A teenage nuisance has been banned from Braunstone Estate to prevent him making lives a misery for residents.

Daniel Bateman of Bendbow Rise, Braunstone, has been issued with an anti-social behaviour order, which runs until August 4, 2016.

The order prohibits the 17-year-old from entering Braunstone Estate as bordered by Narborough Road, Braunstone Lane, Hinckley Road, Fullhurst Avenue, Braunstone Avenue and Wyngate Drive, with the exception of visiting his mother and grandmother.

When he visits his mother and grandmother, he can only do so by using a specified route - Meadwell Road, Cantrell Road, Bendbow Rise to the junction with Dowdall Road, Gallards Hill onto Pollard Road, no further than number 6.

He cannot access Hockley Farm Medical Centre unless for medical appointments only.

The order also prohibits Bateman from being in a group of more than three people in a public place in Leicester, with the exception of family members and educational placements.

He also cannot be in the company of six named individuals in a public place in Leicester.

Inspector Ant Dales, of Hinckley Road police, said: "Bateman's behaviour will not be tolerated by members of the public and the police. Local authorities and courts have taken firm action to prevent it.

"The conditions under the order allow us to publicise Bateman's picture so members of the public and businesses can report any breach of the order.

"It is a criminal offence to break any of the conditions given to him and if he does, further action will be taken.

"We hope this order reassures the local community who have been affected by Bateman's behaviour.

"We now need the public's assistance to enforce the conditions of the order by letting us know if they believe he has breached any of the prohibitions."

Members of the public are encouraged to report any breach of the above conditions to officers at Hinckley Road police station on 101. Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Thousands of people flocked to a field in Leicestershire this weekend to witness the stunning spectacle of the re-enactment of the battle which claimed the life of Richard III.

The annual re-creation of the Battle of Bosworth, on August 22 1485, had special significance this year, as the city prepares to reinter the bones of the former monarch at Leicester Cathedral.

Visitors to the spectacular event, which took place yesterday and today, included England cricket hero Freddie Flintoff, who was there on Saturday filming for his new TV show.

Attractions included a 'battle of the nations' no-holds-barred fighting competition involving medieval soldiers, and an extensive living history camp.

We will be publishing the full story, a video of the event and a picture gallery packed with images tomorrow.

A woman who "fleeced the public purse" out of £73,000 in benefits she was not entitled to has been jailed for 12 months.

Dawn Huckerby falsely claimed she was a single mother living alone and failed to declare she was living with her partner, Steven Daniels.

He was working and owned their home in Tamar Road, Melton, as well as three other properties.

Daniels, who was jointly responsible for about £28,000 of the fraud, was jailed for eight months.

He had falsely claimed to be Huckerby's landlord.

Simon Hunka, prosecuting, said: "It was a fraud from the outset."

Huckerby, 45, was convicted by a jury of seven counts of benefit fraud, including receiving income support, job seekers allowance, housing and council tax benefits, between November 2005 and October 2011.

Daniels, 54, an HGV driver, was convicted of one count of benefit fraud, in relation to notifying the authorities he was increasing Huckerby's monthly 'rent' from £320 to £550.

Both denied the charges but were convicted on majority 11-1 verdicts.

Sentencing at Leicester Crown Court, Judge Simon Hammond said: "It was a carefully planned fraud that ran for almost six years.

"The evidence at trial was overwhelming.

"Daniels had four houses in Melton and Huckerby sometimes collected the rent.

"These defendants fleeced the public purse between them of a total of £73,226.

"Although Daniels was only implicated in relation to £28,366.

"Neither showed any remorse and falsely claimed they hadn't been in a relationship since 1999.

"It's suggested that Huckerby was influenced by others, but she came across as a very strong person when she gave evidence.

"She now accepts she was dishonest and it's a pity she didn't come clean earlier on.

"She's now moved back to her parents and I'm told there's no evidence of a lavish lifestyle."

The court heard that Huckerby was recently working 16-hours a week as a taxi driver and was a carer for her ailing father.

She has plans to qualify as a bus driver.

She has been repaying the unlawfully obtained benefits at the rate of £10 a week.

Charles Evans, mitigating for Huckerby, who has no previous convictions, said: "At that rate it would take 150 years for her to make recompense which is why she wants full time employment to pay it back more quickly.

"She sufferers from anxiety and in panic and fear she was unable to control her emotions and face up to the truth of what was happening to her.

"She now accepts she was dishonest."

Nicholas Cooper, for Daniels, said: "He has limited thinking skills, lacks confidence and is dyslexic.

"He is of previous good character."

For the latest crime and courts news, click here.

Elite professional cyclists and fun riders shared the same city centre track at the second Leicester Castle Classic cycle event today.

Top riders, including double Olympic gold medal winner Ed Clancy, competed in the 80km professional elite race, along a 4.1km lap which took in Leicester Castle and the outside of the King Power Stadium.

Earlier in the day, amateur cycling teams took part in a corporate relay challenge, young riders raced along the route and 80 competitors in a gruelling triathlon finished on the track at Western Boulevard.

The event was part of City Festival, 10 days of events which started this weekend and runs until August 25.

We will be publishing the full story, and lots of pictures, online and in the Mercury tomorrow.

Leicestershire are likely to face a stiff run-chase on the final day of their LV=County Championship match with Surrey at Grace Road.

Surrey closed the third day on 217-4, a lead of 324, and a declaration is surely imminent as they look for the win they need to maintain their push for promotion.

The County stuck to their task well on day three with Niall O'Brien and Jigar Naik producing the outstanding displays with bat and ball respectively.

O'Brien's unbeaten 89 ensured there was no prospect of the Foxes following on as they were eventually out for 373 - picking up four batting points but still trailing by 107.

Naik them claimed 3-61 from 23 overs of off-spin to help Leicestershire keep a degree of control on the Surrey second innings.

A century from Rory Burns, however, kept Surrey moving forward steadily and they will be favourites heading into day four. However, the County have shown a good deal of fight to stay in the contest over the second and third days and will be determined to see the job through.

7.10am: New Street, in Oadby is closed between the town centre and the A6 as the emergency water mains works continue.

For more local and national travel information and weather updates see the links below:

MOTORWAY UPDATES: For traffic updates on UK motorways and other key roads - http://www.highways.gov.uk/traffic-information/" CLICK HERE.

LIVE CAMERAS: Check the M1 through Leicestershire with our live traffic cameras - http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/traffic.html... CLICK HERE.

NATIONAL RAIL: For live UK train updates - http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service_disruptions/... CLICK HERE.

FLIGHT INFORMATION: For East Midlands Airport visit: http://www.eastmidlandsairport.com/flightinformati... CLICK HERE.

WEATHER: See the latest http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk.co.uk/weather" five-day weather report for Leicester and Leicestershire

CONTACT NEWSDESK: Send us your news and pictures. Tweet us http://twitter.com/Leicester_Merc" @Leicester_Merc or email newsdesk@leicestermercury.co.uk

A council planning boss has claimed there is "no uglier wart of a building" in Leicester than the city's Lee Circle car park.

Councillor Patrick Kitterick launched a blistering attack on the historically significant multi-storey building after it was proposed for addition to a list of Leicester's important heritage gems.

The NCP car park was put forward for the city council's latest heritage asset register because it was the first automated multi-storey car park in Europe and the ground floor housed the first Tesco store outside London.

However, Coun Kitterick told a meeting of the city council's planning and development control committee, which he chairs, that he regretted there were no proposals to demolish it. "I went for a walk up and down Lee Circle car park and NCP has actually painted it," he told the meeting.

"It looks just about passable during the day, but during the evening it would be a good setting for a South Korean horror film."

Coun Kitterick, who was the authority's cabinet member for regeneration when the controversial demolition of the historic Bowstring Bridge in Braunstone Gate was approved, added: "It actually overshadows some fantastic buildings in that area of Leicester, such as the BSS building and the telephone exchange.

"There are innumerable buildings which are well worth rehabilitation and I believe the continued existence of Lee Circle is a major barrier to the regeneration of the area.

"I believe Lee Circle should be chucked into the same pit where we put the Belgrave Flyover."

Council heritage champion Councillor Adam Clarke sat on a panel that discussed the new additions to the register, which includes a 1950s blocks of council-owned flats, the mile-long Glenfield railway tunnel, built by George Stephenson in 1839, and the Roman basilica under what is now being turned into Jubilee Square.

He said: "I stand by the decision we made – including Lee Circle car park."

City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said: "To my eyes, it's a brutal disaster, but historically it is important. It marks the start of the rise of the supermarket.

"However, I can't help thinking it is the product of a period when they built in concrete and they did it for the motor car. Town centre design has moved on considerably since.

"It is, however, part of the city that will be ripe for regeneration before the end of the next decade.

"However, when that is done it must be mindful that there is a lot of economic activity going on in that area."

Sir Peter Soulsby is set to travel to the Middle East "to get a flavour of the plight of the Palestinian people".

Leicester's city mayor intends to visit the West Bank at some point in the coming weeks.

Sir Peter said the territory had long been of interest to him and that the possibility of visiting had arisen in recent conversations with the Leicester-based Federation of Muslim Organisations (FMO).

He stressed the trip would be "a few days only", taken during his holiday time and that it would be made entirely at his own expense.

The West Bank is currently a stable area but is close to Gaza, where there has been recent conflict between the Palestinian Hamas group and the Israeli Defence Force, which has claimed the lives of about 2,000 Palestinians and 70 Israelis.

Sir Peter said: "I have never visited Israel or Palestine or the West Bank.

"I wanted to see for myself the reality of the plight of the Palestinian people.

"It has been an area that has interested me since my time as an MP.

"This has nothing whatsoever to do with the council and there is no question of anyone coming with me to carry my bags or hold my hand.

"If David Cameron can take two weeks in Portugal it is not unreasonable for the mayor of Leicester to take a few days in his own time to go to a part of the world he has long been interested in."

Sir Peter said the three-day trip would take place after the City Festival, a series of events celebrating the city which began at the weekend and ends on Bank Holiday Monday, August 25.

Sir Peter said the visit was taking place at a time when the round of council meetings was not as hectic as usual.

Labour city councillor Mohammed Dawood is to accompany Sir Peter, along with a small FMO delegation.

He said: "We hope to meet some public officials over there.

"We want to understand what's happening over there. It's an interesting time to go.

"We are still waiting for an itinerary.

"My intention is to pay from my own pocket.

"It is only for a few days because of commitments such as the full council and scrutiny (committees).

"If it was just the FMO going I don't think anyone would be that interested, but I accept as we are public officials that there will be some interest in it."

The family and friends of a cafe owner who died in a car crash are working together to ensure the business he built continues.

Gareth Carnall, who owned Fingerprints Delicafe, in Queen's Road, Clarendon Park, Leicester, was killed as he drove home to Earl Shilton from work on July 12.

Still reeling from the tragedy, Gareth's family and friends have made the decision to continue running the business he worked so hard to create.

His sister, Jess Jones, 35, of Burbage, said: "This is what he would've wanted – business as usual."

Two full-time members of staff at the cafe have taken on managerial roles, while Gareth's parents, Carole and Dick, of Earl Shilton, have become directors of the business.

Jess said: "We asked the staff at Fingerprints whether they wanted to keep open and they all decided they could do it.

"They said the cafe was his life. They know how Gareth liked things to be done – we, as a family, feel very lucky to have such great staff working there to continue his legacy."

Carole and Dick, both 61 and retired, sort out the administration and accountancy, as well as doing the weekly shop to keep the cafe is fully-stocked. Jess organises the outside catering side of the business.

"It's a whole new world to us," said Jess. "We were all so surprised with the amount he did on top of his usual working hours.

"It's amazing the support we've had, it's unbelievable."

Jess said that although it was difficult to think of a future without Gareth, having the cafe to look after had been a "good thing" to concentrate on.

"Keeping the cafe open keeps Gareth's memory alive," she said. "I just hope we're doing it right."

Ian Soulsby, 45, who works at the cafe, said there was "no question" when it came to keeping the cafe open. "The cafe was his baby, it was his dream and his life," said Ian. "Gaz was like the dad here, and we were his little family."

Ian said that although it had been a difficult time, keeping the cafe open "almost makes it feel like Gaz is still here".

"He wouldn't have wanted it any other way," he added.

Rob Perrin, 42, of Clarendon Park, a regular customer, said keeping the cafe open was the "best tribute" to Gareth.

Gareth, 33, was driving along Leicester Road, Earl Shilton, at about 11pm when his was involved in a collision with a car.

Police investigations into the crash are ongoing.

Money is being raised to buy a memorial bench which will be placed outside the cafe.

To donate to the bench fund, visit the cafe or go to:

www.justgiving.com/yimby/

Sporting hero Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff joined thousands of people at the weekend to witness the stunning spectacle of the re-enactment of the battle which claimed the life of King Richard III.

Dressed in armour, the England cricket legend was at the medieval battleground on Saturday filming for his new TV show.

He was part of a huge crowd which was there to watch the recreation of the Battle of Bosworth, which took place in Leicestershire, on August 22, 1485.

This year, the battle has special significance as the city prepares to reinter the bones of the former monarch at Leicester Cathedral.

Mark Wilkinson is heritage development manager at Leicestershire County Council, and a member of the team which organised the weekend.

He said the increase in the number of re-enactors wanting to take part this year was due to the recent finding of Richard III's skeleton under a city car park, and his forthcoming reinterment in Leicester.

Of the event's famous sporting visitor, Mark said: "It looks like he really got into the swing of it.

"He wanted to take part in the battle, but was not allowed to as the re-enactors are specially trained."

Attractions included a "battle of the nations" no-holds-barred fighting competition involving medieval soldiers and an extensive living history camp.

For the first time at the event, there was the opportunity for youngsters to have a go at archery, as well as a host of medieval games, including "walking the wire".

Annie Ashton, from Leicester city centre, was there on Saturday with her four-year-old son, Oli, and 12-year-old daughter, India.

She said: "The whole event was brilliant and the battle was spectacular.

"Oli had a great time pretending with his wooden sword and crown to be Richard III. He took the sword to bed with him that night and the next day went to a birthday party wearing his crown."

Firefighters tackled a car and food storage unit blaze last night.

One crew from Hinckley Fire Station was called to the incident in a yard in Ashton Lane, Sharnford, Leicestershire at 6.45pm.

The fire spread from the car to the food storage unit, which contained potato peelings. 

Two breathing apparatus and one compressed foam jet were used to tackle the blaze.

No-one was injured.

Elite professional cyclists and fun riders shared the same city centre track at the second Leicester Castle Classic cycle event.

Top riders, including double Olympic gold medal winner Ed Clancy, competed in the 80km professional elite race, along a 4.1km lap which took in Leicester Castle and the outside of the King Power Stadium yesterday.

Earlier in the day, amateur cycling teams took part in a corporate relay challenge, young riders raced along the route and 80 competitors in a gruelling triathlon finished on the track at Western Boulevard.

The event was part of City Festival, 10 days of events which started at the weekend and runs until August 25.

The route took riders from the start and finish line on Western Boulevard to the stadium and back into the city centre along Raw Dykes Road and around the castle.

Richard Chamberlain, from Netherhall, was there with his wife, Emma, and son, Lucas, 10, and four-year-old daughter Georgia.

Richard, 37, said: "We are all keen cyclists and it is great to see such a brilliant event on our doorstep in Leicester."

Son Lucas had competed in three races on the route that day – coming first in two team events with Leicestershire Road Club and sixth in an individual race. He said: "It was amazing. We were on the same track as the top riders.

"When we raced round, the crowd were cheering."

Robert Cooper, 74, from Great Glen, who raced when he was younger, said: "It is marvellous to see racing of this calibre on the streets of Leicester."

Yasha Thakerar, of Scraptoft, was cheering on the riders with her partner, Andrew Farndale, and children Rowan, four, and two-year-old Millie.

She said: "The riders go by at such speeds it's so thrilling."

City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby, who got the elite race under way at 3.30pm, said he was delighted at the day's event.

He said: "This just shows Leicester can put on a top-level sporting event."

Council spokesman Andy Salkeld said there had been up to 5,000 at the event – an increase on last year.

Other City Festival events included a costumed parade on Saturday, and an aerial performance over two nights by Leicester-based theatre company Metro-Boulot-Dodo.

A five-year-old boy suffered in agony with a broken shin for almost a week after a hospital failed to spot a bone was fractured – despite having had an X-ray.

He was recalled to Leicester Royal Infirmary five days after the initial visit to be told staff had found it was fractured after all. The youngster was then taken back to have a cast put on his left leg – only to have to return days later to find it had been fitted incorrectly.

George Foulkes-Williams was taken to the hospital by his mum and dad on Monday, August 4, after taking a tumble on his scooter near the family's home in Hall Lane, Whitwick.

Mum Kellie Green, 30, said: "His leg started to swell and it took them nearly two hours to see us. Then we were told that it looked fine.

"An X-ray was done and a member of staff told us it was good news as nothing was broken, it was just badly bruised and that he needed to walk on it to help it get better.

"Our son was very upset and complained of pain in his leg. We explained to him that the nurse said that we needed to get him to walk on it and it would be sore for a little while but would be okay.

"George kept complaining about the pain and when he got up the next morning he couldn't move, we had to carry him everywhere."

A few days later, Kellie received a call from a consultant at the LRI, who said George's leg was fractured and they needed to take him back in.

She said: "We demanded another X-ray in case any further damage had been done. Luckily, there wasn't."

On Wednesday, Kellie contacted the fracture unit to let them know the plaster was scuffed and peeling. She said: "They asked me if he had been given a shoe – I was never offered one. I was then asked to drive to Leicester again to get one.

"I am so disgusted with them that my five-year-old son has been treated this way. He is so upset by it.

"My partner and I feel terrible because we were trying to persuade him to walk on it when there was obviously a problem. The poor kid's only five and we feel we've let him down.

"He was upset because we were not listening to him. When the consultant rang back to tell me he had fractured his tibia I broke down in tears.

"George is happy because he has been proved right and was out of pain when the cast was put on, but he has missed a camping holiday this week which his dad and younger brother have gone on."

Rachel Rowlands, consultant in paediatric emergency medicine for Leicester's Hospitals, said: "We are really sorry to learn of George's experience. We would like to talk to Ms Green about George's visit to us and would encourage her to contact the hospital.

"We hope George is making a good recovery."

Leicester City will be looking to bring in more new recruits in the next two weeks, manager Nigel Pearson has said.

Injuries to midfielders Matty James and Danny Drinkwater over the weekend have increased City boss Pearson's desire to bolster his ranks before the transfer window closes at the end of this month.

Pearson said the club would now attempt to accelerate the signing of Argentine midfielder Esteban Cambiasso after James picked up a shin injury in training on Friday and Drinkwater limped out of Saturday's 2-2 home draw with Everton at the King Power Stadium.

"Matty got a heavy knock on his shin in training so will be out for a couple of weeks," confirmed Pearson.

"That is a big shame because he has done very well for us and it is very frustrating.

"Danny has come off with a potential hamstring problem but we will take 24 hours to establish the extent of that.

"We have picked up a few injuries in games, which is a bit frustrating for us, but we just have to deal with it.

"It probably means we will try to add to the squad between now and the end of the window because the numbers game is important.

"The loan system in the Premier League is different so we need to make sure we have the right amount of players available window to window.

"So that will be ongoing this week or so and we will see where that takes us.

"The Cambiasso situation is something we will try accelerate in the next week. We can only work at the rate that the other parties involved want to work at. We will have to wait and see.

"In terms of other areas, I will reiterate you will hear about it when there is something to actually report.

"The reason I am saying anything about Cambiasso is that it is in the public domain and I am not going to deny we are interested in him.

"In terms of other targets, we will try to do our business the way we like to do it."

With James and Drinkwater possible absentees for the trip to Chelsea next week, Dean Hammond and Andy King are expected to start and Pearson said they were more then capable.

"I am also very pleased with how the players who came into the side did," he added.

"Dean Hammond came on at a difficult time and did exceptionally well.

"He was unlucky not to be starting actually after the good pre-season he has had.

"We do have players capable of performing well at this level."

Bitcoins are taking the world by storm. Now, the digital currency has come to Leicester. Business Reporter Isobel Frodsham spoke to three city men who are promoting them

Bitcoin is the digital currency that brings shivers to taxmen and failed hackers everywhere. And yet, for one mysterious character, presumed to be a Japanese businessman or group of business people, it has been the key to his/their success.

Bitcoin was invented by cryptographer Satoshi Nakamoto in 2009 following the 2008 banking crisis.

As inspired by the file-sharing website BitTorrent, the digital currency works by making copies of the list of people who have made Bitcoin transactions, known as the Blockchain.

People can earn Bitcoins by a process known as mining, where they solve a difficult mathematical problem that has a 64-character solution.

Each Bitcoin is then sent to the person's Bitcoin address, which is a random generated code that is 27 to 34 letters and numbers long, and then turned into a virtual wallet. When the Mercury went to press, one Bitcoin was equal to £307.72.

And now, thanks to former car dealership and funeral business manager Don Simpson, funeral director Paul Asher and musician Paul Cole, Bitcoins have officially arrived in Leicester.

The three men joined together to create a Bitcoin event, dubbed the Bit Bizaar, where people could buy and sell products using Bitcoins.

Don said: "We wanted to bring Bitcoin to Leicester because we wanted to provide a place where people can buy and sell products using Bitcoin.

"The event was just like eBay in real life, but without the transaction costs."

Don, the former manager of an Alpha Romeo dealership and a Co-op funeral directors, first noticed Bitcoin 18 months ago.

He said: "I decided to buy Bitcoin as an investment.

"Back then, when they first came about, they were £70 per Bitcoin, whereas now they are so much more.

"But they are a brand new form of currency and are volatile."

Paul, who runs Paul Asher Family Funeral Directors in Aylestone Road, is one of the first businesses in Leicester that now accepts Bitcoin as a payment method.

He said: "I decided to accept it because it is just another form of currency. It still has value and can be exchanged for goods available at my business.

"We haven't had anyone come in and use it yet but it is still early days.

"I believe I am the only funeral director in Leicester that accepts Bitcoins. I don't think there is anyone else."

In the past five years, as Bitcoin has become more popular, the price of it has shot up considerably.

Famous fans of the currency include X Factor judge and former Spice Girl Mel B, actor Ashton Kutcher, and actress and comedienne Roseanne Barr.

Paul said: "There are not a lot of places in Leicester that will accept them at all but more people are using them and more retail outlets are accepting them.

"I think it still needs a bit of promoting. Bitcoin is certainly better than credit cards for businesses, because credit cards charge businesses between two and four per cent to use them."

Paul Cole, a drum teacher and session musician, has been interested in Bitcoin since it hit the headlines back in 2008.

He said: "When we discussed the idea of bringing it here, we thought 'Why not Leicester?' There are already places in London that accept Bitcoin and there is a good market here.

"We are trying to do a good thing by putting it out there and we thought it would be helpful to get people to use it. The quicker it grows the better.

"A great aspect of Bitcoin is the fact that it is decentralised, so it is personal to each individual that uses it.

"The Blockchain is also fantastic because there is no threat party involved. If you do not fufill your part of the contract in the Blockchain, it dissolves.

"It is the solution to the unfound money system and solves the problems of Government monopoly, which leads to poverty and war, by taking the need for governmental systems and banks out of the equation and allowing people to have full control of their money."

The idea of digital currencies has been around since the 1990s. In 1992, a group of powerful software programmers and cryptographers, called the Cypherpunks, gathered together in San Francisco to discuss how cryptography could be used to solve money problems by taking politics and banks out of the equasion.

However, the Cypherpunks found it was difficult to create a digital currency without stopping hackers from being able to make counterfeit copies from the digital tokens.

Another issue was the double spending problem, where it is possible to spend one digital token twice.

But in 2008 after the banking crisis, Satoshi Nakamoto revisited the idea of digital currencies after being inspired by the file-sharing website BitTorrent.

Unlike the original file-sharing website Napster, BitTorrent works in a decentralised way.

Rather than storing a file in one place, it takes the file, chops it up into small pieces and distributes the copies across servers everywhere, therefore making it difficult to be cut off by the authorities.

Nakamoto applied this logic to the digital currency problem, and worked out that the way to make digital currency work was to not make copies of the digital tokens, but to make copies of the ledger, known as a Blockchain.

To battle the issues of counterfeit copies of Bitcoin being made, Nakamoto made sure that to keep the validity of the ledger, each copy had to be a perfect copy, and any fake copies would be rejected instantly and dropped from the Blockchain, meaning the fraudsters would be blocked from the Bitcoin system.

Despite the seemingly positive aspects of it, Bitcoin has been criticised for its payment role in the former drug trafficking website, Silk Road, and the fact that it is unregulated.

Earlier this month, the Telegraph reported that Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, had instructed Treasury officials to study Bitcoin and whether or not it should be regulated.

However, Don and the two Pauls said they disagreed with these plans.

Don said: "We can regulate it ourselves. Some people, especially George Osborne, do not know how it works because if he did, he wouldn't have made that statement."

This story will appear in the Business Monthly magazine, which comes free with the Leicester Mercury tomorrow (August 19). For more Leicestershire business stories go to leicestermercury.co.uk/business

A woman was tricked into handing over more than £4,000 to an overseas fraudster who told her he was a captain in the US army.

The man groomed and manipulated the Hinckley woman in a series of intimate messages via Facebook into believing they would marry one day.

Once he had won her love and confidence, he asked her to send him £4,600 so she could be registered in the US as his next of kin.

The woman, who police described as "vulnerable", sent the money to an overseas bank account and never heard from him again – although she did receive a bogus certificate from the US Government confirming she had been officially registered as the non-existent man's next of kin.

The woman, who was in the online relationship with the man for two years, approached Leicestershire Police recently when she realised she had been the victim of a cruel fraud.

Police subsequently established the account was based in Nigeria.

Pc Neil Hinchliffe, of Hinckley police station, interviewed the woman and passed the case on to Action Fraud, the national agency which investigates crimes committed by overseas organised crime gangs.

Pc Hinchliffe said: "He first got in touch with her through Facebook in February 2012 and the contact went on for two years.

"Through Facebook, he – I'm saying 'he', but this could be anyone or any number of people – made all kinds of promises to her about them being together one day.

"She has shown us the messages he sent to her and it's all 'my darling' and 'I want to be with you'. Eventually, he asked her to become his next of kin and told her she would have to send money to the US so that could be organised.

"This is when she began to realise it was all a scam.

"We believe it's part of a big network. We don't know where it's based, but the money was wired to and collected in Nigeria.

"The internet has opened up a whole new world and has made it a lot easier to contact people.

"This person or group has scoured the internet for vulnerable people and, unfortunately, this lady fell for it hook, line and sinker."

Police say a woman in Warwickshire fell victim to the same scam and was conned out of more than £13,000.

Pc Hinchliffe said: "People need to be aware these scams are happening. I would urge anyone who is contacted on Facebook or any other social media in this way to be very cautious and not to send money to anyone they do not know."

Advice about methods used by fraud gangs can be found at:

www.actionfraud.police.uk

A shed was destroyed in a fire yesterday morning.

The blaze in Oxon Way, in Rowlatts Hill, Leicester also caused heat damage to a conservatory and the fascia of a garage door.

The blaze happened just before 10.30am and the fire service said it was started accidentally.

Two crews were sent from Eastern Fire Station and it took two hours to tackle the blaze.

A casualty was taken to hospital after two cars were involved in a collision with a property early this morning.

The crash happened in Gwendolen Road, North Evington at 12.40am today.

One person was given treatment by the ambulance service and taken to Leicester Royal Infirmary.

No-one was trapped.

Chris Wood is definitely staying at Leicester City, manager Nigel Pearson declared.

The 22-year-old striker could have been a Wolves player at the weekend but rejected a move to Molineux as he wanted to stay and fight for his place at City.

Wood believes he can make the grade in the Premier League and did his cause no harm by coming off the substitutes' bench to fire City's equaliser on the opening day of the season against Everton.

"He is very happy to stay here and fight for his place," said Pearson. "I draw a line under it there.

"You have to remember with Chris that although he is a 6 ft 3in striker and he got his career with us here off to a flyer, he is still a young man.

"He has an awful lot to offer and to learn, and for him to have to go through a week or 10 days with that level of speculation is testament to him.

"I am pleased to have him here."

Pearson admitted talks had advanced with Wolves boss Kenny Jackett, who had offered City £1.25 million for Wood.

Wood said: "I knew my fate was here. I just sat down with the gaffer last Monday and told him that I wanted to stay and fight.

"I know it's going to be a lot of hard work, we have got some quality strikers here but it is just one that I want to challenge to do."

Wood could hardly have got that fight off to a better start with his late goal.

"It's a brilliant feeling. I've dreamed about it ever since I was a little kid," said Wood. "Playing in the Premier League is where I want to be and scoring those goals is exactly what I want to be doing.

"It's only a start but it is something I can build on for the rest of the season now. Something I can build on for the next game. Hopefully, I've showed everyone what I can do and I can get some more game-time."

The New Zealand international said he never got close to leaving.

"It took me the weekend to come to the decision," admitted Wood. "My father and I sat down and just spoke about it. It is my dream to play in the Premier League so I wanted to fight and give it my all."

Desford's Emily Scarratt scored the match-winning try as England lifted the World Cup in France with a 21-9 win over Canada in Paris.

The former Bosworth College student's 74th-minute score capped a tremendous individual performance, which also included 11 points with the boot under intense pressure.

Sapcote's Vicky Fleetwood, 24, – a former pupil of John Cleveland College in Hinckley – was also celebrating long into the night after she started the final at hooker and was part of an England performance that ended a painful 20-year wait to lift the coveted trophy.

With reigning champions New Zealand knocked out in the group stages, England were favourites against underdogs Canada.

But having completely dominated the first half, England saw an 11-0 lead chipped away and they went into the closing stages with a precarious 14-9 advantage.

As the pressure built, England's basic skills deserted them in key areas. But 24-year-old centre Scarratt – who spent her early years playing with the boys at Leicester Forest RFC – scored a wonderful individual try to provide the game's killer blow.

Taking the ball at pace, she cut a gorgeous line through the Canadian tacklers and jinked past the last line of defence to touch down before being engulfed by her joyous team mates.

Scarratt, who now has 54 caps, then added the extras and England had a 21-9 lead they would not let go of.