Leicester Tigers director of rugby Richard Cockerill has changed all but one of his starting XV that lost the opening game of this season's LV= Cup campaign.

Niall Morris, who moves from full-back to the wing, is the only player to keep his place in a completely new-look Tigers side.

There are first starts of the season for Pat Phibbs at scrum-half and Fraser Balmain at prop.

Tigers have reverted to wearing lettered shirts for this fixture to reflect the club's traditional style, from the ABC front row to O at full-back.

1 min: PENALTY (3-0) Tigers have the first chance to get points on the board as they are awarded a penalty about 30m out in front of the posts. George Ford takes his time, composes himself and slots the ball between the posts to the cheers of the Welford Road faithful.

4mins: TRY (3-7) Tigers are not in front for long as the Maori's second-row Jason Eaton blasts his way through a number of missed tackles and offloads to scrum-half Frae Wilson, who only has to dive under the posts. Willie Ripia makes no mistake with the conversion.

8mins: PENALTY (6-7) The Maori are penalised for not rolling away and Ford makes it two from two. Tigers just one point behind now after an impressive start.

12mins: PENALTY (9-7) A great cross-field kick from Ford is caught by Morris on the wing. He tries a chip-and-run but is blocked by Andre Taylor and the New Zealand full-back finds himself in the sin bin. Ford puts the penalty between the sticks.

18mins: TRY (16-7) A great move from Tigers as they spin the ball out right to Morris, who in acres of space, dives right into the corner. Referee Andrew Small hesitates for a moment to check with his touch judge before awarding the try. Ford makes the conversion look so easy.

22mins: PENALTY (19-7) A great break from Anthony Allen down the right sees him play in Morris. The Maori are penalised again at the ruck for not rolling away and Ford happily takes three more points.

30mins: TRY (26-7) Matt Smith hacks a broken ball down field from his own 22 and Adam Thompstone shows an incredible burst of pace to charge through and, with a couple more kicks of his own, picks up the ball to stroll under the posts. Ford with a simple conversion.

37mins: PENALTY (26-10) The visitors have stopped taking quick penalties now they find themselves so far behind. Ripia lines it up and it drops between the posts.

40mins: TRY (26-17) With no time left on the clock, Maori spin the ball out left from a scrum just inside Tigers' 22 and Tim Batemen gets over the line after a lovely dummy move. The conversion flies over and there's fewer than 10 points in it now going into the break after a half that Tigers have dominated.

H-T: Tigers 26 Maori 17

43mins: PENALTY (29-17) Tigers start the second half in impressive fashion and win a penalty on the Maori's 22. Ford gets his second-half points tally under way in confident style.

51mins: The Maori are penalised for a shoulder barge at the ruck and Ford has the chance to put Tigers further into the lead from just to the left of the posts. But the youngster slices his easiest kick of the night just wide of the posts.

58mins: Dan Bowden finds himself in the bin after a high tackle. Tigers are down to 14.

60mins: TRY (29-24) A lovely move from the Maori All Blacks sees them spin the ball out wide right with a huge overlap and Charlie Ngatai gets into the corner. Ripia curls a lovely conversion, which drops just over the posts. Just five points in it now.

64mins: PENALTY (32-24) It's down to 14-a-side as Jarrad Hoeata is sent to the sin bin for continuously killing the ball. Ford makes no mistake from the tee.

76mins: A strong Tigers scrum just inside the Maori All Blacks' half forces the mistake from the Maori's pack and Ford has the chance surely to put this game to bed with just minutes left on the clock. Ford takes his time as he waits for the crowd to settle, but he puts his attempt just wide. But surely Tigers can still hold on for the win.

80 mins: As the seconds tick away, the crowd begin the chants of 'Tigers' and, as the ball flies into touch, referee Small blows the whistle and Tigers register a famous win. An extremely impressive performance from a Tigers side who dominated the majority of the encounter

F-T: Tigers 32 Maori 24

The FA have been looking into Leicester City manager Nigel Pearson's post-match comments after Saturday's controversial draw with Nottingham Forest.

Pearson was critical of the decision by referee Anthony Taylor to award Forest a penalty in the 67th minute which allowed Simon Cox to grab a point for the visitors.

He called for officials to become accountable for their decisions.

Pearson was consistent in his condemnation of the penalty decision and the Mercury understands the FA have been reviewing his comments for 48 hours.

However, no decision has yet been made on whether to charge Pearson or not.

At the time, Pearson said he would be shocked if he was punished for his forthright view on the officials.

"If I get in trouble, I think I have missed a trick because I have been careful with what I have said and how I have constructed my sentences," he said.

"If I get fined after what has happened, then there is something seriously wrong with the game."

Pearson said he had not spoken directly to Taylor after the game. But, according to Forest manager Sean O'Driscoll, Taylor had reviewed video evidence of Zak Whitbread's tackle on Billy Sharp, which lead to the penalty award, and stood by his decision.

Pearson, who usually refuses to criticise refereeing decisions and is always careful in his post-match comments, was visibly incensed and spoke strongly and emotionally to television, radio and written media immediately after the game.

Meanwhile, Huddersfield Town chairman Dean Hoyle has stated he would like to keep Leicester City striker Jermaine Beckford at the club until the end of the season.

Beckford has scored three goals in six appearances for Huddersfield since joining on loan in September.

His loan is due to end on January 1, but Hoyle said he would like to extend the deal with City.

"I think Jermaine's view is he'd probably like to stay with us for the season and hopefully that can be arranged," Hoyle told BBC Radio Leeds.

"He loves it here and gets on very well with Simon Grayson.

"Jermaine is a fantastic character. Before I met him, I thought he had a bit of an attitude, but since I met him he's been a cracking guy."

A man cheated death after being hit by a 15-tonne lorry, leaving him with injuries so horrific doctors twice pronounced him dead at the scene of the crash.

A team of 34 doctors and nurses was called in to save the life of Lewis Godfrey after the collision.

The 23-year-old, from Loughborough, spent 16 days in a coma. He was expected never to walk again and to have severe brain damage.

But astonishingly, five months after the crash, Lewis has made a full recovery.

"It has taken a while for every-thing to sink in," said Lewis.

"Sometimes I can't believe I'm here.

"I can't remember anything from the accident, but I am really shocked when my dad tells me bits about what happened.

"I think it's probably just as well I can't remember anything.

"I was gutted when the doctors told me I would never walk again, but I was just glad to be here.

"I was determined to get my life back on track and with the help of a lot of people, I'm now able to walk again."

The Virgin Media cable technician was on a night out in Loughborough on June 2 when he was allegedly punched and pushed into the road, where he was dragged under the wheels of the lorry.

The driver, unaware he had hit someone, continued his journey.

Lewis suffered severe head injuries, massive blood loss and a broken pelvis. All of the muscle was ripped off his upper right leg.

A doctor pronounced him dead at the scene after his heart stopped beating.

In an ambulance, on the way to Queen's Medical Centre, in Nottingham, Lewis's heartbeat stopped again, and paramedics battled to restart it.

After coming out of a coma, Lewis was given the devastating news he might never walk again.

"It was overwhelming," he said. "But with some help I managed to learn to walk again in six months."

"It was a strain at first because I was bedridden. I couldn't even feed myself, but it's a lot better now.

"I can't remember anything from the accident."

Lewis has made such a good recovery he is hoping to be back at work by January.

He said: "I'm lucky, and my heart goes out to everyone single person who helped look after me."

Dr Nicholas Foster, who was working as a volunteer GP with paramedics that night, was the first doctor on the scene.

"When I got there, I saw the most horrific injuries – he had been ripped open," said Dr Foster. "The level of trauma was so massive, he shouldn't have made it.

"I knew I had to stop the bleeding, so we put him back together and wrapped him up to keep him in one piece."

In hospital, Lewis was operated on by surgeon Daren Forward, who said he had suffered a "substantial head injury" and had severe damage to his bowel and bladder.

A titanium plate was inserted into Lewis's skull to keep the shape of the head normal.

Lewis's dad, Graham Godfrey, 48, said: "When we first arrived at the hospital, we were only allowed to see Lewis very briefly.

"They draped a sheet over him to cover his injuries, and I held his hand for a bit, and whispered in his ear to keep fighting."

Three people have been charged in connection with the incident.

Two men, both aged 24 at the time of arrest, were charged with causing grievous bodily harm.

A third man, who was aged 23 at the time of arrest, was charged with affray.

They will appear in court later this year.

Leicester Tigers took the scalp of the Maori All Blacks 32-24 on another historic night of international rugby at Welford Road.

An electrifying first half saw Leicester go into the break with a 26-17 lead on the back of tries from Niall Morris and Adam Thompstone.

With George Ford pulling the strings at fly-half and nailing eight of 10 kicks at goal, the result was never really in doubt, despite the gap being reduced to five points with 20 minutes to go.

With Mat Tait having a big influence from full-back on his first start in 13 months and young prop Fraser Balmain putting in a superb shift in a dominant scrum, there were huge positives for director of rugby Richard Cockerill.

The night began in exhilarating fashion with the world-famous Kiwi haka. The war dance had the Welford Road crowd captivated and contained a very Maori slant with far more to it than the usual All Blacks' version.

It ended with the Maori in a dart shape facing the hosts, who stood firm on the half-way line, staring long and hard at the visitors until long after it had finished.

Leicester took that aggression into the early stages of the game and Ford gave them a 3-0 lead after just two minutes.

The Maori wasted no time in showcasing their ball-handling skills and running lines with a gorgeous try, scored by Frae Wilson but made by lock Jason Eaton's lovely back-handed offload.

Ford almost immediately brought it back to 7-6 and Tigers could have scored their opening try as the 19-year-old's perfectly-weighted cross-field kick found Niall Morris and the Irishman chipped the last defender, only to be shoulder barged off the ball.

It resulted in a yellow card for full-back Andre Taylor and Ford put Leicester ahead.

There was no stopping Morris on 17 minutes, however, as fast hands from Ford and Matt Smith put him free in the corner.

Ford continued his impressive comeback from his nightmare against the Saints with a touchline conversion and Tigers led 16-7.

The Maori should have seen their second yellow card of the night when lock Jarrad Hoeata lay all over the ball two metres from his own line after Morris' 60-metre break. But only a penalty came of it, which Ford took with open arms.

By now, the home side were playing some lovely stuff and winger Adam Thompstone lit up the night with a thrilling try after showing some serious pace to win the race to Smith's hack forward from broken play.

Ford's conversion made it 26-7 but a late comeback by the visitors kept the game alive as a Willie Ripia penalty and Tim Bateman's first-phase try on the whistle made it 26-17 at the break.

Ford extended Leicester's advantage early in the second half and by now, the teenager was exuding confidence as Leicester dominated.

But on a rare Maori break, Tigers very own Kiwi, Dan Bowden, was sin-binned for killing the ball only minutes after coming on as a substitute.

The visitors made the most of their numerical advantage and Charlie Ngatai dived over after a big overlap on the right.

At 29-24, and with a quarter left to play, it was anyone's game. But then the Maori suffered their second yellow card as serial offender Hoeata was binned.

Ford added his sixth penalty to make it an eight-point buffer and with their defence holding firm and superbly marshalled by Anthony Allen, Tigers hung on for a memorable victory.

Police have launched an investigation after a woman was found dead inside a house in Leicester.

The woman's body was discovered in the property in Hand Avenue, Braunstone, at 2.20pm yesterday.

A Leicestershire police spokeswoman said: "Early indications are that the death may be suspicious.

"A 31-year-old man has been arrested and remains in custody.

"It is too early in the investigation to provide any further details at this time."

The house remained cordoned off last night as police forensic investigators examined the scene.

Neighbours paid tribute to the woman, who has not yet been formally named by police.

They said they believed the woman lived with her husband or partner and that the couple had two young children, a boy and a girl.

Tapiwa Nkomo, 38, said: "It's so sad, she was such a lovely girl and a good, caring mother.

"I didn't know her all that well but we used to say hello to each other and wave when we were leaving the house in the morning.

"I don't think they had lived here all that long, maybe since 2010. They always looked like such a happy family."

Another neighbour, who asked not to be named, said: "She always seemed such a placid mother, she was always very calm and gentle with her children.

"It's awful to know someone so nice has died so close to your own home."

Some neighbours said they believed the couple were Turkish, while others believe they are from Iraq.

Detectives were last night continuing to question the 31-year-old man.

They did not give details of where and when he was arrested.

Police said they could not reveal the cause of death at this stage.

Inspector Andy Parkes, of Hinckley Road police station, posted a message to residents on Twitter, saying: "Detectives investigating serious incident in Braunstone – thanks to the community for their understanding and help as we return to normality."

Leicester Tigers put on a wonderful spectacle at Welford Road as the visiting Maori All Blacks were beaten 32-24 on a thrilling night.

The world-famous haka started a memorable evening at a ground snubbed by organisers of the 2015 World Cup.

Despite hosting South Africa in 2009 and Australia the following year, Welford Road was recently overlooked in place of a host of football grounds as plans for the 2015 competition were released.

With a boisterous crowd of more than 17,000 on hand to witness another victory over international competition, Tigers chief executive Simon Cohen said it was "a great night for the club".

"It is nice to prove to those people who do not come to Welford Road regularly, that it is a venue capable of hosting a great international rugby occasion," he said. "The games against international opposition are always fantastic occasions for the club and its supporters and each one of them writes another chapter in a great rugby history.

"It also proves there is a big appetite for top-class rugby within the region and the revenue from this evening will be of significant assistance to the club both on and off the pitch."

With a huge crowd cheering them on, Tigers flew to a 26-7 lead with tries from Adam Thompstone and Niall Morris.

The Kiwis fought back in style, but George Ford pulled the strings in midfield and added 22 points with the boot to see Leicester home.

Director of rugby Richard Cockerill hailed the club and his team's performance.

"It was about putting on a show and showing everyone what this club is about," he said.

"The support of the crowd was very vocal and that was important to the players.

"The guys just wanted to go out there and play and show them that Leicester is a club full of very good players.

"We spoke about the Maori culture before the game and we respected that. But our culture is about turning up, rolling our sleeves up and getting on with it. Our attitude was fantastic and we defended well and showed some great skills in attack, too."

From youngsters making decorations to shoppers taking part in a vibrant interactive art installation, thousands of people across Leicestershire celebrated Diwali Day yesterday.

Restaurants in Melton Road were overflowing with revellers, while more than 10,000 people gathered in Cossington Street Recreation Ground for the traditional fireworks display and celebrations last night.

With decorations up in houses across the city and county, thousands of people celebrated the end of the Hindu year by giving gifts at home.

Youngsters at the Kiddycare nursery, in Melton Road, painted rangoli designs – a traditional decorative design used during Hindu festivals – and took part in games.

The children, aged between six weeks and five years, were joined by their mums and dads yesterday morning.

Nadine Farrington, operations manager for the city's four Kiddycare nurseries, said: "It was a lovely day and involved lots of families who took part in games and competitions. We want to wish everyone a happy Diwali."

The festival of lights was also given a modern twist with an interactive art installation using Humberstone Gate's big screen.

Images of people walking past were transformed into dancing balls of light, which were then displayed on the huge television.

Kalpana Bodalia, 46, of Thurmaston, was transfixed by the display.

She said: "I really like it because Diwali is all about the festival of light.

"It doesn't matter what culture or religion you are, light is for everyone.

"Everybody is invited and welcomed to get involved with the celebrations."

Mum Teresa Lewis, 42, was also at the screen with her three children.

She said: "It looks really cool and it fits in with Diwali because of the light element."

Restaurants along the Golden Mile were packed throughout the day.

Floyd Rosario, senior supervisor at Feast India, said: "Feast India is generally quite busy anyway, every day is like Christmas. But with Diwali it is even busier."

Ashok Raval, chef and manager at the Khyber Tandoori Restaurant, said: "We get people coming from all over, from places such as Nottingham and Birmingham, who come to Leicester to spend Diwali with their families."

Yesterday evening, more than 10,000 people cheered as fireworks exploded and echoed around Cossington Street Recreation Ground.

The event was organised by the Hindu Festival Council, which has been hosting Diwali celebrations since 1991.

Chairman Maganbhai Patel said: "In the beginning, it wasn't very big, but we have tried to include more people and entertainment and it's grown and grown.

"It's the last day of the Hindu year and is celebrated by millions all over the world.

"Everywhere you go, people will get together and wish each other a happy Diwali – it's just like Christmas."

Leicester's Diwali celebrations, which mark the triumph of good over evil, are among the biggest in the world.

The festival began on November 4, when 35,000 visitors watched a lights switch-on spanning 1km along Melton Road.

As well as the official entertainment at the park last night, scores of other events took place across the city yesterday.

Police have released an artist's impression of a motorist suspected of sexually assaulting a woman after she got into his car because she thought he was a taxi driver.
The woman told police she got into a man's car after she had visited friends in Anstey Lane, Leicester, at 3.20am on Saturday, October 6.
She has told officers she cancelled a private hire taxi she had booked because she thought the man's silver saloon-style car, possibly a VW Passat, was also a taxi.
A short time later, she called police from the Cropston area and told them she had been attacked.
Police released details and appealed for witnesses earlier this month.
Yesterday, they released an artist's impression the victim has helped to create.
Detective Sergeant Neil Holden said: "We have worked closely with the victim to create this artist's impression and believe it to be a good likeness.
"What we want members of the public to do is take a good look at the image. Does this look like anyone you know? Perhaps a friend or work colleague.
"If you feel that person could be involved in this assault you must contact police immediately, it isn't too late to help.
"We have already appealed for information once and we know that there are people out there that want to help us.
"We are continuing to talk to witnesses but would urge anyone who knows about this incident, who hasn't called us before now, to please pick up the phone and get in touch.
"Although incidents like this are extremely rare in Leicester, we are taking this report extremely seriously.
"We have a team of officers working on this investigation and we hope that the public will help us too.
"The smallest piece of information could help us locate this man so I would urge you to call us."
The suspect is black, 30 to 40, 5ft 6ins and has little or no hair.
He is slim and was wearing dark clothing and a thick gold chain.
Contact Det Sgt Holden on 101 or Crimestoppers, which is anonymous, on 0800 555 111.

Fans of a break-dancing pensioner who appeared on Britain's Got Talent have been paying tribute to him on Facebook.

Scores of people have been posting tributes online to Fred Bowers, who died this week aged 77.

Former soldier and gardener Fred, of Sutton Bonington, near Loughborough, shot to fame after amazing millions of viewers with his moves when he appeared on the TV show in 2009.

Fred, who passed away in hospital on Monday, was already a cult figure on the dancefloors of nightclubs in his hometown before his TV stardom.

Fred had his personal Facebook site on which he had 5,201 friends and 1,454 photos on.

There is also a site dedicated to Fred which described him as "The Legend We All Love". Fred's personal site was flooded with messages paying tribute to him.

Ash Jones posted: "RIP Fred. keep on busting them moves up there, you'll be missed by many x."

Brad Janes said: "RIP Fred. I still have an LED light that you gave to me after dancing with it in Fusion. Legend."

Shireen Hand said: "I am so sad to hear that Fred has passed away. He was a lovely man. I used to work in the Rose and Crown and he'd always come over and have a chat before getting down to some serious breakdancing action."

Fred made it through to the semi-final of the hit ITV show.

However, his appearance caused controversy when it emerged he was claiming disability benefits.

A Department of Work and Pensions found he was claiming £70 a week in disability benefits for a bad leg and nearly £50 a month from the Government-funded Motability scheme to pay for a car.

It was decided he did not meet the criteria for Motability and that £70 a week was too much for his disability allowance.

He was told to pay back £10.80 a week from his pension.

Fred always maintained his innocence saying it was an overpayment.

Billy Johnson, Fred's best friend, said the pensioner was never happier than on the dancefloor of a club.

Mr Johnson, 38, of Zouch, Nottinghamshire, said: "Fred said he loved to be out and about in the town.

"He said he loved being around young people because he fed off their energy, which kept him young and active.

"The man quite simply loved to dance."

Lucy Garner's dream of competing in the ranks of the world's top women professionals is falling into place piece by piece.

Cosby's double world junior road-race champion signed for the Dutch Argos-Shimano squad last month and will race in their colours next year.

That prospect moved a step closer when the 18-year-old spent five days in the Netherlands meeting her new team-mates and the squad's various sponsors.

On agreeing to join Argos-Shimano, Garner, who won just about everything there is to win during her two stellar seasons as a junior, described them as her "dream team", and nothing she saw during her stay in Apeldoorn altered that opinion.

In fact, with news that she will start her season in South Africa in February, the anticipation has probably been heightened.

"I was there to get everything sorted out for next year," said Garner, the national pursuit champion.

That meant attention to detail from bikes and shoes, even down to the ear-plugs the riders will wear in hotels at night when they are away racing.

"The people on the team were nice and friendly," she said. "I thought it might be a bit scary but I got on with them really well.

"I knew a few people, but not well enough to have a full-on conversation with. It was a case of getting to know everyone – and I know I need to work on my Dutch a bit!"

The female element of the Argos-Shimano squad includes eight other riders from the continent alongside world, European and British junior road champion Garner, who hits the senior ranks as a fully-fledged elite rider at the turn of the year.

"It is a really strong team," she said. "There are a lot of older girls in there with experience and good results behind them."

So, at just 18, how does Garner fit into that team? "I'll be looking at how I can contribute and help people to win races," she said.

"At the moment, I'm concentrating on training and then we will look again in January."

She is under no illusions about the demands racing full-time in Holland will place on her.

"It is going to be difficult because I'm usually the one there for the sprint," she said.

"But, to start with, I might not even be there to help anyone in the sprints. I'm used to staying in races and, although I might be tired at the end, everyone is the same.

"This is going to be a completely different feeling."

The correct training, then, will be vital to help Garner adapt as quickly as possible – something that will not happen overnight, even for a rider of her undoubted quality.

"I'm just coming off a break at the end of the season, so I'm not doing much different, maybe a few more hours," she said.

A week-long training camp in Spain next month will lift the preparations to a new level, before the formal team launch in January. Then Garner can really begin to look forward to what she craves most – getting back into action on the road.

"It is going to be really good experience for me," said the British Cycling Academy star.

"I'm really looking forward to it. I just want to start racing!"

A decent midweek crowd indicated that the Welford Road marketing department had correctly judged the appetite of Leicester Tigers fans for a fixture against touring side Maori All Blacks.

With Tigers players in their traditional letters on a cold winter evening, it was almost a throwback to the old days of amateur rugby.

What was not amateur was the standard of play on display and the seriousness with which Tigers, shorn of their international stars, took the game.

Likewise, the Maori put out a high-quality side with, if not household, certainly well-known names in their ranks.

All in all, it was a very good night for Tigers, who won 32-24.

A comeback for forgotten man Mathew Tait at full-back, where rumour had it he was originally signed to play as a long-term replacement for Geordan Murphy, was successfully negotiated.

His smart insertion into the line and pass set up Tigers' first try.

George Ford put his poor kicking display against Northampton behind him with some difficult kicks, nailing eight from 10 on the night as well as continuing to show his skills with ball in hand.

Julian Salvi again showed just how good he is at stealing the opposition ball.

Although many would have wrapped him up to save him for the league and European fixtures to come, he once again proved his worth as a real openside flanker in Tigers' ranks.

While there will be those who bemoan the inevitable further weakening of the team in preparation for opposition in the LV= Cup, a win of this kind probably brings more to the club than that competition does.

For example, Tigers will feature heavily in the New Zealand press.

Much will have been learned by the young players, and sometimes it is nice to have a game where the result is important but not absolutely vital.

Having said that, winning is definitely preferable to losing!

So, a morale-boosting victory from a severely-weakened side against decent touring opposition from the land of the long white cloud, and an excited crowd, will hopefully bring in more new fans in the future to fill the Welford Road stadium.

Certainly there were plenty of good things and reasons to enjoy the evening, and another famous victory against a touring side to add to the Tigers honours board.

And I still love to see the team in the letters!

A teenager who attacked a 16-year-old in an alleyway and stole his iPhone admitted another 35 robberies when he appeared in court.

Dale Nightingale (18) said he "wanted to wipe the slate clean" and asked a crown court judge to take into consideration the robberies, another 23 thefts from the person and 68 thefts from vehicles.

He appeared at Leicester Crown Court along with 20-year-old Luke Pegg for the robbery of the teenager.

They were both jailed for three years after judge Michael Pert examined their records.

The court heard the robbery happened on June 12. Pegg had agreed to meet the victim to give him a BlackBerry mobile phone, after taking £50 from him the previous day.

But John Hallissey, prosecuting, said as they walked back to Pegg's home, the defendants attacked the 16-year-old as they turned into an alleyway in the city centre.

Mr Hallissey said: "Pegg head-butted the teenager and then punched him twice in the face. He then took his legs from under him and he fell to the floor."

He said Nightingale grabbed the victim from behind and pulled him up.

He said: "Pegg asked for his phone. The victim said he did not have one so Pegg and Nightingale searched his rucksack and found an iPhone."

He said Pegg asked for the password and the victim initially refused to give it.

Mr Hallissey said: "Pegg then said he would shoot the victim in the leg if he did not give the password."

At that point, the victim relented and the two defendants ran off with the iPhone.

The court heard Nightingale, of Mundesley Road, Hamilton, Leicester had five previous convictions, including one for violent disorder during the disturbances in Leicester in August last year.

He was said to have turned to crime when he got involved in taking drugs when he was 16.

Mr Hallissey said Pegg, formerly of London Road, Leicester, had been out on licence – after being given a three-year term of youth custody for robbery – when the offence happened.

He said Pegg had a total of 20 previous convictions for 27 offences.

Pegg wrote a letter to the judge expressing his remorse for his actions.

The court heard that Pegg had been involved in teaching other inmates to read after he was recalled to custody after the robbery.

Judge Pert told the defendants: "I intend to treat you the same.

"Pegg, you have an appalling record and Nightingale has said he wants to wipe the slate clean. So I do take into consideration the other offences."

There cannot be many more thrilling sights for Leicester City fans to see one of their own pull on the blue shirt.

Liam Moore, who made his England under-21 debut on Tuesday, is the latest to make the switch from Kop to pitch, following in the footsteps of famous home-grown talents to play for the club they supported as a boy, most notably Gary Lineker and Emile Heskey.

Former City striker Tommy Wright knows of the pride of going from club mascot to terrace hero.

The 28-year-old, who is currently playing for Conference side Tamworth, was born in Kirby Muxloe and was a City mascot in 1995 before joining the club's academy system.

Wright rose through the ranks with an impressive goalscoring record and made his debut in March 2002 as City were about to be relegated.

However, Wright fulfilled his boyhood dreams the following season by becoming a regular in the first-team squad as City earned an immediate return to the Premier League, and he scored the only goal to settle the East Midlands derby with Nottingham Forest on his full debut in 2003.

"The best feeling of all was to score the winning goal against Forest at home on my full debut," said Wright, who was capped for England at under-17 and under-20 level.

"It was something I will never forget and I have the shirt framed with the picture of me putting it away.

"The other highlights of my career will always be making my debut in the Premier League, representing England at youth levels and being able to give my great grandad my shirt, who is no longer here.

"That meant the world to me, and seeing him cry and hug me the way he did made me realise how proud I had made him and my whole family feel.

"My whole family are Leicester fans so it meant the world to me.

"It is every young boy's dream to play for their home-town club and the young lads at the academy should cherish their opportunity and give it their all as the number of players that break through are very low."

Wright didn't see his debut coming as he hadn't even played for the reserves when he got the call-up from Dave Bassett to face Leeds United in March, 2002.

"It was surreal," said Wright. "It was at Filbert Street and Leeds were flying at the time.

"I have pictures of me coming on and being on the pitch with the likes of Jonathan Woodgate, Harry Kewell and Mark Viduka. For a young lad it was an amazing experience. To play and have my name chanted by 20,000 people was a dream come true."

After helping City to promotion, Wright eventually left in 2006 when he was sold to Barnsley by Craig Levein.

"I was gutted to be honest," he said. "I didn't think I got a fair chance. Being a fan, I thought I would never leave a club I had been at since I 10 was but football is more complicated than that."

Wright has had eight clubs since leaving City and he is now starting to think of life after football.

"I have been presented an opportunity to build my own health and wellness business through a company called Forever Living," he said.

"I got introduced to sports products during my career and started to feel the benefits of them. They are natural products that help performance.

"They are the best supplements I have personally experienced so I thought it was a great opportunity to do this part-time while I am still playing, and then expand when I have finished. There are also health, wellness and beauty products available.

"There are weekly business presentations in Narborough so if it interests anyone who want to build a full or part-time business they can contact me via my website." Go to:

www.prohealthandwellness.co.uk.

Liam Moore won his first England under-21 cap when he went on as an 83rd-minute substitute in Tuesday's friendly against Northern Ireland at Bloomfield Road.

A taxi driver tuned in to watch a football match on his mobile phone – while driving stunned undercover council officers.

The officials were running a routine licensing operation to ensure cabbies were not overcharging customers, failing to switch on their meters or breaking other regulations, when they hailed the cab at Loughborough railway station.

They asked the driver to take them to a nearby hotel, but were aghast when he put his phone on the car dashboard and started to stream the Euro 2012 quarter-final between Spain and France as he drove.

Charnwood Borough Council yesterday revealed details of the operation, which took place on June 23, after punishing the driver, who has not been named.

Councillor Jane Hunt, cabinet spokesman, said: "Our officers were stunned when this taxi driver decided watching the big match was more important than the safety of his passengers."

The officials were briefed not to reveal themselves to drivers at the time, but noted his badge number and the fact he had overcharged them by 40p.

The driver later admitted two offences of "misconduct regarding the charging of fares" and for failing to "take all reasonable precautions to ensure the safety of passengers".

He has been punished with nine penalty points on his taxi operator licence. If he exceeds 12 in a year, a hearing can be held to determine whether to strip him of his licence.

Noel Bertram, a former chairman of Loughborough Taxi Association, said: "I think he should have had his badge taken off him for that. How can you drive safely while you're watching a football match?

"It shows a total disregard for the safety of his passengers and he should have been handed over to the police ."

A borough council spokesman said the authority decided to take the disciplinary action itself, treating it as a licensing matter.

He said the nine point penalty was a "hefty" punishment.

Loughborough cabbie Bokul Miah, 39, said the driver had been stupid, but that it would not be right to take his licence.

"When that goes it is your livelihood and your home and everything is at risk," he said. "He was very stupid but he has been punished."

The operation took place in the period before the Olympics, when increased numbers of visitors were expected because of the university's role in the build-up to the Games.

We have all been there – that awful moment when you realise your carefully prepared, eagerly awaited packed lunch has been pilfered.

Leicester West MP Liz Kendall was furious when her tuna salad was nabbed from the communal fridge at her Westminster office – and she let the thief know full the extent of her wrath.

In a warning note to fridge-sharers, Ms Kendall wrote: "I do not appreciate this and warn other people – don't leave anything here unless you're happy for it to go missing."

The warning, left on the fridge door, was quickly followed by a reply, saying: "I took it... and I'd do it again".

A third note, by someone who shares the Parliamentary Street office with Ms Kendall, called the thief "a very sick individual".

Photos of the notes were sent to anonymous tweeter EyeSpyMP and posted on Twitter yesterday.

When the Mercury contacted Ms Kendall's office manager about the issue, we were told the Leicester MP was too busy campaigning in Corby to talk about the trauma of losing her lunch.

However. Ms Kendall later took to Twitter herself.

She wrote: "I'm too busy campaigning to speculate on the identity of the Westminster tuna salad thief.

"But from now on I'll be eating a bigger breakfast."

Alexander Cruz Vidal, adviser to Nigel Evans MP, tweeted that the saga "has been keeping a sleepy Westminster entertained all afternoon".

Another Twitter user, Simon Chapman, said: "Hope whoever stole @leicesterliz's tuna salad ends up in the can. "

The Mercury took to the streets of Leicester yesterday to ask people to share their own stories of stolen lunch woes.

David Knight, 19, a student from the city, said: "I lived with some people last year and they used to take my food.

"I didn't like it and I told them not to. They stole my Coca-Cola and my cabbage. Then I moved out."

Sue Moore, 51, a care home worker from Oadby, said: "How rude to steal someone's lunch.

"At work, we have a communal kitchen. People help themselves to milk, sugar, and to our coffee. They ignore the stickers we put on. It's theft."

Student Chisha Chitambala, 21, from Narborough, said: "It's not the biggest thing in the world, but if I'm coming home from work and I'm expecting it to be in the fridge and it's gone, then I wouldn't be very happy."