The former Lord Mayor of Leicester Robert Wann has been keeping a vigil by the bedside of his son who was critically injured in a stabbing in a city street.

Karl Wann, 29, from Glenfield, was attacked just before midnight on Friday in Henley Road after he had spent the evening with friends in the nearby Crow's Nest pub after playing football.

Coun Wann, a Labour city councillor and former police authority chairman, told the Mercury: "He's in a critical condition and still in an induced coma.

"His kidneys have packed in. We don't know what will happen."

"He is a big fit lad and that has helped him but he lost a lot of blood."

Councillor Wann said he had been keeping a vigil by his son's bedside since he was attacked.

He said: "I don't think I have any more tears left in me.

"I'm really struggling. We all are. We are just so worried about him. "This is the kind of nightmare no family needs just before Christmas.

"I've been by his bed almost every minute and I'll be staying here."

Karl, 29, from Glenfield, has a six year-old daughter who is away in Derbyshire.

Coun Wann, a former chairman of Leicestershire Police Authority, said: "We haven't really told her what has happened. We have said that her daddy has had a fall and is unwell."

Karl was originally taken to Leicester Royal Infirmary but is now being cared for in Leicester General Hospital.

Coun Wann added: "I would like to say how brilliant the ambulance staff and the NHS staff and the police have been.

"I can't praise them enough.

"They have done everything they could for him. They have been brilliant.

"He has had two major operations and he is still fighting."

Police arrested two men after the incident.

A 28-year-old has been charged with attempted murder and remanded in custody.

The other man, a 25-year-old, was questioned by detectives and then released.

Police have appealed for witnesses to the incident and anyone with information should call 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously on 0800 555111.

Police have released images of five men they would like to identify and speak to in connection with an assault in the city centre.

The incident happened at around 12.30am on Saturday, November 1, when a man was assaulted at the Lamplighters pub, in Silver Street.

Police have been carrying out on-going enquiries and four men, aged 22, 31, 20 and 28, have been arrested in connection with the incident and released on police bail pending further enquiries.

DC, Beverley Toon, who is investigating the incident, said: "We would like to speak to these men or anyone who recognises them so we can progress the investigation further.

"If you witnessed the incident, or have any further information about it, please get in touch."

A man has appeared at crown court accused of murdering a former soldier, who recently died after suffering brain damage in an assault in 2009.

Joseph Moran (28) was charged with murder following the death of Fred Sluggett, on July 25 this year.

He appeared in court on on December 23.

Mr Sluggett was assaulted outside his home in Thurnby Lodge on May 16, 2009.

He sustained serious head injuries which left him brain damaged and severely disabled.

It was only the skill of surgeons that saved the 58-year-old's life.

Moran, formerly of Averil Road, Thurnby Lodge, Leicester, appeared at Leicester's crown court via a live video link from prison.

No pleas were entered and there was no application for bail.

Judge Nicholas Dean QC adjourned the case for a plea and case management hearing on March 26.

Mr Sluggett, an ex-soldier, had served a tour of Northern Ireland during his time in the army.

Leicester City host Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League this Boxing Day, the club's first league meeting since this epic 4-4 draw in February 2004.

City travelled to White Hart Lane on the back of  an 11-match winless run, and soon found themselves behind, conceding Michael Brown's sixth-minute free-kick.

Micky Adams' men were level three minutes later when Spurs defender Gary Doherty put into his own net, lobbing former Leicester goalkeeper Kasey Keller.

But, the hosts were 3-1 up by half-time, Jermain Defoe finishing into the bottom corner before Robbie Keane profited from an indirect free-kick conceded by Ian Walker after he picked up Gerry Taggart's back-pass.

In the second half, Les Ferdinand pulled one back for City, and despite James Scowcroft receiving a straight red for a challenge on Mauricio Tarrico, City went 4-3 ahead thanks to goals from Ben Thatcher and Marcus Bent.

But with time ticking on, Defoe popped up again to fire home an 89th-minute equaliser.

City's last encounter with Spurs in all competitions came in the FA Cup in 2006, when Mark de Vries netted a last-minute winner to complete Leicester's comeback from two goals down.

The mother of murdered Leicester sports coach has said his killer should have been better supervised by the authorities after he was released from a young offenders institute.

Hussain Hussain stabbed father-of-one Antoin Akpom to death in September last year within weeks of his release and his relocation from London to Leicester to escape gang violence he had been involved in.

Antoin's mother Cheryl Armatrading said 20-year-old Hussain should not have been able to walk the streets of the city with the knife he used to murder Antoin on September 12 - three days after his license period expired.

The Youth Justice Board said Hussain, originally from Enfield, was sentenced to a Detention Training Order (DTO) and at the end of his period in custody he was released on licence.

A spokesman said: "The conditions of his licence, and a gang prevention order, prohibited him from living within his home borough.

"In August 2013 Hussain Hussain was moved from Enfield to be supervised by Leicester City Youth Offending Team for the remainder of his DTO term.

"Hussain completed his DTO sentence, without re-offending, on September 9, 2013.

"Having completed his sentence, he was offered the opportunity to take up supervision and support - on a voluntary basis - by Leicester City youth offending scheme."

The only restriction still in place was an injunction preventing him having any association with gangs.

Ms Armatrading said: "The authorities knew about Hussain and how dangerous he was yet somehow he was able to carry a knife with him and use it to kill my son. If he had been better supervised it would not have happened.

"Enfield Council should not have shoved him up to Leicester."

The city council said it did not wish to add to the comments of the Youth Justice Board.

Leicester East MP Keith Vaz said: "I find it incomprehensible that Enfield Council should have relocated this individual, with his history, to Leicester at the tax payers expense.

"We need to look carefully at the national guidelines for the relocation of those involved in gang related activities.

"Serious questions need to be asked of local councils, concerning the level of monitoring and the robustness of procedures."

A spokesman for Enfield Council told The Times about £800 had been spent relocating Hussain to Leicester.

He said: "Leicester was aware of Hussain and the potential risk he posed.

"At the time the offence happened he was not under licence or any statutory supervision and there was no requirement for him to be monitored by Leicester or Enfield councils."

Hussain is serving a 22-year sentence for the murder of Antoin, 20, and intends to appeal against his conviction in January.

David Nugent believes it is absolutely vital Leicester City turn around their home form if they are to "get out of this mess".

City have picked up just seven points at the King Power Stadium this season, and have just one victory to their name – the 5-3 win over Manchester United in September.

Since then, Nigel Pearson's men have drawn two and lost three, and with just three points gained on the road all season, are left languishing at the bottom of the table.

Fellow promoted side QPR, meanwhile, are a fine example of the old adage that winning your home games is the key to Premier League survival.

Rangers have lost all of their away games but, with five wins, two draws at Loftus Road, they sit outside the relegation zone and seven points clear of City.

City welcome Spurs to the King Power Stadium today and Nugent believes it is crucial that his side get a result.

"We've got four games now in 12 days, which is ridiculous but this is the time to pick up the points," said the City striker.

"We need to get our home form back on track. If we're going to stay in the Premier League, then it's our home form that's going to keep us in it. Hopefully, that'll start on Boxing Day.

"We still think we can get out of this mess, get a few results and start climbing the table."

Somebody will be having a very Merry Christmas today following the results of last night's National Lottery rollover draw!

After no tickets matched all six numbers in Saturday's draw, the estimated jackpot is around £8 million.

So it's time to check your numbers to see if you're a winner! Good luck!

The Lotto winning numbers are: 7, 9, 13, 44, 47 and 48 with bonus ball 22.

In the Thunderball draw, the top prize was £500,000 and the winning balls were 22, 25, 26, 31 and 32. The Thunderball was 12.

500 lucky winners will also each bag £20,000 in this years special festive Lotto raffle.

And Boxing Day is a EuroMillions Mega Friday, with 10 guaranteed UK millionaires, each also winning a luxury trip to see the spectacular Northern Lights.

The Euromillions jackpot is worth a stunning £20million.

The next Lotto and Thunderball draw is on Saturday, December 27 - with an estimated jackpot of £4.1million.

A woman was had to be rescued from a car after it overturned in a ditch.

Emergency services were called to the A6 Harborough Road, at Kibworth, at 2.16am today.

Fire crews from Wigston and Kibworth station were dispatched to the scene.

A fire service spokesman said: "The incident involved a vehicle which had left the road and gone into a ditch.

"One female casualty was trapped and extricated from the car by fire crews."

The woman was treated at the roadside by paramedics from the ambulance service.

It is not known how serious her injuries were, or whether she needed hospital treatment.

No-one else was hurt.

Fire control received a stop message from crews at about 2.50am.

A house was ravaged by fire and smoke after a blaze broke out in a bedroom yesterday.

Emergency services were called to The Portwey, in Humberstone, Leicester, at 9.15am today.

Crews from three city fire stations attended the incident amid fears occupants were trapped inside the burning semi-detached house.

Incident commander Rob Jalland said: "When we arrived, there was thick black smoke billowing from the upstairs windows.

"Our big concern was that someone was trapped inside."

Firefighters used breathing gear to enter the property.

Firefighter Jalland said: "Fortunately, there was no-one inside the building."

Neighbour Michelle Mathers, 48, said: "I was so worried when I looked outside this morning and saw all these fire engines and ambulances.

"We know the man who lives there, he'd only delivered a Christmas card through out doors the evening before.

"When I saw the fire and a police forensics vanI thought 'oh God' someone's been killed.

"I'm just so happy and relieved that nobody was in there at the time."

Fire control received a stop message from crews shortly before 1pm.

A spokesman for the fire service said it was caused by an "electrical overload".

The upstairs, front bedroom was gutted by the fire, with extensive smoke damage to the rest of the property.

Forecasters have warned it could snow tomorrow leading to some disruption.

The Met Office has urged people to be aware of the risk of snow in the East Midlands including Leicestershire, from 11am on Boxing Day

It says an area of rain, east and snow is expected to spread eastwards across the country on Boxing Day, before clearing in the evening.

Forecasters have said they are unclear as to how much snow will fall - but that there is a risk of several centimetres even at low levels.

They have also warned that roads could become very icy and there could be disruption for those travelling.

A 15-year-old girl who was reported missing last week has been found.

Kenisha Little, who is originally from the Beaumont Leys area but currently residing in Stoke on Trent, was reported missing on Wednesday December 17.

She was found safe and well last night in Leicester.

Police would like to thank everyone who helped them with their inquiries.

Emergency services are dealing with a serious crash on the A606, near Langham.

The two-vehicle collision happened at about 8.55am today, at Three Step Hill.

It is understood that two people died in the crash.

A police spokeswoman confirmed it was a "serious crash" but could give no further information at this stage.

The road is currently closed and is expected to remain shut for some time.

We've taken a look at the articles which have pulled in the most viewers in the past 12 months on the Mercury website. Here's the top 10.

1. Teenage girl has throat slit in Leicester street by man she refused to marry

This was the report of the opening day of the trial of Bharat Soma, who slashed the throats of his ex-fiancé and her lover after they eloped to Leicester. He was found guilty of attempted murder by a jury and jailed for 23 years. 

2. Leicester house fire deaths: Father who lost his family in blaze says he does not hate their killers

Dr Muhammad Taufiq fought back tears as he paid tribute to his wife and children who died in a house fire - and told how he does not hate their killers. He spoke after seven men and one youth were found guilty of their deaths in June.

3. Leicester KFC customer shocked as he is refused hand-wipe because of branch's halal policy

A customer at a Leicester branch of KFC said he was "shocked" when he was refused a hand-wipe as it might offend other restaurant-goers. This story prompted a lot of comments from visitors to the Mercury's website.

4. Twenty eight Leicester food premises score zero for hygiene

This story from September looked at the number of food premises in Leicester which scored the lowest rating for hygiene.

5.Melton dad who repeatedly raped his five-year-old daughter is jailed for 14-and-a-half years

This was a Leicester Crown Court case from October.

6. One night in Leicester, one punch from a lout - the life of a city family changed forever

This news feature looked at the tragic tale of how the life of Curtis Granger's family was transformed forever after the 23-year-old suffered severe brain injuries when he was attacked while on a night out.

7. Father of 12-year-old Leicester cancer victim finds a heartbreaking message she left behind

The story of Athena Orchard, of New Parks, Leicester, who died from cancer in May touched the hearts of a lot of our readers - and also inspired people across the world.

8. Lestah phrases only true Chissits will understand

This was our look at the language of Leicester - from Ay up, me duck to Youluvitdonchaar!

9. Sister pays tribute to A6 fatal accident victim Harjit Singh Thaliwal

Tributes were paid after a popular businessman from Quorn died in a car crash in September. Hundreds of people attended his funeral wearing purple to pay their respects. 

10.Man stabbed in head and stomach in Granby Street, Leicester, as shoppers look on in horror

This attack in the city centre happened in the middle of a Saturday afternoon. A few days later the Mercury featured an interview with victim Gareth Llewellyn and published the X-ray showing the broken knife blade embedded in his shoulder.

Leicester Tigers fly-half Freddie Burns knows a thing or two about Sale Sharks' main threat when the sides meet in the Aviva Premiership tomorrow.

Danny Cipriani has been receiving plaudits from all quarters this term for a string of consistent performances that have pushed him to the brink of an England recall.

Burns is hoping to be in a similar position in time for the start of the Six Nations as the two No.10s battle to add to their list of national caps.

The 24-year-old knows all about Cipriani's game and believes he is the key to stopping the league's fifth-placed team adding to their list of impressive recent scalps.

"Danny is playing extremely well this year and the Sale pack has helped him massively with the way that they have got on top of most teams," said Burns.

"We all know about Danny and the way he plays. He has got a lot of tricks but he is also a very smart rugby player.

"We are going to have to be switched on when it comes to him.

"They have got two abrasive centres in Johnny Leota and Sam Tuitupou who are not afraid of confrontation on the gain line. 'Cips' will sit in the pocket and pull the strings, which he has done really well.

"We know we cannot go into a game like this just focusing on one man but, like most 10s in the Premiership, he is key to how they play."

Tigers will arrive at the AJ Bell stadium having won all of their last 10 meetings with Sale since 2009. Steve Diamond's side are in a good run of form, though, having just beaten title-chasing Exeter and are in fifth place, two places and two points ahead of their visitors.

Burns knows that Leicester cannot afford too many more slip-ups having only won half of their 10 fixtures.

"Every game is a big game now but the defeat at Northampton puts more emphasis on the Sale game," said Burns. "It's a big challenge but these are the sort of challenges that we look forward to as a team.

"We have watched them a lot recently and we have seen some traits that they carry.

"They have a strong pack, Cips at fly-half and Mike Haley at full-back is a young lad who has come on the scene and is extremely talented. He has good footwork and has really made a difference to their game.

"They have a few players who can change a game but we know how important this game is and we are ready for it."

Nigel Pearson has been here before.

It is well-documented that Leicester City now need to become only the third side to survive relegation after being bottom of the Premier League at Christmas.

The first side to achieve the impossible was West Brom in 2005. Nicknamed The Great Escape, their victory on the final day of the season saw them stay up with the lowest-ever number of points – 34.

Pearson was assistant manager at the Hawthorns under boss Bryan Robson.

That narrow escape was neither the first, nor the last, that the City boss has been a part of in his 16-year coaching career.

Pearson was in charge of Carlisle, in 1999, when on-loan goalkeeper Jimmy Glass scored the now legendary injury-time winner against Plymouth that kept them in the Football League.

Then, in May 2008, Pearson's Southampton came from a goal down on the final day to beat Sheffield United, avoiding the drop at the expense of Leicester.

"I don't think there is one recipe of dealing with those situations," said Pearson. "You have to look at the context of the season, how the table shapes up.

"West Brom was the lowest points total ever to stay up, whereas at Southampton, Leicester had the highest points total at the time for a side to get relegated.

"It is your ability to remain focused. You can never be in control of the situation but there has got to be some clarity in your thinking.

"I have always felt one of the most important things through it all is the bond between the people that work together.

"You will hear people talking about siege mentalities and utilising some of the negative aspects to galvanize groups. That can work, but it depends on the chemistry within your own club and the people that you work with.

"I don't think there is ever one absolute answer. It's not the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

"That was 42, wasn't it? I'd settle for that now. If that's the absolute answer."

If City are going to emulate the heroics of the Baggies and Sunderland last season, they are going to have to improve on their return of just two points from a possible 36 – and quickly.

"I am under no illusions," said Pearson. "The longer the run goes on, the more difficult for everyone it becomes.

"Sitting here after the run that we have been on, there might be a few people that might not be sitting here. That, in itself, is something for me to be grateful for, the support that I have had.

"But as I have said many times before, I am a realist and whatever decisions the owners make they will make for the best of the football club.

"I am not a fool. We can't continue in this fashion for too much longer. But I have felt very privileged to have support not just as a manager but as a human being. That's all you can ever ask for, isn't it?"

Leicester City manager Nigel Pearson insists he will not just "add for the sake of adding" in the January transfer window.

Pearson has been told he will be given money to spend in the New Year as he looks to bring some Premier League quality into his struggling squad.

The City boss is keen to bolster his striking options and is believed to have made a bid of £7.5million for Burnley striker Danny Ings.

The 22-year-old has scored four goals for the Clarets this season but manager Sean Dyche has stated his star striker is not for sale.

City are also said to have had a bid of around £8m rejected for Rijeca striker Andrej Kramaric.

Pearson is also looking to bring in a central defender and possibly another goalkeeper, with Kasper Schmeichel out of action with a broken metatarsal.

"It would be easy just to say 'yeah, we have loads of targets and will strengthen'," said Pearson. "But it depends on whether deals are actually do-able.

"The bottom line is that we have got to try to strengthen but not add for the sake of adding.

"It would be beneficial for us to add quality that is going to allow us to be efficient at both ends of the field.

"I think it is important for the players to see one or two new faces, who can hopefully make that difference. We already have strategies in place and have done since the close of the last one."

Former director of football Terry Robinson, who was in charge of negotiating transfers, has already lost his job for what appears to be failing to bring in enough Premier League quality in the summer.

Those responsibilities now rest on the shoulders of academy director Jon Rudkin.

Pearson admitted securing his targets will not be straightforward in the "sellers' market" of January but also insisted he was not looking to sell any of his current squad.

"The January window is always a difficult one because, as we found last year, one of the problems that you have is the potential destabilising of the players that you have," said Pearson.

"We don't have opportunities to change personnel until the window opens and that will probably be just adding, it won't be necessarily taking away from the squad.

"The reality of the window is that it is not easy to get the players you want. Why would clubs sell their best players halfway through a season?

"The teams that do business are usually those, like ourselves, who are in trouble, or if they are on the cusp of further success and want to strengthen."

Saracens' calls for the abolition of the salary cap has sparked plenty of debate into the pros and cons of having a limit on spending in the Aviva Premiership.

It's a difficult one. Of course, all of the clubs in the Premiership want to compete in Europe against sides from France and Ireland, who usually spend more than us on salaries.

If we increased or abolished the cap, some clubs would be able to get closer to the French clubs' spending levels.

But if we got rid of the cap completely, it would mean some sides struggling to compete.

First, it would immediately inflate all of the salaries of players on the market place.

Second, clubs with owners that want to spend lots of money would accelerate quickly away from everyone else.

You have to be careful of that and that has been the case in football where there are now only three or four teams that can win the Barclays Premier League.

At Leicester, we are a plc and do not have one owner with lots of money to pour into the club.

We spend what we make and we are not in debt.

We also own our own ground and we are viable as a business. Hopefully, we will be here in 100 years.

Hopefully, those clubs with single owners will be also be here in 100 years as well but historically, that has not necessarily been the case.

Businesses have to be viable. If you have a robust fan base and good sponsors, you can make it work. You have seen that with us and clubs like Saints, Harlequins, Gloucester and Exeter, who are all successful clubs with a good business model.

Clearly, Saracens have a wealthy benefactor and Nigel Wray has done a fantastic job there, but that has come at a cost financially.

If we had a benefactor that gave us £20m to spend on salaries, my view might be different.

But at the moment, as a club, we would struggle to find £10m to spend on players to compete with clubs who have wealthy owners.

Peter Wheeler has always said to me that you need clubs to play against and that is why you have to make sure you look after the needs of all the teams in the league. There is no point having the greatest squad in the world if there is nobody to play against.

It is worth noting that it is not always the case that those clubs who spend the most money are the best sides.

Wasps have just beaten Castres twice in Europe with a vastly reduced salary compared with the French club.

Our players know that we want to spend on the training ground and we want to re-develop the stadium. That costs money, they appreciate that and they want to be a part of that.

We are owned by shareholders and don't have endless amounts of money to throw into the playing squad.

We have a huge game at Sale on Saturday but we have the distraction of Christmas before then!

Merry Christmas to you all.

A silent night came kicking and screaming to life in the early hours of Christmas Day at both Leicester Royal Infirmary and in a taxi on its way there.

There were six special deliveries for happy but exhausted mums and dads, at the hospital's maternity unitthis morning.

The first baby of Christmas Day was born shortly after midnight – and provided the big drama of the day.

Eva Lewandowska, 39, from Loughborough, gave birth to a 5lb 8oz girl, in the back of a taxi.

Eva said: "I felt like something was happening and got a taxi to take me to the infirmary.

"The problem was, she didn't want to wait any longer. It's all just a blur now, but I remember shouting at the taxi driver, bless him, that I was going to give birth.

"He was so busy trying to find the quickest route and keep me calm, but it must have been impossible.

"I think she was born just as we arrived outside the maternity unit!"

Eva said she and her husband, who had to stay at home looking after their seven-year-old son Thomas, were thinking of calling their daughter Eva or Marta.

For proud first-time mum and dad, Sarah and Will Rudkin, from Braunstone Town, daughter Elizabeth Pearl was the Christmas present they had dreamed of.

She was born at 6.10am and weighed 8lbs.

Sarah, 33, said: "She was actually five days late. She took her time, but the wait was definitely worth it.

"It's our perfect little present, almost as if she was waiting to give us all a surprise on Christmas morning. She is absolutely gorgeous and we couldn't be happier."

Will, 34, said: "It feels so great to be a dad. I feel really pleased and am so proud. So far, so good, but now the hard work starts."

Other mothers included Adelle Farmer, 26, of Saffron Lane, Leicester, who gave birth to a yet-to-be-named little boy, weighing 5lbs 5oz, at 5.22am.

She said: "I was due in January but I think he wanted to be Christmas baby. In the end it was all over in 20 minutes, I didn't even have time for an epidural.

"He's very small and delicate, but beautiful. Everyone is really happy and can't wait to meet him."

Henry Nicholas Harsant was born weighing 8lbs 8oz, at 6.30am.

Mum Daisy Harsant, 26, from Kirby Muxloe, said: "He arrived right on time. I chose to have him in a birthing pool and it was amazing.

"It was very straight forward and a lot easier than his older sister Florence was, 21 months ago."

Dad Iain Harsant, 31, said: "We're absolutely delighted and can't wait to go home."

Nurse Rachel Henson, midwife and maternity ward manager, said: "It was actually a very quiet Christmas Eve and early Christmas morning, but then the babies started arriving. Most of them seem to have been born between 5.20am and 6.30am."

There was just one baby born yesterday at the city's other maternity unit at Leicester General Hospital.