A woman who was left homeless when a car crashed into her home is now working for the charity which helped her through the trauma.

Rebecca Hollingsworth has drawn on her experience to be able to empathise with others who find themselves in similar situations.

Rebecca was left "in limbo" after a car smashed through her living room wall in 2009, destroying her house.

To add insult to injury, thieves later clambered through the rubble and stole thousands of pounds worth of the family's belongings.

The incident happened at her home in Lindridge Lane, Desford, and the mother admits the stress of the situation was hard to cope with.

However, she also says the help of British Red Cross fire and emergency support service (Fess), which offered her advice and comfort at the scene, was invaluable.

So much so, she is now a volunteer with the charity – offering her own support, cups of tea and advice to victims of devastating incidents.

She said: "It definitely helps that I've been through the same thing. I can empathise with the victims and in most cases I know what to say.

"When that car came through our wall, we didn't know what to do.

"I think I was in shock and I really felt in limbo, but the support service took us into the van, gave us a drink and sent the firefighters into the house to look for my daughter's hamster.

"It was invaluable at the time and I just wanted to do something to help others in my position, so I signed up."

This year, Fess is celebrating its 10th year in service.

Rebecca, now of Whetstone, is one of the many volunteers who gives her time to attend emergencies and give practical support, including finding alternative accommodation.

"It's about offering emotional support, too – a shoulder to cry on," said the 35-year-old.

There is just one support van which operates in Leicestershire, and has been called out more than 500 times since its launch in 2003.

The specially-adapted vehicle is stationed at Western fire station, and is stocked with essential items such as hot drinks, food, clothing and toiletries.

Another volunteer, Stephen Denman, from Melton Mowbray, has been involved for nine years.

He said: "We're often there in the middle of the night and people are in shock, so we help to take the pressure off them by processing what has happened and by giving practical advice on what their next steps should be."

Fess is looking for more people to help out with the essential service.

Rebecca said: "I do 12 hours a week, but you can sign up to do just one afternoon a month if you want. It all helps."

Anyone interested in becoming a volunteer, or finding out more about the service, can contact Ashley Crowl on 0845 054 7171 or via e-mail at:

acrowl@redcross.org.uk

Union officials said they could complain to Ofsted and the Department for Education over the "spiralling situation" at a city primary school.

Staff at Uplands Junior School, in Highfields, lodged a grievance with Leicester City Council in March against head teacher Tim Luckcock and chairman of governors Abid Matak.

The grievance outlines a number of concerns over the running of the school and proposals to axe several teaching assistants at the end of the summer term.

An independent investigation into the matter is yet to get underway, with union bosses urging the council to suspend Mr Luckcock while it takes place.

They say that a number of staff have taken sick leave because of stress and several have resigned because of the deteriorating situation.

Gary Garner, Leicester Unison branch secretary, said: "I'm aware a number of staff are now off sick due to stress they have been put under.

"We're now considering speaking to Ofsted and the Department for Education over the local authority's failure in its duty of care towards them as the situation is spiralling out of control.

"They are under a huge amount of strain while the head is still in his position."

Staff from the National Union of Teachers (NUT) went on strike last month and on Tuesday this week to lobby against the redundancies.

Another day's strike is planned today, forcing the school to shut. Parents were informed by letter last night.

Ian Leaver, assistant secretary for the Leicester branch of the NUT, said: "It's difficult to see how any investigation can take place with the head teacher still there, as it places staff under enormous strain.

"We're not happy with the local authority for handling it in this way and are still hopeful that Mr Luckcock's suspension will be forthcoming."

Members of the ATL teaching union have balloted to strike and are expected to take action next Thursday.

Spokesman David Brierley said: "Our action follows deep concern about the entire situation over redundancies and the grievance in general. It's most unusual to have the head teacher remain in place given what's happened."

A council spokesman said: "The investigation has not yet started as there are still some issues to be resolved, however, the unions will be discussing our proposals with their members today."

Mr Luckcock was not available for comment yesterday.

Mr Matak said: "The governing body has been trying to begin an independent investigation for a number of weeks and since making the proposal has spent time with the local authority and made efforts with the unions in order to get buy in from the parties.

"In order to resolve the issues and prevent further disruption, the governing body is taking all steps it can while acting in the best interests of the school and the children in it."

A Hollywood artist with a string of A-list celebrity collectors including Johnny Depp, Vin Diesel and Sylvester Stallone has paid a visit to a city gallery.

Todd White flew in from Los Angeles on a UK promotional tour of his artwork which included a visit to the Trident Gallery, in Allandale Road, Stoneygate, on Saturday, which regularly sells his work.

Among his celebrity collectors are Catherine Zeta Jones, Sharon Stone, P Diddy, Glenn Close, Hugh Hefner and Macaulay Culkin.

Alex Polonski, Trident Gallery's owner, said: "He's probably as big a name as we're likely to get here.

"He's a very big artist in the US, especially in Hollywood where he is feted.

"We always have his work on sale and it is a big deal for him to come to us.

"His work sells for about £3,000 for a small sketch to £100,000 and more for an oil. We sell mostly limited edition prints of his work.

"He likes our gallery and he was here last year as well."

About 100 people attended the gallery for the three-hour event.

Cases dealt with at Leicester Magistrates' Court include:

Brian Turner (37), of Fairburn House, Aikman Avenue, New Parks, Leicester, pleaded guilty to stealing £79.39 of groceries from Morrison's supermarket, Leicester, on March 23. Turner also admitted to stealing £29.38 of food from the Co-op store in Glenfield on April 13.

He pleaded guilty to an additional charge of failing to surrender to the custody of Leicester Magistrates' Court on April 29 while on conditional bail for a criminal offence – and a charge of committing a criminal offence whilst subject to an 18-month conditional discharge order imposed on February 1 by Leicester magistrates for an earlier shoplifting offence was added in court.

Turner was given a 12-month community order involving 50 hours of unpaid work, and ordered to pay a £60 victim surcharge.

Lisa Pinchess (33), of Oak Close, Coalville, admitted to drink driving in New Parks Way, Leicester, on March 16 when the proportion of alcohol in her breath was 105 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath – three times the legal limit of 35 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath.

She was sentenced to a six-month community order involving regular supervision, banned from driving for 23 months, and ordered to pay a £60 victim surcharge.

Shaun Parnaby (25), of Attfield Drive, Whetstone, admitted to beating up a woman on November 7.

He also pleaded guilty to criminal damage by breaking a window in Enderby on the same date worth £300.

He was given a 12-month community order involving supervision and ordered to pay a £85 costs and a £60 victim surcharge.

A husband accused of killing his estranged wife in a car crash later claimed they were going to his workplace when he lost control and hit a tree, a jury heard.

Former airline pilot, Iain Lawrence (53), denies murdering Sally Lawrence (47), in Gartree Road, Oadby, on October 6.

Lawrence had told the police he was suffering amnesia in the weeks after the fatal crash.

He was a partner in two businesses, a go-karting establishment on Gartree Road, near Leicester Airport, and a trailer rental and parts outlet in Welford Road, Leicester, which also sold fireworks.

He told a consultant neurologist in February how he suddenly regained his memory.

Professor Nikos Evangelou told the jury at Leicester Crown Court yesterday: "He told me on November 26 he developed a pain in the night. It caused him to wake up and he remembered everything."

Lawrence told the professor his estranged wife had asked him to clear surplus wood from decking work he was doing at their home in Ring Road, Oadby.

They were both in the car en-route to the go-karting premises at 6.30pm, so he could collect a bus owned by the business to collect the wood.

The defendant claimed Mrs Lawrence was in his Peugeot 406 because she was going to drive his car back home.

The professor said: "He said he had twinges in his leg. His leg was frozen and it was 25 seconds before the collision."

However, the prosecution allege he deliberately drove into the tree.

The Lawrences were allegedly going through an acrimonious divorce and had argued the night before about the financial settlement.

Mrs Lawrence died at the scene. She was not thought to be wearing a seatbelt and her front passenger airbag was deactivated.

Lawrence, who was wearing a seatbelt when his airbag went off, suffered a cut to his scalp.

Nirmal Shant, prosecuting, called a series of witnesses, including medical and emergency service workers.

Prof Evangelou told the jury had the defendant been unconscious for a considerable time, he would expect abnormalities on Lawrence's brain scan, but tests showed all clear.

Caroline Jane Gregory, a friend of the Lawrences for 10 years, said she became aware the marriage was failing in about 2011.

She said the couple had grown apart, slept in different rooms and were leading separate lives – but Lawrence was resisting a divorce.

She said Mrs Lawrence told her he was "quite controlling" and she was "scared" of him.

Ms Gregory said the alleged victim told her six days before she died that "everything was awful."

Ms Gregory said the defendant was "a very proud person" who had not discussed his marital breakdown with her.

The trial continues.

The number of over-65s in a job has reached a record one million, figures have revealed.

Unions said with almost a million young people out of work it was clear there weren't enough jobs, while experts believed people were working longer to top up inadequate pensions.

The Prime Minister said the Government had a "good record" on jobs, as unemployment fell by 5,000 to 2.5 million and the numbers claiming jobseeker's allowance shrank by 8,600 last month to 1.5 million. A record 29.7 million people are in work after a rise of 24,000 in recent months.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures showed over 65-year-olds still in work has topped one million for the first time since records began in 1971.

Almost one in 10 in the age group are working – 615,000 men and 388,000 women.

Jim Hillage, Institute for Employment Studies director of research, said: "While this reflects a welcome willingness among employers to recruit and retain experienced people, it may also reflect the need that some older people have to top up inadequate pension arrangements."

Other data disclosed that public sector employment has fallen by 22,000 to just under 5.7 million. the lowest figure since 2001.

Ministers pointed to a growth in jobs in the private sector, up by 46,000 to 24 million in recent months.

The UK's employment rate is now 71.5 per cent, while 7.8 per cent of the population is jobless, with 22 per cent classed as economically inactive, including students, those on long term sick leave or who have given up looking for work. The so-called claimant count has fallen for seven months in a row and has dipped to its lowest total since May 2011.

The fall in unemployment in the quarter to April was entirely due to men finding work, while the number of women out of a job rose by 7,000 to 1.09 million.

Long-term unemployment has also increased, with those looking for work for longer than a year up by 11,000 to almost 900,000.

Youth unemployment – counting those aged between 16 and 24 – has fallen by 43,000 to 950,000.

A schoolgirl allegedly abducted to France by her married teacher after police found out about their relationship has told how they first kissed in a classroom.

The girl was 14 at the time of the clinch with 30-year-old Jeremy Forrest, which took place after they had been tweeting and texting.

In the days leading up to the kiss, the teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said she attended Bishop Bell C of E School in Eastbourne, East Sussex, early specifically to see him.

In a police interview video played at Lewes Crown Court yesterday, the girl, now 16, said: "I do remember being in his room and it was just me and him. He said: 'I really want to kiss you' and I said: 'I really want to'.

"It got to the point where there was only so much of a friendship you could have before it developed into something else.

"It ended up being in his classroom."

As the relationship turned sexual two months later after she had turned 15, the girl said Forrest knew what the consequences would be for him and that he could face prison.

She said in the interview: "He told me he didn't want to take advantage of me and I just didn't have a problem with it any way.

"It was what I wanted to do because of how much I liked him. I didn't give it a second thought.

"He knew he would go to prison and lose his job, so he was aware. There was no naivety about it. It was what I wanted and I probably encouraged it."

The court has heard police were alerted to their relationship following a tip-off.

When a police officer and a social worker visited the girl's home to speak to her about what was going on, they decided to flee the next day, September 20.

Prosecutor Richard Barton has said that, knowing their relationship was about to be exposed, Forrest booked them on a cross-Channel ferry from Dover to Calais.

Scots-born Forrest, of Chislehurst Road, Petts Wood, Kent, denies child abduction.

An annual 10km run in Rothley was brightened up by dozens of runners competing in memory of a teenager who died last year.

The group, dressed in green T-shirts, took part to raise money for the Joe Humphries Memorial Trust.

Joe, 14, who lived in the village, died of sudden arrhythmic death syndrome.

Dad Steve was among the runners on Tuesday night. He said: "It was a tough run but there was a great atmosphere.

"Losing Joseph affected so many people in the community and a lot of people came to run all support the runners. We had people of all ages and abilities running for the trust.

"The solidarity in the community is amazing and it gives us a lot of strength."

Our photographers have lots of pictures from events all over the county which are online and available to buy. Pictures include the Rothley run, the Great Central Railway wartime weekend and Harry Judd's all-star cricket match.

The Highways Agency is advising music lovers heading to the Download Festival this weekend to plan allow plenty of time to get there.

It is also warning drivers not heading to the festival at Donington Park to seek alternative routes or be prepared for delays.

More than 90,000 people are expected to attend the three-day festival, being staged from Friday, June 14, to Sunday, June 16, and surrounding roads are likely to be very busy.

Gates to the campsite were opened yesterday to allow an expected 70,000 campers to spread their arrival times.

Another 20,000 visitors are expected to buy daily tickets.

Campers planning to arrive today are also advised the A453 will be closed overnight in both directions between the M1 junction 24 and Parkway Station as part of the ongoing widening improvement.

It will be closed between New Road, Barton in Fabis, and the Crusader Island, at Clifton, from 8pm to 5.30am each night.

Traffic will be diverted via the M1 and A52 and the diversion route will be clearly signposted. Non-motorway traffic and local traffic routes will also be signed.

Steve Parker, Highways Agency emergency planning manager for the East Midlands, said: "Major roads and motorways in the area, including the M1, A42, A50 and A453, are likely to be busy.

"All routes to the festival will be well signposted, but people travelling in the area should plan their journey in advance and check the latest travel conditions."

Festival goers with iPhones will be able to check the traffic conditions the Highways Agency travel news app or can follow it on Twitter at the address below.

Donington Park is located next to East Midlands Airport, four miles west of junction 23a of the M1 and five miles from junction 24.

Anyone travelling to the airport should allow extra time for their journey.

The Highways Agency will be using their electronic massage boards on the surrounding motorways to advise people of any delays.

Extra Highways Agency Traffic Officers are also being deployed for the duration of the event around junction 24 of the M1 to assist motorists, clear incidents quickly and keep traffic moving.

@HAtraffic_emids

A factory has been gutted in an inferno which dozens of firefighters battled through the night.

The premises of Diamond Catering Supplies (DCS) Ltd, on Troon Way industrial estate, Leicester, was today little more than a shell.

Workers on the night shift at the Trevanth Road factory, which produces packaging for the catering industry, raised the alarm just before midnight on Wednesday.

Up to 40 firefighters dealt with the blaze at its height, with crews called in from as far afield as Nottingham.

Incident commander Simon Holden, of the city's Eastern station, said: "The first crews were on the scene within six minutes.

"Fortunately, all production line workers had managed to get out unhurt."

He said the scale of the fire resulted in urgent requests for back-up.

"By the time the first crews arrived on scene, the building was fully involved," he said.

"Given the nature of the business, with a lot of plastics and paper inside, the fire spread very quickly."

At its height, flames could be seen across the north of the city.

Ten crews joined the operation and jets from at least three aerial platforms were trained on the blaze through the night.

"The problem we had is that this type of building is designed to collapse in on itself, making it unsafe to commit crews into the building," said Watch Manager Holden.

"It limited us to a largely defensive firefighting operation from outside the factory."

A brick building attached to the factory, housing its offices was saved.

The flames were prevented from spreading to a neighbouring unit.

Crews were damping down fire hotspots in the factory at 3pm yesterday, when demolition and salvage crews began arriving at the scene.

Employees on the day shift arrived yesterday to find their workplace in ruins.

Marion Johnson, co-owner of Molly's Kitchen, a cafe across the road from the factory, said: "We had workers coming in first thing in the morning who were all very shocked and upset.

"I could smell the smoke on my way to work and couldn't believe my eyes at the sight that greeted me.

"It was a big shock so see the factory – there's nothing left of it.

"We've been offering any support we can and I'm just glad that nobody was hurt. That's the main thing."

Fire investigators were expected to begin their investigation yesterday evening.

A spokesman said: "The cause at this stage is unknown and we won't have any clearer idea until the last hotspots are extinguished and the structure is made safe to enter."

The owner of the factory declined to comment.

Members of the Somali community fear they are suffering an anti-Islamic backlash following the death of soldier Lee Rigby.

Somalis said they have been spat at, verbally abused and, in some cases, thugs have tried to pull off women's veils or scarves.

Jawaahir Daahir, founder and chief executive of Somali Development Services, a community group in Highfields, Leicester, said it was hearing more reports of abuse than it would usually expect.

The group met senior police officers on Tuesday to outline its concerns.

Ms Daahir said: "You cannot know what motivates people to do these things, but we have noticed an increase in incidents since the tragic death of Lee Rigby.

"There has been swearing and racist language in some cases, but also there have been incidents of people being attacked.

"We have heard a woman had to run into a shop in the city centre to escape from some men and we have also heard stories of two women being spat at.

"Another woman posted on Facebook that she was afraid to leave her home and felt she was under house arrest."

Chief Superintendent Rob Nixon, head of policing in the city, said reported incidents would be investigated.

He said: "The incidents referred to by Jawaahir are very concerning.

"I would urge anyone with information or who has suffered to contact us.

"Since the death of Lee Rigby, we have been carrying out significant work within the community, including daily messages to community leaders, reassurance visits and patrols.

"We pride ourselves on the strong relationship we have with the Somali community and hope if there are any concerns regarding the recent events they can approach us with confidence."

Suleman Nagdi, spokesman for Leicestershire's Federation of Muslim Organisations, said: "We have not picked up on any increase in incidents since the tragic death of Lee Rigby.

"There is always the possibility these things are happening to people but are not being reported to the police.

"We would urge people to report all incidents of this nature, so the people who are responsible can be held to account."

Officers are searching for a cyclist who tried to pull off a Muslim woman's face veil as he rode past her in London Road, Leicester.

The woman was targeted as she walked with her family to Victoria Park at 6.50pm on Sunday, May 26.

On Monday this week, the letters EDL – thought to refer to the English Defence League – were written on a bin at Oadby Islamic Centre, in Sandhurst Street.

In the past year, Leicestershire Police said it had seen a 9.9 per cent reduction in hate crimes – with 44 fewer offences than in the previous year.

Anyone with information should call police on 101.

The mayor's visit to a school to promote the city of culture bid was thrown off topic slightly when he was quizzed by pupils about the closure of a children's activity centre.

Pupils at St Thomas More Voluntary Academy, in Knighton, greeted Sir Peter Soulsby enthusiastically when he popped in to explain the city's campaign to become a cultural hub in four years' time.

However, the mayor's presentation was diverted when the youngsters also began questioning him about the closure of an independent children's activity centre.

"We had asked them to come up with questions for the mayor and lots of them wanted to know why the activity centre was closing," said assistant head teacher Karen Stuart.

"It's not exactly what we had in mind! Sir Peter told them he would have a look into it when he got back to his office."

Back on the city of culture topic, the mayor was greeted with an array of weird and wonderful creations, from a skeleton made of spaghetti to a papier mache vulture to celebrate Leicester's bid.

The children's artwork was designed to reflect Leicester's history, heritage and communities as part of a six-week project called "Are You a Culture Vulture?"

Mrs Stuart said: "It's been great for the kids, they've been finding out about their city and learning about the history and geography of Leicester.

"Before we started they could all talk about France and Spain and all the places they'd been on holiday, but they didn't really know as much about what's on their doorstep."

The youngsters were asked to come up with how they imagined Leicester might look in the future.

Year two pupil Rosie-May Connelly, six, who made a cardboard diorama of a park.

"My dad helped me with the glue gun," she said. "I really enjoyed making it. It's got a cafe, museum and toilets."

Rosie-May was one of the pupils listening to Sir Peter describe why Leicester should be named 2017 UK City of Culture, and how they could help.

Her friend Lola Alba, seven, said: "We've been learning a lot about culture and things such as Richard III and the space centre – there's a lot of things there and they've got real rockets. I haven't been yet but it sounds really exciting."

Lola said she had made – with the help of friends and teachers – a large "culture vulture with a pink face, black body, white neck and a big beak".

Lola, Rosie-May and other pupils told Sir Peter he had their support, while he praised the youngsters for their hard work and support.

"What we're discovering is that the City of Culture theme produces some great links to learning," he said.

"With the help of their teachers, children are learning about the past and thinking about how the city's history has helped shape their lives today.

"Their enthusiasm for the city is truly refreshing."

Leicester's bid to become the next UK City of Culture will be assessed by judges in June. The winner will be announced in November.

A former council leader has been suspended by his party amid allegations he broke its rules.

Conservative Harborough district councillor Mike Rook will be the subject of an internal investigation over the next few weeks.

During his suspension, he will not be allowed to attend group meetings or be under the Conservative whip.

The ban was imposed by new council leader Blake Pain yesterday.

Late last year, when Mr Rook was leader of the council, he sacked Councillor Pain as deputy and dismissed him from the cabinet after Coun Pain said he could not support plans to build 1,800 homes on the Airfield Farm site.

Details of the allegations against Coun Rook, who has represented the Tilton ward since 2007, have not been made public.

It is understood they relate to criticisms of Mr Pain's conduct while deputy leader in a letter to a newspaper.

In a statement issued yesterday, Coun Pain said: "This suspension is a neutral act and has been made so party whips can carry out an investigation into the actions of Councillor Rook and allegations concerning serious breaches of the Conservative group rules and protocols.

"Once this committee has investigated, a report and its recommendations will be considered at a future Conservative group meeting.

"No further comment will be issued by me about this until after the investigation has been concluded."

If the allegations are proved, Coun Rook could be reprimanded, suspended, or expelled from the group.

When Coun Rook stepped down after two-and-a-half years as leader, he said: "I shall continue to work hard as councillor for Tilton as long as my residents elect me to do so, but I shall not interfere with my new leader's extremely difficult task of driving change."

Mr Rook was not available to comment yesterday.

A 73-year-old shopkeeper and his two sons bravely tackled a masked robber who raided the till.

Shane Parker (32), who was disguised with a balaclava when he entered the Londis store at a petrol station in Barrow upon Soar, started helping himself to cash.

Determined to stop him, the shopkeeper hit him with the handle of a pack axe. He was then held by the shopkeeper's sons for about half an hour, until police arrived.

Parker was jailed for 27 months at Leicester Crown Court on Tuesday.

Speaking after the hearing, the shopkeeper, who did not want to be named, said: "It felt like a long time. It was really frightening."

He told how he had been robbed before, two years ago, when a raider held a knife to his throat.

On that occasion, the robber escaped with a quantity of cash, and has never been caught.

The businessman said: "That was scary. For it to happen again is too much."

The court heard in the latest incident, the elderly shopkeeper was alone in the store when Parker entered, walked behind the counter and pushed him into a corner, saying "money, money".

Adrian Harris, prosecuting, said: "The victim was frightened, particularly as he'd been robbed before. He pressed the panic alarm."

The alarm alerted his eldest son, who ran towards Parker when he saw him helping himself to cash.

The 50-year-old grabbed the raider and pulled him into a headlock.

It was then that the shopkeeper, fearing for his son's safety, got hold of the pack axe handle and struck Parker.

His other son, aged 43, then joined in to help.

Mr Harris said: "The robber didn't give up and continued to struggle, lashing out with his arms and legs."

Eventually, when he realised he could not escape, Parker pulled off his mask, saying: "It's Shane. I'm a drug addict."

The father and sons recognised him as someone who had been barred from the store 10 years earlier for petty theft.

Parker, formerly of Griggs Road, Loughborough, admitted carrying out the robbery at 9.30pm on March 9.

The court heard he suffered a cut above his eye and facial bruising and grazing during the scuffle. The victims were unhurt.

Parker had 64 offences on his record, including dishonesty and causing actual bodily harm, but had not previously committed robbery.

Adrian Langdale, mitigating, said: "He went into the shop intending to get alcohol, but when he saw the till open he made a grab of the money.

"He wasn't armed with a weapon.

"There was an element of immediate summary justice when he was hit on the head with a bat or handle and punched several times – although there's no criticism of the shop owners at all.

"No-one wants someone coming in to rob their shop."

Sentencing, Judge Michael Pert said: "It was pre-planned and your principal victim was a 73-year-old man working alone – a vulnerable victim."

A dishonest TV aerial repair man convicted of conning customers is being hunted by police – and is now believed to be overseas.

Keith Matthews (59) jumped bail and failed to attend court for his trial. The case went ahead without him.

After he was convicted yesterday, jurors were told the conman had been exposed in a BBC Rogue Traders television programme in 2008 for similar malpractice.

They had not been told about the programme during the trial because the judge ruled the information would be too prejudicial.

The jurors were also not given a reason for Matthews's absence during the five-day trial.

However, after the verdicts were announced, Judge Philip Head said Matthews, along with his clothes and passport, had gone missing from his home in Station Road, Quorn.

A warrant has been issued for his arrest.

Matthews overcharged customers and duped householders into having unnecessary work done. One of his victims, an 89-year-old man, of Braunstone, Leicester, ended up paying £4,900 for aerial repairs and "shoddily carried out" labouring odd jobs worth £490.

Leicestershire County Council's trading standards department caught Matthews and his employee, Luke Busby, in a sting operation.

The department hired an actress to play the part of a vulnerable elderly occupant of a bungalow in Hospital Lane, Blaby, that was fitted out with microphones and 12 hidden cameras.

They filmed Busby misdiagnosing a simple aerial cable problem and wrongly recommending a new aerial, which was installed.

Both Busby and Matthews – who said his name was Gary – provided invoices bearing bogus names and addresses.

Matthews was convicted of four frauds, eight offences of engaging in unfair commercial practice and one of running fraudulent businesses, One Digital and Aerials Direct, between April 2011 and March last year.

He was acquitted of one count of unfair commercial practice.

He had denied the offences at an earlier hearing, but pleaded guilty to two additional counts of engaging in unfair trading practice by failing to inform customers of the seven-day cooling-off period required by law.

The case was adjourned until next Friday, when Matthews is likely to be sentenced in his absence.

Busby (26), of Leicester Road, Countesthorpe, who admitted fraud in connection with the sting operation, will also be sentenced.

In interview, Matthews blamed Busby for the offences.

Busby gave evidence for the prosecution against Matthews, saying he was not properly trained by his boss during seven months of employment and was only carrying out instructions.

John Hallissey, prosecuting, told the jury: "Matthews is a deceitful, dishonest trader of the very worst kind.

"The sort of trader who gives hard-working, upstanding businessmen a bad name.

"He uses a variety of names, installing aerials on roofs.

"He preys on the vulnerable and targets the elderly.

"Matthews wasn't in business genuinely to repair but aimed to con people to do work that didn't need doing and to overcharge."

His victims included a couple in their 70s, of Syston, in May 2011.

Again calling himself "Gary", Matthews said a new aerial was needed and allegedly refused to say how much it would cost until after he fitted it – charging £260.

"Had they been told the cost in advance, they wouldn't have had the work done and that's why he didn't tell them," said Mr Hallissey.

Another householder, of Roman Way, Syston, contacted the defendant, who, calling himself "Stuart", recommended and installed a signal booster that was not needed, charging £100, in March last year. They later got a refund.

Mr Hallissey said Matthews also issued five-year guarantees which were "utterly meaningless".

Matthews said in interviews read out in court that he could always be contacted by mobile phone, regardless of incorrect names and addresses.

The court heard Matthews, on occasions, purported to be a respectable and long-established aerial fitter, Gary Bainbridge, of Countesthorpe.

Mr Bainbridge told the jury he had no association with Matthews and was not happy his good reputation was being abused.

The Rogue Traders programme showed Matthews sneakily pour a can of drink over TV wall sockets and then tell the householder – an actress – there was a leak.

After the court hearing, county council trading standards officer Gary Connors said: "It was necessary and in the public interest to bring these proceedings.

"Not only was Matthews defrauding consumers, legitimate traders were suffering as a consequence.

"We felt our undercover surveillance, in April 2011, was proportionate to bring this man to justice."

The British & Irish Lions management have given an early indiction that the tourists' Test squad could be stacked with Leicester Tigers players.

Head coach Warren Gatland has named five Tigers in his 23-man squad to face the New South Wales Waratahs tomorrow.

Only centre Manu Tuilagi misses out and he is being rested to give his injured shoulder time to fully heal.

The clash with the Sydney-based Super 15 team represents the tourists' penultimate warm-up match before the three-Test series against the Wallabies kicks off on June 22.

And this fixture is traditionally a time when a Lions coach puts out his probable Test team to give them a full week to recover for the business end of the tour, with their final warm-up game coming next Tuesday against the Brumbies in Canberra.

If that is the case, it means all six Leicester players are very much in Gatland's plans.

Tomorrow's game sees Tom Youngs start at hooker and Tom Croft at blind-side flanker in a pack that looks very much like the one that many people would tip to start a week tomorrow.

On the bench are lock Geoff Parling, scrum-half Ben Youngs and prop Dan Cole.

Speaking after his selection, Gatland admitted that tomorrow's team was picked with one eye on the following week with the likes of Brian O'Driscoll and George North both rested for the Waratahs as they nurse slight knocks.

"These players have got an opportunity tomorrow," said Gatland.

"We've got a few knocks in the backs at the moment so we need to make sure that we rest a few players. The whole priority is making sure that we arrive in Brisbane a week tomorrow fresh and ready to go.

"We are still looking at combinations and the Test team will not be selected until after Tuesday."

The Lions look like they will up against a strong Waratahs side for their first game against the tourists since an explosive 41-24 defeat in 2001.

Wallabies head coach Robbie Deans has released two potential Test starters for the game in the form of back-rower Dave Dennis and centre Rob Horne.

And that news is a second major boost in 24 hours for Waratahs head coach Michael Cheika, who yesterday confirmed that first-choice fly-half Bernard Foley and reserve scrum-half Matt Lucas would also be available for selection after they were given special dispensation for a temporary release from the Australia Sevens squad.

The Tahs will still be missing the likes of flanker Michael Hooper, fly-half Berrick Barnes and back Adam Ashley-Cooper for the game at a sold-out Alliance Stadium.

Lions: Halfpenny, Maitland, Davies, Roberts, Zebo, Sexton, Phillips; Vunipola, T Youngs, A Jones, A W Jones, O'Connell, Croft, Warburton (c), Heaslip.

Reps: Hibbard, Corbisiero, Cole, Parling, Lydiate, B Youngs, Farrell, Kearney.