A young woman who head-butted and robbed a 14-year-old boy of his bicycle was branded a "street bully" by a judge.

Leicester Crown Court was told the victim and his friends used Facebook to track down the mugger, Shermya Pyatt.

Judge Simon Hammond said they were "seriously smart" to use the social networking site to identify the culprit, before passing the information on to the police.

Pyatt (19), of Tudor Road, Black Friars, in the city, was sentenced to 22 months detention.

She admitted robbing the boy on September 17 last year.

The mugging happened at 8.20pm when the victim was with friends in a car park near Tudor Road and Kate Street.

Pyatt and an unknown male accomplice accosted the boy.

The accomplice grabbed him, knocking him off his £100 mountain bike.

Lynsey Knott, prosecuting said: "The defendant got on the bike and the victim took hold of the handlebars, trying to stop her.

"She head-butted him on his nose and left cheek area, causing him to let go and she rode away.

"The complainant was in immediate pain and it really hurt him."

The boy and his friends heard the accomplice use the defendant's first name, Shermya.

Using that information they located her on Facebook.

The court heard Pyatt had received a reprimand and two police warnings for three assaults in 2006.

In March, 2010, she was prosecuted for possessing an imitation firearm, a BB gun, in Highcross shopping centre and in July, 2010, committed a shoplifting offence.

Judge Simon Hammond said: "People are entitled to go about their lives without people robbing them.

"The bike was probably the victim's most treasured possession. He never got it back."

"This defendant is a street bully. There's a nasty, violent streak in her."

Pyatt, who also admitted failing to answer her bail, was arrested nearly two months ago and been in custody since.

Sally Bamford, mitigating, said: "She has expressed remorse for her actions.

"There are positive aspects to her character and she comes from a good supportive background.

"Her mother is in court to support her.

"The offence must have been extremely unpleasant for the victim, but fortunately there was no lasting injury."

A care home worker who stole almost £10,000 from an 89-year-old resident spent some of the cash paying off internet payday loans.

Mother-of-four Terrie Galvin was told by a judge she had carried out "mean and shoddy" dishonest transactions against the unsuspecting pensioner.

Galvin (33) of Snibston Court, Ashby Road, Coalville, pleaded guilty to fraud by falsely representing she was entitled to use the victim's bank card.

Leicester Crown Court was told the elderly woman victim lived at Rose Cottage care home, in Mountsorrel, where staff were not permitted to handle residents' finances.

However, those officially in charge of the pensioner's funds found nine unauthorised transactions on the bank card, involving a total loss of £9,874, between October, 2011, and March, 2012.

Victoria Rose, prosecuting, said: "Money was taken from the victim's account and transactions were made to Wonga.com, where the defendant had taken out payday loans.

"All staff members were interviewed and only the defendant knew of the existence of the victim's bank card. She admitted was she'd done, saying she took the card details.

"She paid off a loan and the vicious cycle began when she took another loan and continued using the card."

Galvin was given an eight- month jail sentence, suspended for 12 months, and ordered to do 100 hours of unpaid work.

Sentencing, Judge Michael Pert QC said: "You took almost £10,000 from a vulnerable old lady in your care, in a number of mean and shoddy transactions that make up this offence."

Rebecca Herbert, mitigating, said: "It was theft in breach of trust when she was employed as a care assistant. The background is one of spiralling debt and domestic difficulty."

Mrs Herbert claimed the defendant's marriage was "on the rocks" at the time, due to her partner's controlling conduct and she suffered "physical and mental abuse".

He was in charge of the family finances and kept her short of money, claimed Mrs Herbert.

She said: "The defendant says she knew it would come to light but was closing her eyes. She has no previous convictions."

Since the break-up of her relationship, when she left home in 2012, she has taken back control of her finances.

Mrs Herbert said: "She's extremely remorseful and can't believe she got herself into this state.

"She has always been a care worker and was employed by this particular firm for four years."

It was not said in court whether the victim had got any of the money back.

Archaeologists have lifted the lid off a 14th century stone coffin buried at the Greyfriars dig site only to find a second coffin inside.

The University of Leicester team heaved the hefty masonry from the top of the 600-year-old casket yesterday morning.

Eight people were needed to lift the stone lid which covered the final resting place of a high-ranking member of the friary, or possibly a medieval knight, Sir William Moton.

However, as they hoisted away the top of the tomb a second lead coffin, with what seemed to be the mark of a crucifix on it, was revealed.

Site director Mat Morris, who was also in charge of the first Greyfriars dig last August, said: "For me, this is more exciting than Richard III.

"I think that's because there wasn't that expectation to find Richard – we never thought we would actually uncover him.

"Here, we have an element of mystery, we don't really know who's inside."

The team will now find a way to lift the heavy lead coffin from its medieval grave and transport it to the university for analysis.

However, traditional techniques, such as X-rays and Cat scans, will not work due to the lead casing and scientists will only discover who is inside once they cut it open.

Mat said it was the first stone tomb, with an interior lead coffin, that he had found.

"I'm not surprised by it," he said. "I just haven't come across one before.

"You can tell it's a high-status grave because of the expense of the lead and the effort of making the stone tomb."

The remains lie within a single sheet of 5mm-thick lead which has been folded around the body and then welded shut.

The archaeologists believe that the stone part of the coffin may have been opened in the past as there is damage to some of the lead.

The feet were exposed due to some of the metal decaying over time.

The imprint of a crucifix on the top half of the lead section might also indicate that there was a religious item placed in the coffin, but removed sometime later.

Mat said: "We can't really be sure about what's happened to the grave over the past 600 years, but the lid of the coffin doesn't match the rest of it and there's some damage to the mortar so it looks like it might have been opened."

The team discovered the tomb last August while hunting for the remains of Richard III.

They reburied the 600-year-old stone casket while they concentrated on excavating and identifying the remains of the last Plantagenet.

The grave was first thought to belong to a Leicester knight, Sir William Moton, buried in 1362.

However, two more likely candidates for the tomb's contents have emerged – Peter Swynsfeld, one of the friary's founders, or William of Nottingham, who died in 1330.

As the Olympics lit up London last year, people in Leicestershire were getting involved, too.

During the two weeks of the Games they may have just been waving their flags, painting the Union Jack on their faces and celebrating every time Team GB won a medal.

But one year on, many sports clubs told the Mercury they have seen a rise in membership since the Games, which they feel inspired people, especially children, to get more involved in sport.

About 70 per cent of the clubs we spoke to said they believed the Olympics had been a positive thing for them.

Boxing was one of the sports where clubs have seen an increase in interest during the past year – especially in female members.

Michael Burgess, head coach at Waterfront boxing academy, in the city centre, said: "There has been a real rise in young members, especially girls since the success of Nicola Adams.

"We used to have a few calls but, after the Olympics, we now get four to five inquiries a week."

Coalville Boxing Club chairman Pete Lewis agreed, saying that in the past 12 months, the club had seen a rise of about 15 to 20 per cent in membership.

"There have been quite a few girls who have joined,'' he said.

"It seems that a number of clubs have benefited from the Games. I think there is a lot more understanding of minority sports."

Another sport which seems to have boomed in Leicestershire is archery.

Lutterworth Archery Club, Welland Valley Archers, in Market Harborough, Phoenix Archers, in Smeeton Westerby, near Kibworth, and Rutland Archery Club all reported an increase in membership.

Vic Simpson, of Leicester Ancient Order of Foresters Archery Club, in Countesthorpe, said the club had seen a 25 per cent increase in membership in the past year.

"Even though archery was not brilliant in the Olympics last year, the archers of the Paralympics were winners and we have seen an increase in interest from disabled people compared with the past few years," he said.

Ian Radcliffe, chairman of Leicester Masters Swimming Club, which meets at Cossington Street pool, in Belgrave, Leicester, said there had been a steady increase in the number of members as a result of the Games .

"I believe the Olympics has definitely influenced people," he said.

Karen Edwards, head coach at Coalville Gymnastics Club, said that since the Olympics its waiting list has increased from one year to 18 months.

However, some clubs said they had seen no real benefits from the Olympics.

Rutland Trampoline Club and Soar Valley Trampoline Club said they did not believe the Games had affected their membership levels.

Helen Barnet, organiser of Harborough Feathers badminton club, said: "There has been no change or impact in terms of an increase in members."

Brian Jordan, chairman of Hinckley Fencing Club, said although they had seen an initial upsurge in interest after the Games, that tailed off quite quickly.

Additional reporting by Chris Harpur and Clare Abbott.

A young woman who head-butted and robbed a 14-year-old boy of his bicycle was branded a "street bully" by a judge.

Leicester Crown Court was told the victim and his friends used Facebook to track down the mugger, Shermya Pyatt.

Judge Simon Hammond said they were "seriously smart" to use the social networking site to identify the culprit, before passing the information on to the police.

Pyatt (19), of Tudor Road, Black Friars, in the city, was sentenced to 22 months detention.

She admitted robbing the boy on September 17 last year.

The mugging happened at 8.20pm when the victim was with friends in a car park near Tudor Road and Kate Street.

Pyatt and an unknown male accomplice accosted the boy.

The accomplice grabbed him, knocking him off his £100 mountain bike.

Lynsey Knott, prosecuting said: "The defendant got on the bike and the victim took hold of the handlebars, trying to stop her.

"She head-butted him on his nose and left cheek area, causing him to let go and she rode away.

"The complainant was in immediate pain and it really hurt him."

The boy and his friends heard the accomplice use the defendant's first name, Shermya.

Using that information they located her on Facebook.

The court heard Pyatt had received a reprimand and two police warnings for three assaults in 2006.

In March, 2010, she was prosecuted for possessing an imitation firearm, a BB gun, in Highcross shopping centre and in July, 2010, committed a shoplifting offence.

Judge Simon Hammond said: "People are entitled to go about their lives without people robbing them.

"The bike was probably the victim's most treasured possession. He never got it back."

"This defendant is a street bully. There's a nasty, violent streak in her."

Pyatt, who also admitted failing to answer her bail, was arrested nearly two months ago and been in custody since.

Sally Bamford, mitigating, said: "She has expressed remorse for her actions.

"There are positive aspects to her character and she comes from a good supportive background.

"Her mother is in court to support her.

"The offence must have been extremely unpleasant for the victim, but fortunately there was no lasting injury."

Three villages will be among the stops for two motorcyclists on a charity tour to celebrate the people who fought in the First World War and survived.

More than 50 villages in Britain will be visited by Welsh motorcyclists Dougie Bancroft and Medwyn Parry over the next few days and on Wednesday the pair plan to stop at East Norton, Teigh and Saxby.

During the nine-day ride, they will present each village with a slate plaque to commemorate those who returned home at the end of the Great War in 1918.

The 51 stops on the "Grateful Villages" tour all sent men to fight in the conflict, but suffered no losses.

Triumph Motorcycles, in Hinckley, has provided two of its Trophy tourers for the 2,500-mile journey.

The company is sponsoring the trip as, nearly 100 years ago, it was chosen to supply 30,000 motorbikes for Allied forces.

During the Thankful Villages tour, Dougie and Medwyn hope to collect £51,000 in aid of the Royal British Legion.

Guy Masters, general manager of Triumph UK, said: "We are proud to be supporting Dougie and Medwyn.

"The Thankful Villages story is one not many people are aware of, and hopefully this project will do a great deal to help rectify this."

Their ride began in mid-Wales on Saturday. Bikers wanting to join can visit:

www.thankfulvillagesrun.com

A toy collection is being held for children affected by the conflict in Syria.

Sharen Ravat, chaplaincy service manager at Leicester College, will be holding a drop-in session for members of the public to hand over unwanted or unused toys on Sunday, August 4, from 1pm to 5pm at St Philip's Church in Evington Road, Leicester.

Many different faith communities have already pledged support, including Leicester Islamic Centre, Leicester Cathedral, Guru Tegh Bahadur Gurdwara and the Sikh Cultural and Welfare Society.

The toys will be given to the UK charity Hand in Hand for Syria, which will then distribute them at hospitals in the war-torn country.

Sharen said: "I decided to organise the campaign after being touched by the plight of children in Syria, many of whom have lost their loved ones, been injured, made homeless or just lost hope.

"The UN has already said that the Syrian refugee crisis is the worst since Rwanda with an average of 6,000 people fleeing every day.

"I am hoping that by offering toys to children, it puts an immediate smile on their faces."

For more information, call Sharen on 07919 290 313.

Up to 50 jobs will be created at a specialist food and drinks park in Leicester.

The city council has lodged plans to develop 20,000sq ft of food manufacturing space on land it owns off Lewisher Road in Northfields.

The £5.6 million development includes nine separate units which will be leased to small or medium-sized expanding companies.

The plans submitted to the council's own planning department indicate 50 jobs will be created.

City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said: "Leicester already has considerable strength in the food manufacturing sector and is fortunate to be home to some big names such as Samworths and Walkers.

"What we do know, however, is there is a demand for smaller, very specialist workspace to make food and drink. We have quite a lot of craft and artisan producers – many making Asian foods – who are looking for units they can use to grow their businesses.

"That is what we will provide at Lewisher Road – a quality environment which meets the very stringent demands of the food production industry.

"It is also in a part of town with very good access."

A council report on the scheme said: "The high cost of building specialised food units and the lack of funding means that the development is not financially viable for the private sector."

The council has committed at least £2.2 million to the scheme and is awaiting the results of a bid for a further £3.4 million of European Regional Development Fund cash to finance it.

The outcome of the bid is expected by September.

Leicestershire Chamber of Commerce chief executive Martin Traynor said: "I am very pleased the council is willing to invest this money as there is a real shortage of units in the food sector.

"It is a very important part of the Leicestershire economy.

"We may only be talking about 50 jobs, but the kind of companies going in there will be start-ups which, if they succeed, will be looking to move to larger premises elsewhere where they will be able to increase staff numbers.

"New business will then replace those that move on."

The Leicester Asian Business Association has said it supports the food park project, saying it is essential to help the city compete when trying to attract investment from other parts of the country and abroad.

A woman was ordered to carry out 40 hours of unpaid work for falsely claiming benefits by failing to declare that her adult son was living with her.

Susan Rose Singh was convicted by Leicester Magistrates' Court of failing to disclose the information she knew would affect her housing and council tax benefit.

Prosecutor Crystal Andrade said Singh, 59, failed to provide information to the Oadby and Wigston borough council about her adult son, who was living with her at the property between December 2008 and July 2012.

She said this was despite being visited by an investigation officer from the council during this period and being made aware of the need to report such changes.

Ms Andrade said Singh, of Northfield Avenue, Wigston, was paid £2,712.29 in benefits that she was not entitled to as a result of the fraud.

She had previously been offered – and had accepted – an administrative penalty as an alternative to prosecution in relation to failing to notify other changes that would have affected her entitlement.

Singh was given a six-month community order and told to carry out the unpaid work.

She was ordered to pay £200 costs. Ms Andrade said the overpayment was already being repaid by Singh.

Famous sporting heroes and members of rock band Kasabian faced each other on the football pitch to raise cash in memory of a teenager.

Joe Humphries, 14, died suddenly while jogging near his home in Rothley in October, and his parents, Steve and Angela, set up a trust in his name to raise money and awareness of Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome (Sads).

Yesterday, Steve led a team that included ex-City players Steve Walsh and Muzzy Izzet, as well as rugby legend Martin Johnson, patron of the trust.

In front of more than 2,000 spectators at the Quorn FC ground, they took on a Kasabian side that included the band's bassist, Chris Edwards and vocalist Tom Meighan, as well as some of their friends including singer Jersey Budd.

Beforehand Chris said: "We're here to raise awareness for the trust and to win – I've played against the Legends before and I know they're rubbish, so for us it's a chance to get some of our mates together and beat them!"

Chris, who played midfield, was later made to eat his words as the Legends won 4-2.

Tom started off on the substitutes' bench, while guitarist Sergio Pizzorno also went on for the second half.

Former England and Leicester rugby hero Martin said: "I've known Steve for the best part of 20 years and when we lost Joe it was a huge shock, especially for Steve and Ange. They've been incredibly strong in setting up the trust and showing that it's something we can make a difference locally."

Also on the Legends team was Jess Keeling, 17, of Blaby, who has been diagnosed with long QT syndrome, a potential cause of Sads.

Steve said: "We've been touched by the way people have been getting behind Joe's Trust."

Cash raised will be used for CPR training and the campaign for more defibrillators.

Hindus have prayed for a happy future for Prince George at a celebration of the royal baby's birth.

Dozens of members of the Hindu community were joined by the Lord Lieutenant of Leicestershire, Jennifer, Lady Gretton, who is the Queen's representative in the county.

It is traditional for prayers to be said on the sixth day of a new baby's life.

Vinod Popat, who organised the event in Belgrave, Leicester, on Saturday, said: "According to the Hindu teachings, the Lord of Destiny comes to bless the child on the sixth day.

"We were celebrating the birth of the prince with singing and drummers, and praying for the Lord of Destiny to write a beautiful destiny for the future king."

Lady Gretton said: "The Hindu community here has come together to celebrate and I think it's wonderful how everyone has joined in."

Among those enjoying the entertainment was 14-year-old Krishna Savadia.

She said: "We've been celebrating the birth of the new prince because we've been so excited about it and we've had so much fun."