I know some houses have to be built but I believe there are better locations in the town."

Ashby Town Council is backing residents' concerns after councillors voted unanimously to oppose the 130-home application.

Council leader John Coxon said: "We feel the location of these 130 homes and access is inappropriate. Traffic already backs up along Nottingham Road to the bypass at peak times and this will only make things worse.

"The design of the proposed traffic island at Woodcock Way is also unacceptable.

"It will result in the town becoming clogged up with cars and make life impossible for people living in that area."

Money Hill Consortium spokesman Matthew Inman said: "We are fully aware of these concerns so are reducing the number of new homes that will eventually use Nottingham Road.

"We have already agreed to bring forward a new road from the bypass for construction traffic."

He said improvements had been made to the design of the proposed junction and that a pedestrian crossing and average speed cameras were being considered to improve safety in Nottingham Road.

A planning application for the bulk of the scheme is expected in the spring.

It will include a primary school, a care home and 475 homes, serviced by an access road off the bypass.

To sign the petition, visit:

www.norag.co.uk

Follow in Twitter:

@NoRAGAshby

Facebook:

www.facebook.com/NoRAGAshby

Ed Slater is predicting a "massive" forward battle against London Welsh today as he returns from duty with England Saxons.

The Welford Road encounter is Leicester Tigers' first in the Premiership since they defeated Worcester Warriors in dramatic fashion at the turn of the year.

"It is important that we kick on and pick up where we left off against Worcester," said the versatile Slater, who can play either as a lock or back-row forward and today he starts on the replacements' bench.

"London Welsh won't make it easy for us but, even in these weeks without our international players, we have still got a strong side.

"If we can win our games this month, then we will be in a strong position."

Slater was part of the pack that forced a crucial win over Worcester at Sixways with a last-minute penalty try.

He is expecting the Tigers forwards to have to battle it out in the trenches when Welsh come calling this afternoon.

"They are a physical side with a big pack," said the 24-year-old. "They carry well and work hard for each other. They can cause plenty of danger and have already shown that they won't be pushovers, so we need to be careful how we go about things.

"They will be coming here with nothing to lose and we have to be right on the money. The forward battle will be massive for us.

"We have to have a good set-piece and be solid in the scrum. If we can get ball, recycle it well and quickly, with the attacking threat we have in the backline, we can score some points."

Slater enjoyed his stint away with the Saxons, but also relishes the competition for places among the forwards at Leicester, who still boast a power-house pack even without the likes of Dan Cole, Tom Youngs, Geoff Parling and Martin Castrogiovanni, who are all away in Six Nations action.

"It is always a good experience to go away with an England set-up," said Slater. "You see how different players operate and you are putting your name in the hat for future selection. You also have a chance to test yourself against very good players."

There is no let-up, though, closer to home with the Tigers. Slater said: "It is an intense environment and you have to be on the money. There is no room for mistakes and the pressure is on, so you either thrive on that or buckle.

"There are some big players in there, too, and people like George Chuter and Louis Deacon lead us well. They are the kind of people you need when you have internationals stretching your resources."

People are being warned to brace themselves for four inches of snow this weekend.

A warning has been issued for Leicestershire by the Met Office, urging people to keep an eye on the weather.

While there was the possibility of a dusting of snow this morning, the main fall is expected on Sunday and Monday, when a large bank of rain clouds is expected to collide with a mass of cold air, creating snowstorms throughout the Midlands and the North.

The Met Office is predicting up to about four inches (10cm) of snow on Sunday and Monday, with the possibility of more on higher ground.

With freezing temperatures predicted for the rest of the week, it could be a chilly and slippery half-term holiday for children.

A Met Office spokeswoman said: "We have issued a yellow warning and up to 10cm could fall on Leicestershire.

"As we head through the weekend, an area of low pressure will draw cold air from the north-east across the country.

"On Sunday, rain will hit the cold air and give snow for many, especially for central and northern areas of the UK."

She said there was still a lot of uncertainty about where the snow would fall.

She said: "People should stay up-to-date with the latest forecasts and warnings and be prepared for some disruption to travel."

Leicestershire County Council told all gritter lorry drivers to report to their depots yesterday evening.

A council spokeswoman said: "We will be monitoring weather forecasts closely and are prepared, should it snow."

Temperatures are not expected to get above 3C (37F) between now and Wednesday.

A spokesman for Leicester City Council said further stocks of gritting salt had been bought, at a cost of £37,000.

Gritters were out in the city last night and will be back out again tonight.

She said: "Over the past two weeks we have been restocking with grit and we have now got 1,575 tonnes of salt in stock and at least another 60 tonnes to come on Monday."

Leicester Mercury weatherman Dave Mutton said: "It looks like being quite wintry over the coming days.

"We've got eastern fronts coming up against cold air and over Sunday night into Monday that could mean snow.

"It's not as bad here as it will be in the east of America, though – they're being warned of up to 2ft of snow."

Dave said the extreme weather hitting the USA this weekend could be coming our way.

He said: "I've be keeping an eye on that low pressure.

"If it gets caught in the jet stream it could form up again and bring heavy snow here."

He said temperatures were likely to stay very low throughout next week, meaning any snow that did fall could hang around, causing a hazard to people driving and walking.

A warning has also been issued by the Highways Agency, which is responsible for motorways and trunk roads.

Steve Crosthwaite, head of the agency's National Traffic Operations Centre, said: "We would advise road users to stay alert to the possibility of severe weather and to check the latest forecast before their journey.

"Anyone setting off on Saturday should be prepared for more difficult conditions on the way home."

A student has described the terrifying moment a masked stranger grabbed and stabbed her as she walked home.

The attacker, whose face was covered by a scarf or a balaclava targeted the 22-year-old as she walked home from the library at De Montfort University on Tuesday night.

The attack, during which the man hit her on her back and sides several times, was over in moments.

People who came to the woman's aid took her indoors and realised blood was running from a wound at the base of her back.

Doctors at Leicester Royal Infirmary told her the wound had been caused by a knife.

She said yesterday she had felt uneasy when she saw the man ahead of her, standing in the shadows. "It was weird, but I told myself he was probably just waiting for a cab, so I carried on walking toward him," she said.

"Just as I passed him, I could sense he was moving towards me and I felt him grab me from behind.

"He held my arms and began hitting me in the back and on my side, near my kidney.

"It felt like he was hitting me with something blunt. I just wanted to get him off me so I struggled with him.

"I even threw my bag at him because I thought he was probably trying to rob me. He ignored it.

"In all this time he didn't say anything to me at all and then he just stopped and walked away. He didn't even turn back to look at me.

"It's scary because I don't know what his motive was. I hope it was just a random thing and nothing to do with me.

"It was like he was waiting for a chance to attack someone and I was the first person who came along when there was nobody else around.

"I walk this way every day and always feel safe because there's always lots of people around.

"I didn't go out for a couple of days but I'm determined to get back to normal."

The attack happened in Eastern Boulevard, near Upperton Road, Leicester at 10.30pm.

Police have stepped up patrols in the area. Detective Constable Tim Smith said: "Normally, the motive in a case such as this would be robbery, but that doesn't appear to be the case here. This is unusual and isolated incident.

"We believe there were people in the area at the time and it is possible someone saw him. Even if it did not seem suspicious to them at the time, it is important they speak to us about what they saw."

The suspect is about 5ft 7in and of medium build. He was wearing a dark hooded top with the hood pulled up and dark tracksuit bottoms.

Contact Det Con Smith on 101 or Crimestoppers, which is anonymous, on 0800 555 111.

A man has been convicted of sexually assaulting a woman who was working alone in a fast-food shop.

Maciej Skowronski (22) was jailed for 14 months.

A jury at Leicester Crown Court convicted the unemployed packer of sexual assault by a an 11-1 majority verdict yesterday.

Skowronski, a Polish national, of Hamilton Street, Highfields, pounced on the woman at 6am on August 17 last year.

She was preparing to open the city centre shop when he persuaded her to let him use the lavatory.

She was in the store room collecting cookies from a fridge, when she turned around to find him in the doorway.

She ordered him out of the staff-only area.

He refused to leave and they ended up grappling.

Some of the incident was captured on CCTV and played in court.

He repeatedly told her: "You're beautiful. You need me."

He tried to kiss her, but she slapped him.

He gripped both her wrists in one hand while touching her under her clothing.

Sentencing, Judge David Pugsley said it was "a sneaky" offence, assaulting a lone woman early in the morning.

He said she was "terrified."

The judge warned Skowronski: "If you commit another offence of this nature, you'll be going into custody for a very long time."

Skowronski will be on a sex offender register for 10 years.

The victim, who is in her 20s, gave evidence from behind a screen, shielding her from the public gallery and the dock, which is a normal procedure in sex cases.

She told the jury: "I was very scared.

"I was praying to God.

"I thought he was going to rape me.

"I struggled and tried to kick him.

"I was crying and shouting 'help me, help me,' even though no-one could hear."

He then left her in a distraught state, she said.

Victoria Rose, prosecuting, said that the police issued a media appeal with a CCTV picture of Skowronski, which led to him being identified.

When officers searched his girlfriend's home they found a distinctive T-shirt he wore during the assault, stuffed inside a ripped hole in a divan bed.

He handed himself in on September 19. Skowronski, denied the charge claiming nothing sexual happened.

He told the jury, through an interpreter, he was on his way home from a night out when he used the fast food shop's lavatory.

He said: "I didn't do anything wrong, apart from the fact I was drunk and I scared her."

He claimed he told her he smoked heroin and asked for money.

The defendant said he thought there may be "valuable belongings" worth taking from the store room.

"I realised she wouldn't listen to me and I couldn't communicate with her so I ran off," he said.

On realising the police were looking for him, and seeing the press reports with his photo, he handed himself into the police station.

Five men have appeared in court over the alleged exploitation of a 16-year-old girl. They face a total of 22 charges.

The defendants, none have whom has yet entered a plea, were remanded back into custody following yesterday's hearing at Leicester Magistrates' Court.

At their two previous court appearances, an order was imposed banning publication of their names, addresses and dates of birth.

The Mercury, however, has successfully challenged this order, which was removed yesterday by District Judge John Temperley.

Aabidali Mubarak Ali (39), of Guthlaxton Street, Highfields, Leicester, is charged with two counts of arranging or facilitating the prostitution of a child aged 13 to 17, two counts of trafficking persons within the UK for sexual exploitation and two counts of paying for the sexual services of a girl aged 16. He is also charged with controlling a child aged 13 to 17 in prostitution.

Rakib Iacub (20), of Maynard Road, Highfields, Leicester, faces two charges of trafficking for sexual exploitation and four further charges – inciting child prostitution, controlling a child in prostitution, paying for sexual services and arranging or facilitating prostitution of a child.

Hamza Imtiazali (27), of Kashmir Road, Belgrave, Leicester, is charged with trafficking, arranging the prostitution of a child and two counts of paying for sexual services.

Bharat Modhwadia (25), of Wycombe Road, Humberstone, Leicester, is charged with trafficking, arranging the prostitution of a child and paying for sexual services.

Wajid Usman (22), of no fixed abode, is charged with trafficking and paying for sexual services. They were remanded into custody until a committal hearing when the case will be sent to a Crown Court.

A sixth defendant in the case, Chandresh Mistry (37), of Berridge Lane, Belgrave, Leicester, appeared before city magistrates on Friday, February 1, charged with causing or persuading a child aged 16 to become a prostitute.

No plea was entered and no order banning publication of his details was made.

Mistry, who did not appear in court yesterday, had his conditional bail extended until March 6.

A centuries-old claim that Richard III imprisoned and murdered his two young nephews looks set to remain a mystery despite the possibility a genetic study could reveal the truth.

Using DNA from the recently identified monarch, academics at the University of Leicester could determine whether two bodies believed to be those of his nephews, Edward and Richard, are indeed the Princes in the Tower.

However, Westminster Abbey, where the bodies are buried, said it would not grant access to the remains.

The Richard III Society unsuccessfully applied to open the graves in 1993 and 1995.

A spokeswoman for the abbey said: "The recent discovery of Richard III does not change the abbey's position, which is that the mortal remains of two young children, widely believed since the 17th century to be the princes, should not be disturbed."

The story goes that in 1483, Richard III ordered the deaths of the 12-year-old King Edward V and his brother, Richard of Shrewsbury, nine, in order to seize the throne.

Richard Taylor, deputy registrar at the University of Leicester, said tests would involve analysing the Y chromosome from the known Plantagenet remains.

"However, we haven't got that far in our research yet, nor have we been granted, or applied for, permission from Buckingham Palace," he said.

"If we were to do the work, we could work down through the family tree to the princes, but we're not thinking that far ahead yet."

The dramatic discovery of two child skeletons in the Tower of London in 1674 added weight to the claim the young princes came to a gruesome end at the hands of their uncle.

Geneticist Dr Turi King, whose work cemented the identity of Richard III, said: "It's an intriguing question and it would be interesting to try to answer it.

"There's a possibility that if I can amplify the Y chromosome and we can get an uncontaminated sample from the remains at Westminster, we might be able to determine whether there's a link.

"But, if I'm honest, there would be no academic merit.

"I'm a little wary of people who try to do things like this without a proper research question attached to it.

"But I am interested and I think I'd have to do it quietly, without the media breathing down my neck.

"In the case of Richard III, I had to go public before I'd completely finished my research, which is not the way I would have done things in an ideal world."

If the DNA did not match, it would be unlikely the remains at Westminster were those of Edward V and his sibling.

If they did match, it would further strengthen the claims the princes were murdered.

Buckingham Palace has refused to comment on the issue.

A family has paid tribute to a "devoted" mother-of-two who was shot dead in a house last weekend.

Hayley Pointon's body was found in a house in Sunnydale Road, Hinckley, on Sunday night.

A post-mortem examination this week revealed Hayley, from Coventry, had died from a single gunshot wound.

In a statement issued through Leicestershire Police yesterday, the 30-year-old's family said: "We have lost someone so special to us.

"Not only was Hayley a loving daughter, granddaughter, sister and auntie, she was a devoted mother of two young children who will now have to grow up with only a memory of their mum.

"What has happened has left a massive hole in not only our lives but those of Hayley's friends and their families.

"Anyone who knows anything that will help justice be done, please, as a family, we beg you to inform the police."

Police said the murder investigation was continuing.

Two men, aged 29 and 36, who were arrested in connection with the incident earlier this week have been released on police bail pending further inquiries.

A 27-year-old man who was arrested at the scene of the shooting has been released without charge

Detective Superintendent Tom Davies, from East Midlands Major Crime Unit, said: "This continues to be a dynamic investigation and we're still seeking the assistance of the public with any information about this incident.

"This is devastating for the family. Hayley's death has left two young children without a mother and it is vital that those involved are dealt with.

"We are still keen to speak to anyone who saw two men in the area at the time of the incident.

"The men, who both had their hoods up, are said to have left the scene in a dark car that was parked in the street.

"If you were in the area or you have any information about the incident or the events leading up to it please come forward."

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Leicestershire Police on 101.

The Blue Army can lead Leicester City's march towards to the Premier League, says manager Nigel Pearson.

Around 5,000 travelling fans will pack the away end at Peterborough United's London Road today.

City have received tremendous support away from the King Power Stadium all season, and Pearson said he hoped the huge numbers was an indication that fans fully support what he, his staff and players are trying to achieve.

"To have 5,000 travelling fans is great and our support home and away this season has been fantastic," said Pearson.

"It is even more important we get the performance right and look to pick up the three points for them as well.

"When you go to places like Peterborough, where it is a tight ground and the fans are very close to the pitch, it does create a fantastic atmosphere. I hope the fans recognise what we are trying to achieve. I would like to think our fans now see a group of players who are committed to the club.

"That is important but, ultimately, we are trying to achieve something that we have not done for a while. We will have to maintain our high standards between now and the end of the season to achieve that."

Today's game may almost feel like a home fixture for City. London Road has a capacity of just over 15,000. but their average attendance this season is 7,420.

Their biggest crowd so far was 10,469 for the visit of Nottingham Forest in October but today's turn-out is fully expected to top that.

Posh, rock-bottom in the table, will know they must stop City's potent strike force of Chris Wood and David Nugent, who have scored nine goals between them in the last six games.

City have also only conceded three goals in the same period and Pearson said keeping another clean sheet was vitally important against a side that plays attacking football.

Grant McCann's late strike halted Leicester's winning streak in the npower Championship as the automatic promotion chasers were beaten 2-1 by bottom-of-the-table Peterborough at London Road.

Leicester, who remain in second place for now ahead of Hull's evening kick-off at Brighton, looked like making it six straight victories when Ben Marshall put them in front at the start of the second half.

But Peterborough, unbeaten in their last five home league matches after this result, hit back through Davide Petrucci's superb strike before McCann completed the turnaround two minutes from time.

Winger Nathaniel Mendez-Laing and on-loan Manchester United midfielder Petrucci were recalled as Posh boss Darren Ferguson switched to a 4-4-2 formation.

Nathaniel Knight-Percival, part of a three-man defence against Burnley last weekend, and teenager Joe Newell were the players to make way as they dropped down to the bench.

Injury forced Leicester manager Nigel Pearson to change a winning team.

In-form striker Chris Wood suffered an injury in training late in the week, causing the Kiwi to miss out entirely, and Jamie Vardy replaced him in the starting line up.

A bright start to the game saw chances at both ends. Leicester captain Wes Morgan flung himself in front of George Boyd's goalbound effort before Peterborough goalkeeper Robert Olejnik bundled Marshall's free-kick round a post.

Foxes keeper Kasper Schmeichel had to be at his best midway through the first half to get down low and push McCann's free-kick wide of his left-hand post as it looked to be creeping into the bottom corner.

Lee Tomlin was unlucky not to see a tidy piece of skill rewarded with a goal when he brought down a long ball and turned his marker but his shot, with Schmeichel beaten, went wide.

The best chance of the first half was created by Leicester after 33 minutes. Paul Konchesky marauded forward from left-back and picked out David Nugent with a cut-back but the Foxes' leading scorer saw his first-time shot brilliantly saved one-handed by Olejnik down to his left.

Dwight Gayle had a chance just before half-time when he found himself free in the penalty area but Morgan was on hand again to make an excellent block.

The visitors took the lead with a well-worked move seven minutes into the second half.

Midfielder Danny Drinkwater burst into the box down the right and Vardy dummied his low cross allowing Marshall to sweep a shot into the top corner of the net from 10 yards out.

Vardy came within a studs length of making it 2-0 shortly afterwards but was just unable to get a touch to Nugent's driven, low cross.

At the other end, Morgan made further blocks midway through the second half to thwart Tomlin and then Petrucci before Schmeichel saved at his near post from Boyd.

Peterborough were piling on the pressure and they got their reward after 74 minutes when Petrucci thumped an unstoppable right-foot volley from the edge of the area into the top corner of the net.

Posh's tails were up and Schmeichel had to push away a shot from Tomlin, but there was little the Dane could do to keep out McCann's winning goal.

The hosts broke down the right and Tomlin teed-up Boyd inside the box.

Boyd showed tremendous composure with Leicester defenders streaming around him, picking out McCann on the edge of the box and the Ulsterman drilled a low shot into the bottom left-hand corner of the net.

Substitute Martyn Waghorn had a glorious last-minute chance to rescue a point for the Foxes but swept his shot over the crossbar, while Tomlin hit the bar at the other end as Peterborough counter-attacked.

A bodybuilder teamed up with a former Mr Universe champion to illegally supply steroids, a court heard.

Ian Homer travelled to Thailand to buy the class C drugs, then joined forces with two-times Mr Universe Shaun Davies to sell them to other bodybuilders.

Prosecutor James House told a hearing at Leicester Crown Court how the pair started to supply the steroids, which included nandrolene and testosterone, after becoming training partners at a gym.

Mr House said the two-man operation, which brought in about £16,500, was uncovered after police raided a house in Long Whatton where Mr Homer lived with his ex-partner, Gillian Rankin.

He said the officers found a stun gun and £9,000 cash in the search on January 20, 2010.

They also found assorted pieces of paper stuffed inside a drinks cabinet which, said Mr House, seemed to be receipts for the sale of steroids that implicated Davies.

Davies was arrested later.

Homer (57), of West End, Long Whatton, and Davies (56), of St Alban's Close, Long Eaton, each pleaded guilty to four counts of being concerned in the supply of class C drugs between October 2008 and January 2010.

Homer also admitted being in possession of a prohibited weapon – the stun gun – on January 20, 2010.

Homer also pleaded guilty to being involved in fraudulent trading of fake GHD hair straighteners between August 21, 2009 and January 20, 2010.

Rankin (51), of West End, Long Whatton, pleaded guilty to an identical charge in relation to the counterfeit hair straighteners.

Mr House said that Rankin and Homer had sold 167 pairs of straighteners for £6,262. He said they were poor quality fakes, but not dangerous ones.

Homer was given a one-year prison sentence, suspended for two years.

He was ordered to carry out 300 hours of unpaid work and to pay £1,000 costs.

Davies was given a 22-week jail sentence, suspended for two years.

He was ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work and to pay £700 costs.

Rankin was given a two-year community order with 200 hours of unpaid work.

She was ordered to pay £500 costs.

Judge Philip Head told Homer: "You were the source, the importer and yours was a leading role."

Andrew Easteal, for Davies, said his client stopped bodybuilding three years ago and had become the full-time parent for his 12-year-old daughter.

He said steroid taking was legal, but the supply of them to others was not.

He said Davies had supplied steroids to fellow bodybuilders, as many in the sport did.

Simon Eckersley, for Homer, said his client started to supply the steroids after bringing them home from Thailand, where he has a property.

He said his client was flattered to be training with a former Mr Universe and began to supply the drugs to fellow bodybuilders through associates of Davies.

Jimmy Beck, for Rankin, said his client was of previous good character and was ashamed of her actions.

If Leicester City learned one thing from their shock defeat at bottom-of-the-table Peterborough, it was how vital Chris Wood is to the promotion push.

It is not often when chewing over the aftermath of a game that the one player who dominates the thoughts is one who was not even playing.

But that was the case after City's recent excellent form came to an abrupt end at London Road.

It is no coincidence that City's five-game winning streak, which saw them soar into second place in the Championship table, coincided with the arrival of the 6ft 3in striker.

Wood's phenomenal scoring record is impressive enough, but his overall play and his flourishing partnership with David Nugent has transformed this City side.

City looked like a team that might be missing that extra ingredient to be serious automatic promotion contenders.

Then Wood arrived and helped turn them into a side that looked as if they would be impossible to stop.

When he was rested for the FA Cup tie at Huddersfield, City lacked that killer touch in front of goal to see off the Terriers at the first time of asking. It was Wood who went on off the bench to rescue a replay.

His rising importance is probably why City were guarded about the knock he picked up in training which kept him out of the trip to face Posh.

So it was a relief for all City fans to hear Nigel Pearson state after the 2-1 defeat at Posh that the New Zealander will not be out for too long.

That is not to say City are a one-man team, far from it. But Wood gives them that extra punch in the final third.

Jamie Vardy was given the task of stepping into Wood's shoes and, while the former Fleetwood man is a bundle of energy and never stops moving, he struggled to have any impact on the game.

When Vardy had a great chance to put City 2-0 ahead after Ben Marshall had fired them into the lead, he was unable to take it.

Andy King had done superbly to tee him up and Vardy had only goalkeeper Bobby Olejnik to beat, but he blasted it too close to the Posh keeper, who deflected the ball over the bar.

Vardy was not the only one guilty of squandering chances.

Nugent had a good opportunity in the first half but his finish lacked the power to beat Olejnik and, right at the death, substitute Martyn Waghorn had a golden chance to rescue a vital point but could not hit the target.

How City needed to be more ruthless in front of goal because, for once, their rear-guard, which had shipped only three goals in the previous six games, was carved open far too easily as Posh were allowed to claw their way back into a game that should have been beyond them.

More than 5,000 City fans made the trip to London Road and left disappointed, but the greatest concern among them may not have been the three points dropped on a weekend when none of their promotion rivals were able to win.

Their biggest concern may have been just how long will they be without Wood.

A street dealer caught twice in 10 days carrying heroin and other drugs has been jailed for three years.

Kane Zachariah (21) was first arrested at 3.30pm on July 12 last year, after officers saw him carrying out a drugs deal in Smedmore Road, off Hastings Road, Leicester.

Alan Murphy, prosecuting at Leicester Crown Court, said: "They approached the defendant, who was holding a £10 note. He was searched at the scene and, inside the waistband of his trousers, he had a bag containing 22 anabolic steroid tablets and cash."

A further search at the police station produced 10 individual deals of heroin, totalling 3.12 grams, worth about £140.

In interview, Zachariah said he thought the heroin was amphetamine and that he had found it in a park.

Zachariah, of the YMCA hostel, in East Street, in the city centre, was granted bail.

"Ten days later, at 5.45pm on July 22, the police saw him in Hastings Road," said Mr Murphy.

"He appeared to pick up speed when he saw the same officer who arrested him earlier and nipped down an alleyway."

Zachariah was detained after the officer and a colleague gave chase.

He was found to have 10 more wraps of heroin, totalling 3.41 grams, four deals of crack cocaine totalling 0.91 grams and 0.38 grams of cannabis.

They were collectively valued at £210.

His mobile phone also contained incriminating text messages relating to drug-dealing, Mr Murphy told the hearing.

Zachariah pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing heroin with intent to supply, possessing crack cocaine and anabolic steroids with intent to supply and simple possession of cannabis.

His mobile phone, worth £50, was confiscated, along with £220 cash seized from both arrests.

Julie Warburton, mitigating, said: "He accepts culpability for these matters, committed within a very short period during very specific circumstances."

She said the deteriorating mental health of Zachariah's mother last spring had resulted in the loss of the family home.

"He was homeless for two months, during which time the offences were committed," said Ms Warburton.

"Despite having no home or employment, he wanted to provide the best of everything he could for his partner and their new baby.

"There's no evidence of a 'bling' lifestyle. His life had just imploded and he was involved in a very small scale operation.

"He made a very poor decision and he's expressed remorse."

Friends and relatives of Zachariah, including his grandmother, were in the public gallery to support him.

Judge Simon Hammond said: "My understanding is that this defendant is not an addict.

"While on bail he did the same thing again, 10 days apart, which is a serious aggravating factor. He didn't learn his lesson."

Leicester Tigers director of rugby Richard Cockerill's immediate reaction to Saturday's 28-12 victory over London Welsh at Welford Road was brief and to the point.

"It's about winning," said Cockerill in the aftermath of a success which took his side top of the Aviva Premiership.

"When you look at their results this season, London Welsh are a very difficult side to beat. They make you work hard. They were dogged and that is exactly what you expect from them.

"These are the weekends, when you have players missing, when you have to win. The sides around us have been getting beaten so we have to keep winning."

Wings Adam Thompstone and Niall Morris both added to their try count this season with scores on Saturday, while fly-half Dan Bowden claimed his first in Tigers' colours.

"We have to be pleased," said Cockerill. "We would have liked to have scored more tries to get the five points. But, at the start of the day, if you had given me four points and no significant injuries I would have taken that.

"We did some good things. But we didn't have the ball enough in the second half to put them under pressure.

"We never got far enough ahead for them to give up the ghost."

Tigers fans would have been delighted to see Tom Croft starting in the back row once again and the England man put in a dynamic performance around the field.

"He is a quality player," said Cockerill. "We know his ability at the line-out and in the loose. He hasn't played much in the last eight months but he will get there."

Cockerill said he was still talking "all the time" to medical staff about Croft's progress as the 27-year-old continues his comeback from the neck injury which required surgery last April.

Croft figured for 74 minutes against the Exiles before Brett Deacon took his place and having a player of his calibre available for games against Harlequins, Saracens and Sale Sharks in the coming weeks would be a major plus for Tigers.

"There is every chance he will be available for this weekend," said Cockerill, "but we will take medical advice on that."

Leicester City boss Nigel Pearson admitted that losing in-form striker Chris Wood proved decisive at Peterborough on Saturday.

The Kiwi international missed Saturday's 2-1 defeat at London Road after suffering a knock in training.

Having scored seven goals in his previous six games, Wood's absence was felt as City created a host of chances but failed to take them.

But Pearson said that once City had taken the lead through Ben Marshall, they should have seen the game out. Instead, they were rocked by late goals from Davide Petrucci and Grant McCann.

With Watford and Crystal Palace drawing on Friday, and Hull and Middlesbrough losing 24 hours later, Pearson admitted City had wasted the chance to cement their place in the automatic promotion spots.

"It is a missed opportunity for us,," said Pearson. "But you have to give them some credit for how they finished the game.

"We missed Chris. I think his record speaks for itself. I was disappointed not to have him but, having said that, we created enough chances and I would have expected us to do better.

"I think we had 20 attempts and when you get in front, especially in games like this, you have to go and close it out. We have been careless.

"We have not played as well as we have done and certainly when we went in front I expected us to close the game out. We didn't do that.

"We didn't work hard enough at times and that is something I don't say often about my players. Once they got the equaliser they had a bit more drive than us. That doesn't happen very often."

On the Wood situation, Pearson said: "He took a knock in training and he wasn't available. Hopefully, he won't be out for long."

Pearson said he was confident his side could bounce back quickly from the defeat, with an FA Cup fourth-round replay coming up against Huddersfield tomorrow.

"We have to get on with it," he said. "It is a disappointing result but we have done pretty well so far this season."

A man was punched unconscious in front of his wife after asking a drunken man to move out of the way of their car.

The victim had asked the assailant to move aside as he was blocking a Sainsbury's slip-road leading to the store's filling station, in Loughborough.

Drunken Stuart Kirk responded by punching the man three times, causing him to fall and hit his head, Leicester Crown Court was told.

Kirk (27), of Stableford Close, Shepshed, was jailed for a total of 14 months for what was described as a "rampage of violence" on May 22 last year.

James Bide-Thomas, prosecuting, said Kirk had been drinking with two friends since 1pm.

They had a dispute with the landlord of the town's Varsity pub before ending up behaving in a rowdy manner in Sainsbury's at 8pm.

Mr Bide-Thomas said: "They were asked to stop swearing in the store, and left.

"They went to the slip-road and got in the way of traffic."

A male member of staff asked them to move, but was slapped in the face by Kirk, which knocked his glasses off.

The couple, who had only been married for three weeks, arrived by car and the wife got out to politely ask Kirk to let them through.

Mr Bide-Thomas said: "Kirk just laughed at her."

She went back to the vehicle and began calling the police, while her husband went to speak to Kirk.

Mr Bide-Thomas said: "He doesn't remember any of it. Witnesses say the defendant punched him twice, but he was able to regain his balance.

"A third, fully-powered blow to the face caused him to fall to the ground and be knocked unconscious.

"He suffered multiple fractures to bones above and below his right eye."

Kirk then made his way to a Bargain Booze store in Loughborough, where he stole two bottles of beer.

The police located him at 8.55pm emerging from a building site for a new Asda store in Charnwood Road, Shepshed, where he had stolen work tools.

In interview, Kirk made full admissions, saying he had drunk "far too much".

He admitted common assault, wounding and two thefts.

Mr Bide-Thomas said the victim, who suffered facial fractures, was expected to make a full recovery, although he had been affected emotionally.

"He's uncomfortable in public places where people are drinking and says he was concerned by the randomness of the incident, which was without any provocation," he said.

"He is petrified of something similar happening."

James House, mitigating, said of Kirk: "He's remorseful, shocked and ashamed. It was out of character as he's otherwise a thoroughly decent industrious caring partner and father, who centres his life on his work and family.

"He drank far too much and was on a rampage. He no longer goes out drinking."

Sentencing, Judge Philip Head said: "It was rightly called a rampage of serious violence and dishonesty. The public expects people who behave like that to go to prison."

It only opened three days ago but already thousands of people from all over the world have visited a Richard III exhibition.

Between Friday, when it opened, and yesterday, the exhibition at Leicester's Guildhall had more than 4,000 visitors.

Those queuing in the freezing wet weather on Saturday morning included people from as far away as Canada and the United States.

Sally Coleman, who works for Leicester City Council's museum service, said: "They've braved sleet and snow to queue and have all been saying how much they've been looking forward to it.

"People have said they want to be part of it and that's why they've come on the first weekend.

"There was a girl in the queue celebrating her eighth birthday and she just wanted to come here. One lady had got up early and come all the way from Kent."

Elizabeth Butler, nine, of Loughborough, said: "It's really good and the best bit is looking at the skeleton.

"I've been learning about the Tudors at school so it's interesting.

"It was really good when we found out it was him. I thought it would be."

Glenfield couple Hash and Mo Navsaria had debated whether the remains exhumed from under Greyfriars car park would be Richard.

Mo, 52, said: "I wasn't sure if it was going to be him but now it is, I think we'll get a lot of visitors to Leicester."

Hash, 56, said: "It's put the city on the map and it's fantastic.

"The exhibition is great – there's a lot of descriptive stuff and a scan of the skeleton.

"It's good because it's interactive. You get to touch things and hear things."

John and Emma Smith, of Belgrave, Leicester, were there with their children Alfie, Brandon and Talia.

Emma, 33, said: "I thought it would be really interesting to come and see all the things on display. I'm really getting into it all.

"I'd never been inside the Guildhall or the cathedral, so it's really great."

John, 40, said: "It makes you feel proud and the idea that he's been buried there hundreds of years is amazing."

Pete and Anne Gill, both 55, of Countesthorpe, had a 20-minute wait in the drizzle.

Pete said: "We've been following it all closely and it's an amazing find and so great for the city.

"It's something we can all be proud of and it's going to get bigger and bigger."

Anne said: "We travel abroad quite a bit and when we tell people we're from Leicester they've never heard of it. Now people are going to know because it's where Richard III's skeleton was found."

The exhibition is due to be on for about a year, until a permanent display opens at the former Leicester Grammar School, next to the dig site.

The opening is being planned to coincide with the re-interment of the remains, at Leicester Cathedral.

The exhibition is open today until Friday, from 10am until 5pm, and Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 5.30pm.