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Man killed after car hits tree in Welford Road, Leicester, named as Jonilal Manjhu
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From playing with Paul Weller and clubbing with Boy George... now Steve's at Leicestershire's Premier Drums
Steve White, the latest addition to the team at Leicestershire's Premier Drums, has a pretty impressive pedigree. The young drummer from Bermondsey, London, had barely left school when he was plucked from nowhere to join Paul Weller's new outfit, The Style Council. It was a teenage dream come true – touring the world with one of the biggest acts in Britain, playing to the nation on Top of the Pops, rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous and making a respectable dent in pop history. (Twenty-nine years ago this month, the band's second album, Our Favourite Shop – the singles included Wall's Come Tumbling Down and Shout to the Top – was number one in the charts). It was an amazing time for British music and Steve was with The Style Council for more than five years, even playing Live Aid at Wembley in 1985. When The Style Council finished in 1989, he went on to work with the likes of Ian Dury, Galliano and the Young Disciples. He then teamed up with Paul Weller again, playing on his 1990s solo albums such as Stanley Road and Wild Wood, and sticking with him until 2006. During that period, his brother, Alan, was drumming with Oasis. When Alan hurt his hand before a big US tour in 2001, Steve stepped in to take over. Now that doesn't happen every day, does it. Along the way, he was a session musician with Jon Lord of Deep Purple and played the 2005 Live 8 gig at Hyde Park with The Who. A few years ago, he found time to marry TV star and ex-Coronation Street actress Sally Lindsay, and more recently still formed soul-mod-jazz outfit Trio Valore with ex-Ocean Colour Scene bassist Damon Minchella and keyboard player Justin Shearn. As if that wasn't enough, he manages Leicester singer-singwriter Kristyna Myles and has worked on new material with wispy electro-pop sensation La Roux. By anyone's standards it's been a brilliant journey. He told the Mercury: "I was 17 when I joined The Style Council. Paul and Mick Talbot had started the band in the March and I joined in the May, when they recorded Long Hot Summer. "I was just coming up to 18 and all of a sudden was in this really huge band. "We would go out clubbing with Spandau Ballet and Culture Club. It was great because there wasn't that intense media pressure there is now. "Bands had the chance to develop without that public gaze. "I've been everywhere – 25 times to Japan, for instance. I went to Poland with The Style Council when it was under communist rule, and I've seen so many changes around the world in the 30 years since – not all of them for the better." The music scene has changed incredibly in that time, he said. "I think there are fewer bands out there. When I was starting out it was an extension of youth culture, like football, with loads and loads of bands. "I think that is coming around again, but did diminish about five years ago." He partly blames Government cuts to arts and music education, which he feels have almost robbed a generation of their creative potential. He said: "When I was a kid, my teachers said to me, 'you're not going to make money from this – just do it because you love it'." A bit of a lefty, he was part of the late-80s Red Wedge music movement – a collective of artists such as Paul Weller, Billy Bragg and the Communards, put together to encourage people to vote in the run-up to the 1987 General Election. As well as believing in British politics and music, he also believes in British industry, one of the reasons why he recently joined the product development and education team at Premier. Based in Kibworth, the business sells 10,000 drum kits a year, produced in factories in China, Taiwan. It also has a bespoke operation in Stockport and last month announced the launch of its handsome, British-made, Modern Classic drum set. Steve, 49, said: "Premier have been in existence about 100 years now and were originally based in an iconic building in Wigston. "It was quite traditional and old-school, doing the woodwork and metalwork, but by the 90s and 2000s it had become very, very hard to compete with the Far East. "Premier saw a downturn, but it's back now in Kibworth with a manufacturing facility in Lancashire, trying to keep the quality of its kits as high as possible and building a really strong foundation for its business. "I love the fact it's a British company and I'm very patriotic about supporting what we do in this country and to be involved in Premier is great. "They listen to what I've got to say and I feel part of the team. We're all happy to get our hands dirty and it's all done with a real sense of care and love. "My role's split between whatever I'm needed to do – I've been working on educational ideas to integrate the brand with new teachers and educate drummers and just give something back. "We're also looking to work with various music charities. "There's also the support I can give them on the creative side." Steve's relationship with Paul Weller continues to this day, more than 30 years down the line. "We're still friends." he said. "One of the reasons I left after all those years was that I just felt like we had done what we had to do together. "I didn't want things to go stale. "We both knew it was the right time. I'm incredibly proud of what I did with Paul, but he's got his career and I've got mine."• This article appears in June's edition of Business Monthly magazine. For more business features, see our Business channel.
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World Cup 2014: Robbie Savage sees funny side of Twitter joke about lack of football trophies
Hahaha love this x learning so much off these 2 ! Clarence never won worthington cup x pic.twitter.com/0SYu8I9WHN
— Robbie Savage (@RobbieSavage8) June 15, 2014
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Robbie said: "I thought it was quite funny that a picture was posted of me, Seedorf and Henry listing how many trophies they had won.
"There was a few, more than a few and my own Worthington Cup which to be fair made me laugh."
Former England and Leicester legend and World Cup presenter Gary Lineker was one of thousands of people who retweeted the offending Twitter picture – initially posted by someone called @beardedgenius.
Savage saw the funny side about the tweet that was posted after he was a pundit during the France v Honduras game on Sunday night.Morning @RobbieSavage8 great to have you in the studio with the guys. pic.twitter.com/7yhMKHEDut
— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) June 16, 2014
— Nooruddean (@BeardedGenius) June 15, 2014
But he then hit back at the "losers" who take to Twitter.
He said: "You've got a point but to be here in the midst of those legends learning my trade. It's brilliant.
"Some of you losers will be tweeting. How can you even be bothered to put that together?
"I wish I was you to be fair – sitting at home watching it on TV instead of being here."
Robbie also leapt to the defence of fellow World Cup pundit Phil Neville who has been criticised for his commentary during England's game against Italy.
The BBC has received 445 complaints about the former England and Manchester United player's performance during Saturday's match. Some said he was "monotone", while others said he was "boring".
Many viewers took to Twitter to criticise him, with several joking that England physio Gary Lewin who was stretchered off after breaking his ankle had actually "fallen into a coma" listening to Neville.
Phil took to Twitter to respond, saying: "1st live co-comm last night – sometimes u have to take the criticism – it will only make me better – thanks for the feedback (ahhahaha)!"
Robbie said: "It's absolutely ridiculous. The people who take the time to complain I think they are the boring ones.
"They are the ones that need to take a look at themselves. They are the ones that need to get a life. It's shocking.
"Phil Neville is a great lad and what he was saying was spot on."
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Ella-Mae, 15, breaks back in four places after fall from Lubenham bridge
A teenager fractured her back in four places after falling 20ft from a bridge on to a disused railway line.
Fifteen-year-old Ella-Mae Osborne also suffered internal bleeding in the fall near Market Harborough.
The sports-mad youngster was playing with friends when she reached over the bridge parapet in Rushes Lane, Lubenham, to retrieve a stick caught in an overhanging tree.
The tree gave way and the Robert Smyth Academy student fell to the ground – fortunately landing on a small patch of earth rather than the Tarmac surface.
Friends Jodie Donington and Ryan Bale called for an ambulance and ran to Ella-Mae's home in Paget Street, about half-a-mile away, to get help.
Ella-Mae's stepdad, Mark Pridmore, raced to the scene with next-door neighbour, Mandi Donington, 46, Jodie's mum.
Paramedics had to strap Ella-Mae to a stretcher and place her in neck and pelvic braces before taking her to the trauma unit at Coventry and Walsgrave hospital.
She spent the night in the hospital after the fall on Saturday, June 7, and is now on the road to recovery.
Mum Claire, 35, a care assistant who was at work when the drama unfolded, said: "I got a call at about 9.45pm saying Ella-Mae had fallen off the bridge.
"When I got to the hospital it was like she was mummified. She was strapped into neck and pelvic braces. She was all right until I got there, then she started crying – so did I.
"They found she had four fractures in her back at the bottom of her spine and she also had internal bleeding, but that stopped. It is a miracle she wasn't more badly injured.
"She was trying to get a stick out of a tree and when she grabbed it and shook it, it snapped and she went down with it. Luckily, she landed on a grassy bank.
"Ryan and Jodie stayed with her and got help. They were absolutely brilliant.
"Ella-Mae is studying PE as one of her GCSEs but she won't be able to do anything for at least six weeks. She's hoping to be a PE teacher."
Ella-Mae said: "Me and my mates were throwing a stick around. It got stuck in the tree and, when I shook it, the branch snapped and I fell with it, landing on some earth.
"My back was numb and I couldn't feel any pain in my arms and legs.
"I can walk better now but my lower back still aches a bit. It's horrible missing out on everything in PE."
Jodie, 15, said: "I witnessed it and there were some scary thoughts going through my mind.
"I called the ambulance, then rang to tell my mum. I don't think we'll be going back there to play."
World Cup 2014: Rooney sweating on place for crunch cup clash
Wayne Rooney has admitted his place in the England starting line-up is far from guaranteed ahead of their crucial clash with Uruguay on Thursday.
The Manchester United striker started on the left in England's 2-1 defeat to Italy in the opening game of their World Cup campaign and appeared to struggle out wide.
His preferred central role was handed to Liverpool's Raheem Sterling, who was arguably England's stand-out player in Manaus.
Rooney may be England's fifth all-time top scorer with 39 goals, but the 28-year-old insists he has never taken his place for granted.
The decision for England manager Roy Hodgson as to where he plays Rooney – if at all – has become even more paramount going into what is a "do-or-die" clash with Luis Suarez and Co on Thursday.
"I work hard to try to get into that team," said Rooney.
"I have never said my place is guaranteed. I don't expect to play, I work hard. I want to play.
"Why would I feel my place in the team is guaranteed? We have got a lot of good, young players so we will all work hard, all give the manager different options, different choices and, whoever he picks, I am sure we will all respect that."
Despite receiving criticism for his performance, Rooney covered nearly seven miles against Italy, more than any other England player, as well as crossing the ball for Daniel Sturridge's equaliser.
Rooney said he has got no qualms about putting in another shift out wide if asked to do so against Uruguay.
"I know I have run a lot in games and I have no problem doing that," he said. "I felt no problems at all.
"I felt absolutely fine. The weather was not an issue, so that's down to the manager (selection on Thursday).
"He will see over the next couple of days how the lads are and how they recover, and will make his decision from there."
Too-high bus timetables 'a bid to improve passenger information'
Council bosses have said they fitted bus timetables too high for anyone to read – as part of a Government-funded drive to improve information for passengers.
Officials at Leicester City Council confirmed the blunder after commuters contacted the Mercury about a new timetable positioned 7ft up a lamppost in Dumbleton Avenue, Rowley Fields.
A city council spokesman blamed the shape of the lamppost and admitted several others had also been fitted "far too high up" around the city in recent weeks.
"Because of the shape of the lamppost, these information cases had to be fixed far too high up to be of use," she said.
Contractors working for the authority have installed new signs at more than 100 bus stops around Leicester in the past two weeks.
"The cases – funded by the Department for Transport to improve bus information for passengers – are designed to fit neatly on to bespoke bus stop poles," the council spokeswoman said.
"In a handful of locations, however – including the Dumbleton Avenue stop – lampposts double as bus stops.
"Because of the shape of the lamppost, these information cases had to be fixed far too high up to be of use."
The council spokesman said workers would now be going out to lower the offending timetables.
"We'll be asking our contractor to find a solution, so that the cases can be displayed in the proper way – and at the proper height," she said.
Howard Parker, who spotted the sign, said: "I can't believe how ironic this is.
"It is a laudable intention to try to improve the information to passengers but they have achieved the opposite."
The 62-year-old, of Glenfield, said it had proved a pain in the neck for passengers.
"Anyone can see that the timetables are too high up," he said. "After studying it for a while I got a real crick in my neck.
"Who knows what the people thought as they fitted the things. They must have realised what they were doing."
Keith Myatt, spokesman for Arriva Bus, said the firm had fitted its own timetable at the stop but it had been replaced by the council.
He said: "The council is fitting these timetables in these cases as part of a strategy to provide better information for passengers.
"Our cases were half the size so I think they were trying to make things better with bigger cases. It is a city-wide programme and I think in most cases they have got the positioning right."
Terry Kirby, chairman of the Campaign for Better Transport (Leicestershire) said he was amazed at the positioning of some the timetables. He found a timetable 7ft up a lamppost outside Gilroes Crematorium.
Mr Kirby said: "It's madness to put them there. To first fit them and then to have to go round and refit them is lunacy and a waste of public money."
Leicester City line-up pre-season friendly against Everton in Thailand
Leicester City have lined up a pre-season friendly against Premier League rivals Everton to be played in Thailand.
Nigel Pearson will take his Premier League new boys to Bangkok to take on the Toffees on Sunday, July 27, at the Supachalasai Stadium.
The fixture is the highlight of a six-day pre-season trip to the homeland of the club's owners to mark the 25th anniversary of the club's parent company, King Power.
"It will be with great pride we bring our Championship-winning Leicester City squad to Thailand for a match between two Premier League clubs who I am certain will capture the imagination of our football- loving nation," said City vice-chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha.
"Our players received a heroes' reception during a celebratory trip to Thailand at the end of the title-winning season, and those fans will be very excited to see some of the team's preparations for the new season in the Premier League.
"It will also be a great honour to welcome a club with the history and tradition of Everton – another team in the UK with strong connections to Thailand."
City kick off their pre-season friendly schedule on July 22 at Ilkeston Town and take on Walsall when they return from Thailand on July 30.
City will find out when they will face Everton in the Premier League when the fixtures are released tomorrow at 9am.
Drunk man grabbed and followed terrified woman, 74, in Saffron Lane
A 74-year-old woman was terrified when a drunk man grabbed her in the street and then followed her home.
Judge John Pini QC said Keith Patrick Sutton was so intoxicated "he was barely on this planet".
Leicester Crown Court heard Sutton put his arm around the pensioner, who was walking home in Saffron Lane, Leicester, after buying a paper at 10.45am on August 19.
Staggering, he pulled her from side to side, and suggested they have sex.
Neil Bannister, prosecuting, said: "She felt disgusted by what was being said. He tried to pull her close. She was terrified about his intentions.
"He followed her into her front garden, saying they were going to have 'a cup of tea' but she told him to 'get out'."
Sutton followed her into the hallway, but the woman called to her daughter, who also lived there.
Mr Bannister said: "The daughter was shouting at him as he was holding on to the door frame.
"She finally managed to push him out of the house and called the police.
"He remained outside banging on the door and windows and shouting to be let in."
When the police arrived 10 minutes later, Sutton "was speaking incoherently".
Mr Bannister said: "He told them 'I'm waiting for my dog. Oh, there she is,' and pointed at an empty space."
Sutton (49), of Leopold Street, Wigston, was arrested under the Mental Health Act, but it became apparent he was incoherent due to alcohol.
He has no memory of his bizarre conduct.
His victim, now 75, later said: "My life has been altered forever because of this incident."
Mr Bannister said: "She's petrified of being on her own and scared to move around the house when her daughter isn't there and has panic attacks."
Sutton admitted common assault and putting a person in fear of violence.
He was given a 12-month jail sentence, suspended for two years, with 12 months of supervision and a six-month alcohol treatment requirement.
Judge Pini said: "You're a career alcoholic and half your life has been in a haze of drink.
"You've been an alcoholic since you were 28.
"I'm satisfied it wasn't a sexual attack, although it was deeply traumatic.
"Had it involved a sexual intent, you would have gone straight to prison."
He made a restraining order banning the defendant from contacting the pensioner, going to her home or visiting the newsagents where she collects her daily newspaper.
James Varley, mitigating, said: "It was binge-drinking that caused his behaviour, which he regrets.
"He's an alcoholic, a sick man and he's since done his best to sort that out.
"He thought the woman was someone he'd had an argument with and wanted to apologise, but got confused.
"He's now living with his partner and she won't tolerate him drinking at breakfast.
"He's extremely motivated to change."
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World Cup 2014: Muzzy Izzet says Brazil experience will be huge benefit to Riyad Mahrez
Riyad Mahrez could become the first Leicester City player since Muzzy Izzet to appear at the World Cup finals when Algeria begin their campaign tonight.
Mahrez and the Desert Foxes take on Belgium at the Belo Horizonte Stadium (kick-off 5pm).
If the 23-year-old makes an appearance, he will succeed Izzet, who was part of the Turkey squad that reached the semi-finals in 2002.
Izzet, who coaches with City's academy system, has been impressed with what he has seen since Mahrez arrived in January.
He also believes the midfielder will benefit hugely from his experiences in Brazil.
"I think he will come back a better player," said Izzet. "He will have seen so many different countries play and different styles of football.
"He will learn no end. He will come back for Leicester probably fitter, stronger and he will have some experience of playing at a standard he will meet in the Premier League."
Izzet said he was excited by the prospect of seeing how Mahrez adapts to life in the Premier League.
Mahrez made a big contribution to City's Championship title success and Izzet believes he will not look out of place in the top flight.
"He looks a good player," said Izzet. "He is elegant on the ball and good at taking players on.
"He is not a big lad but he has something about him. He is another big plus from last season.
"He is another shrewd signing. City have done well to spot these lads coming out of France who have come through the system.
"He has good technique, but that is what you expect from overseas players.
"The big thing for me was that he didn't just add to the squad, he added to the team. He made a difference when he played.
"He seemed to settle very quickly into English football and the pace of it.
"He has a bit of pace himself and he is the sort of player fans want to see, players who can excite them. He is certainly one of them."
Tributes paid to Jonilal Manjhu who died in Father's Day crash
Floral tributes from family and friends have been laid at the scene of a Father's Day crash which left one man dead.
Police yesterday named the man as Jonilal Manjhu, 39, of Wigston. He died when the silver Ford Focus he was in left Welford Road, Leicester, and hit a tree.
The crash happened just before 3am on Sunday, close to the crossroads with Knighton Lane East and Chapel Lane.
Another man, aged 33, remains in a serious condition at Queen's Medical Centre, in Nottingham.
Among the floral tributes left at the scene yesterday was one with the message "In loving memory of a dear Dad", marked "Love Priya" and "Love Tina".
The same card also read: "Hi Dad, I miss you so much and you was the best dad, Rest in peace, Love Neha."
Another, signed Bolly, and marked "To my husband" read: "I am going to miss you forever. I love you soooo much, Rest in peace." A third said: "Joni, my brother, my friend, my partner in crime, you was the best, I can't believe you have gone and left us.
"I can't come to terms with the news which I have received."
Detective Constable Seamus Burns, who is investigating the crash, said: "It's believed that in the vicinity of the Focus at the time of the collision was a Black BMW1 series car.
"We would urge anyone who may have been in the area of Welford Road at 3am on Sunday and may have seen either the Ford Focus or a black BMW1 series travelling out of the city to contact us."
A 46-year-old-man arrested in connection with the collision has been released on police bail.
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Picture of the day: Riyad Mahrez and the Forest connection
• Click here to see the Leicester Mercury's Picture of the Day channel.