A group of self-appointed online "paedophile hunters" has reformed more than a year after it folded.

Letzgo Hunting, whose members are from the Hinckley area, closed down in September, 2013

The group attracted controversy for its tactic of identifying suspected sex offenders by posing as teenage girls on social networking sites.

Its adult decoys engaged men in conversation and, when they believed they had evidence the men were sexually attracted to children, agreed to meet them in public places while still posing as the teenage girl.

At the meeting, the decoys revealed their real identities.

The group, set up by Hinckley dad 'John', says a return is necessary because of the scale of underage internet grooming .

They filmed the encounters and posted the footage online, before passing their material – including transcripts of online exchanges – to police.

Before it folded Letzgo Hunting was linked with the suicide of a Leicestershire man it had confronted and accused of attempting to groom a child.

The man, who was arrested, interviewed and released on bail by police as a result, was found hanging in his home four days later.

But "John" says the reason the group folded was because a similar group posted his details online, putting him and his family at risk.

"John" says they are now liaising with police over arresting suspected child sex abusers at meets and since they reformed eight suspected paedophiles have been arrested - four of them in Leicester.

He said: "We inform police in advance of the meets and on December 10 we met a man at St Margaret's bus station in Leicester.

"The police were there to arrest him on suspicion of attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming and we were there to film it.

"The police's official stance is that they still don't support us. Of the eight arrests since we reformed several have been carried out at the offenders' homes.

"The danger was once we confronted them at meets they would go home afterwards and destroy the evidence."

"John" says the group works with Leicestershire Police's Paedophile Online Investigation Team (PILOT).

He said if the suspected paedophile is from another area - other arrests have taken place in Northampton, Essex and Birmingham - the PILOT team provide contacts in the local police force.

He added: "Our processes may have changed but the aims have not. Internet grooming and paedophilia is a massive issue and the police don't have the resources to tackle it as they would like.

"We are looking to take a course and qualify as private detectives by May this year so we are all above board.

"But it costs something like £3,000. We will struggle to come up with that amount and are hoping people will get behind us and sponsor us."

The group is also setting up a charity to help the child victims of paedophile by sending them on activity courses to help them reconnect with their families.

To support the group visit gofundme.com/LetzgoHuntingLC

A Leicestershire Police spokeswoman said: "As with all intelligence and information provided from any source we will assess this and take proportionate action in relation to the information

"The police have to comply with legislative requirements and have a duty of care and therefore investigations and enquiries into potential sex offenders are extremely sensitive and detailed and have to be conducted in a way which ensures that prosecution of an offender isn't affected.

"Consideration also has to be given to any threats and harm to anyone involved in the investigation, plus family and friends of potential offenders.". 

A poorly baby who had a fever and was thought to be fitting was treated by the air ambulance crew.

Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland Air Ambulance (DLRAA) flew to Loughborough yesterday to help care for the baby.

The helicopter was called at 2.40pm, and arrived at the scene at 2.51pm.

DLRAA assisted East Midlands Ambulance Service and travelled in the ambulance with the paramedics. The baby's condition improved on the way to the Queen's Medical Centre, in Nottingham.

The air ambulance is recruiting for new volunteers. Each mission costs around £1,700. It receives no government funding so relies on donations from the public.

For more information visit: www.theairambulanceservice.org.uk/volunteering or call 08454 130999. 

Firefighters were called to a home near Whitwick today after reports of smoke bellowing from the ground floor.

Two crews from Coalville station arrived at the scene, in Aqueduct Road, Coleorton, at about 2pm.

They found smoke coming from a log burner and extinguished any flames before ventilating the house.

A spokesman for the fire service said there was some smoke damage to the home.

Firefighters left the scene at about 2.20pm

More than 40 doctors, dentists, opticians and other health professionals were on hand at a special free health screening event.

It was hosted by the Leicestershire Sikh Alliance and the British Sikh Doctors Organisation to mark United Nations "world interfaith harmony week."

The event, which ran from 10.30am-2pm, was open to all faiths and held at the Guru Tegh Bahadar Gurudwara in north Evington.

More than 200 people took advantage of the event which included checking blood pressure, body mass index, blood sugar and cholesterol levels as well as screening for dementia.

People could also have eye checks and screening for dental disease.

In addition experts were on hand to give advice to visitors wanting information on giving up smoking along with advice on alcoholism.

Representatives from the Leicestershire-based Rik Basra campaign were also on hand to persuade people to sign up to the Anthony Nolan register which matches donors to patients needing stem cell transplants for blood cancers and blood disorders.

Amandeep Rai, vice chairman of the Leicestershire Sikh Alliance, said: "The event proved so popular that we had to turn people away because we ran out of time.

"Similar events have held elsewhere, like London, but it is the first time we have done something like this in Leicester.

"Doctors, dentists and opticians travelled from all over the country to take part.

"We had no idea how many people would come along but it proved so popular we are looking to do it again next year."

He added: "With all the pressures on the NHS and GP surgeries at the moment we thought it would be a good idea to hold something like this.

"People tend to only go to a professional when something is wrong and we thought we could make it more attractive so people could come and have checks."

Each person was able to have a comprehensive screening for common medical conditions.

Mr Rai said: "There were a few occasions when we had to schedule people being screened to have a follow up appointment with their doctor or medical centre."

We came through a big test against Worcester Wolves in the BBL Trophy on Saturday night, and once again our strength in depth was critical.

We had prepared really well, our conditioning was right, and we finally had our forward line fully fit for really the first time this season.

We came out of the blocks, hit some early threes, which always helps, and were very tough defensively throughout the game.

We built a lead and attacked the boards and, having both Pavol Losonsky and Anthony Rowe fit and available, along with Jamell Anderson and Rashad Hassan against the Wolves' big guys, was key.

Their work to give the Wolves' big guys no space in the paint was also critical. We got a big lead at one stage but were never under the illusion we had the game in the bag, because the Wolves are always capable of scoring quickly, and they did that at the start of the fourth, to get the lead down to four.

But then we made the plays we needed to. Once again, Hassan led the scoring, hitting some big shots under pressure down the stretch.

Neil Watson was fearless, adding another 10 assist to his league-leading total, but it is really hard to single out players in a great team performance.

We were pretty happy that for once the schedule worked in our favour with a single game, while Wolves were home on Friday.

But this weekend the BBL schedulers have struck back with a vengeance.

We have managed to get to February having played every club, one four times, bar Newcastle, and the first of our series against the Eagles starts on Friday night.

The Eagles are once again the team to beat in the BBL, having very cleverly mixed old and new, huge experience with fresh blood, and already have one bit of silverware under their belts.

Charles Smith looks like he can keep going forever, particularly now he is coming off the bench, and Fab Flournoy has his team running a high-octane offence that challenges other teams to keep up.

They set a standard, and we are looking forward to matching up with them.

With at least two more fixtures to come, both clubs will be keen to put down a marker.

And then we are back home on Saturday, against Sheffield again.

The addition of former League MVP Mick Cook has given the Sharks better balance and they have overcome a patchy start to start to climb the table.

Like Riders, they pride themselves on the defence, and they are among the most experienced teams in the BBL. As we get to the business end of the season, games like this could turn on a play or two down the stretch, which is exactly what happened when we were in Sheffield a few weeks ago.

It may be no different this time around.

The Leicester Mercury has joined forces with the Stop smoking service run by the Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust.

Together, we hope to persuade at least 300 smokers to stub out their cigarettes ahead of National No Smoking Day on Wednesday, March 11.

Latest figures show there are 51,939 smokers in the city.

This means nearly a quarter of adults living in Leicester are smokers.

Today we meet a father and daughter who have successfully quit.

Mum Amy Rackham was a smoker for more than 10 years but has now managed to stop.

She is urging others to join the Leicester Mercury campaign being run in conjunction with Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust's stop smoking service.

The 28-year-old gave up smoking in October last year - mainly to save money.

But she is reaping the rewards in that her sense of smell has improved and she has persuaded her father, Gary, 54 to also give up.

Amy, who has a six-year-old daughter Hannah Spear, said: "I smoked between 15 and 20 cigarettes a day but I knew I had to give up for financial reasons.

"I started off using nicotine replacement patches and then used the tablets, Champix, for about eight weeks.

"It was hard for the first couple of weeks. I enjoyed smoking but I felt like I had to do give up.

"You can't just rely on the aids like patches. You have got to want to do it."

She added: "The only downer is that my appetite has increased and I have put on weight but my sense of smell is amazing."

Amy, from Eyre Monsell, persuaded her father Gary to go to the nearby Hedges Medical Centre with her to meet a stop smoking advisor.

Gary, who has multiple sclerosis and arthritis, agreed to go with his wife Shirley.

The 54-year-old had been a smoker since he was 16 and in recent years was getting through around 40 cigarettes a day.

He started off with nicotine patches and an inhaler and managed to cut down to about 10 a day.

He then got an e cigarette and has managed to quit since New Year's Day.

Gary said: "I do feel better for it."

His wife Shirley said: "It's great - it has save us loads of money - but Gary is also better for it.

"He has smoked ever since I knew him.

"My parents always smoked and then my three children did but I never have.

"I think at times that with Gary's MS he would forget how many cigarettes he had had.

"I am over the moon he has given up."

Leicestershire professionals Matthew Cort and Craig Shave teamed up to win the European Fourball Championship.

They won the title over 54 holes at the Lumine Mediterranean Beach & Golf Community, in Tarragona, south of Barcelona, with their 21-under-par 194 aggregate.

Played over two different courses, Rothley Park's Cort and Whetstone's Shave opened with eight-under 64, following up with five-under 66, and signed off with another eight-under 64 to claim the crown by two strokes from their closest challengers.

A highlight came in round two – on the Lakes – when Cort had a hole-in-one at the par-three fourth when he hit his seven-iron from the tee.

They also had an eagle in their opening round over the tight, tree-lined Hills course, as well as six birdies, and were bogey free.

On the more exposed Lakes, they collected five birdies. They picked up eight more back on the Hills, where they were bogey-free again, as the event reached an exciting climax.

After birdies at the second and fifth holes going out, they had three in a row from the 10th and three more from the 16th, which Cort birdied. Shave birdied the last two holes for their sparkling finish.

The pair, who regularly compete together in fourball contests, combined well again. Each paid tribute to the other's contribution to their impressive overall performance.

Cort said: "We enjoyed competing together again and, of course, we were very pleased to win.

"Our strategy is pretty straightforward really – we aim to keep both balls in play and to both be in a position to have birdie chances on every green.

"When we played a practice round ahead of the tournament, it was my first full 18 holes of the year, although we had a couple of driving range warm-ups before we went out to Spain, so that helped us to prepare for what was an important event for us both."

Shave added: "We had a great time, thoroughly enjoyed the whole week in Spain, although the weather was not great, very windy, gale-force at times, and quite cold at times too.

"But Matt's ace gave us a real boost on day two after we had dropped a shot at the first, got it back at the second, then pushed ahead again at the fourth hole in that session. It was a great strike."

The parallels between Jack Roberts and Tom Youngs were impossible to ignore when the Welsh youngster made his full Leicester Tigers debut in the heat of an East Midlands derby last Saturday.

To use the words of coach Geordan Murphy, the 22-year-old is a "nuggety little centre with a good turn of pace and good skills".

You could probably find those words spoken about Youngs when he began his career and before he was turned into a world-class hooker.

Murphy did promise, however, that Leicester had no intention of changing Roberts' shirt from a No.12 to a No.2 – just yet.

Tigers are too desperate for centres to even consider any drastic action with Manu Tuilagi, Anthony Allen and Christian Loamanu still out of action and on the treatment table.

Roberts certainly caused a stir against the Saints in the LV= Cup win on Saturday.

With a similar build, physicality and running style to Youngs, he could turn out to be just what the doctor ordered in the current circumstances.

What really caught the eye was the former Wales under-16 and under-18's pace.

His break for the Tigers' second try of the game was a stunning scythe through Northampton's midfield. Dragged down by a covering defender just before the line, Roberts played his part in quick recycled ball which led to Laurence Pearce diving over the line.

Leicester's centres are far from slow. But they have not had Roberts' type of gas in their ranks for a while now.

The Welshman could change that and his value to the club could be a lot more.

As Anthony Allen struggles to get over a persistent knee injury, Roberts could be a realistic option for the run-in to the end of the season.

Having broken his cheekbone against the Barbarians on just his second appearance for the club after joining from Rotherham, Roberts said he used that time out to learn what was expected of him at the club.

"I was gutted to get the injury but I came back to action last Saturday knowing my stuff having learned a lot while I was out," said Roberts.

"Coming here was a real bolt out of the blue. I had been playing quite well in the Championship but I never thought I would move in mid-season, and not to a big club like Leicester.

"It was great playing at home on my debut and, as I came out of the changing rooms, all I was thinking was 'Don't make a mistake!'

"Geordan Murphy has been a big help in the first couple of weeks I was here. There is a lot to learn.

"And (defence coach) Phil Blake has been great with the defensive stuff because that is a part of the game that I need to work on.

"My pace is probably my best asset and, when the gap opened up for the second try, I just put my head down and ran.

"We know that we turned the ball over way too much and there were too many handling errors, so there has been plenty to work on this week.

"If we can go to Cardiff and get a home semi-final, we would back ourselves to beat anyone at 

A blind man was refused a taxi in Leicester because he had his guide dog with him.

Mahomed-Abraar Khatri, 24, said a taxi was ordered for him and his guide dog, Vargo, on Friday afternoon.

When the car, which had been ordered from Highfields Taxis, did not turn up, Mahomed gave them a call to ask why.

He said the call handler told him it was because there was "no-one working who would take dogs".

"Sadly, this is relatively common," said Mahomed, of Highfields, Leicester.

"So on this occasion, I just thought, 'oh, not again'."

Mahomed has been blind since the age of 15 and has owned nine-year-old Vargo for around seven years.

In 2008, the Leicester Mercury reported that Mahomed had become the first Muslim in the country to be allowed to take his guide dog into a mosque.

"I'm allowed to take my dog into a mosque, so why was I not allowed to take him in a taxi?" he said.

It is illegal for taxi drivers to refuse to pick up a fare because the would-be passenger has a guide dog with them.

Mahomed said he also frequently encountered problems when he tried to take Vargo into local shops and takeaways in the city - even though it is against the law for service providers to treat blind or partially sighted people less favourably because of their disability, or because they have a guide dog with them.

"At first, I used to argue my case," said Mahomed.

"But now, I just don't into those places anymore. I go the places which accept I have a dog."

He added: "A lot of people argue that it's against the Muslim religion - they think dogs are dirty. But in my opinion, Vargo is no dirtier than a person."

The owning of pet dogs is "haram", or forbidden, under Islamic law because animals are considered unclean.

Mahomed said because of that, he believed many blind or visually impaired people in the Asian community did not get a guide dog as they are fearful of peoples' reactions.

"I can't tell my friends that they will be treated fine if they have a guide dog because I would be lying," he said.

"I think it's all about raising awareness."

A spokesman for Highfields Taxis said the incident was due to "a miscommunication".

"We don't have a policy against not taking guide dogs - in fact we have transported lots of people with their guide dogs," said the spokesman.

"This will not happen again.

"All I can do is apologise to the man involved."

Ritchie De Laet insists Leicester City's belief that they will survive in the Premier League has not wavered because of their defeat at Manchester United.

City had gone into last Saturday's game on the back of four wins from their previous six games.

De Laet said their 3-1 defeat would not affect morale ahead of Saturday's crucial clash with Crystal Palace at the King Power Stadium.

"It is just one of those games," he said. "It is kind of a bonus game as no-one expected us to take anything away from Old Trafford, but confidence is still high and we know we can still do it.

"I think we can do it. Just look at last our previous six performances, we got four wins out of it.

"We know we can pick up wins. We have everyone around us to play as well, so they are the important games for us.

"They are all big games but especially against the teams around us.

"We have Palace at home and need to just keep going.

"Maybe the fact everyone lost last week is a bonus, but also perhaps it was a missed opportunity for us.

"The confidence is still there and we know we can still do it."

De Laet was returning to Old Trafford for the first time since his move to City from United in 2012.

He admitted United's controversial first goal handed the momentum to the hosts. "We did well for 25 minutes and the plan was to stay in the game for as long as possible, but they have some quality and they scored some quality goals in the first half," he said.

"They got the first goal and then got some momentum going forward, then their top three or four were hard to stop.

"I think the first goal was offside and we were up against it after that.

"We tried in the second half. We played freely although we didn't want to lose more goals, but we wanted to show we could play. It was great not only to go back but to just play there because I think every player wants to play there."

Highcross was evacuated this afternoon after shopping centre bosses received a hoax call about a bomb.

Hundreds of shoppers and traders were taken to safety at about 2.40pm today while police searched the building for signs of anything which looked suspicious.

The alert was raised for about 35 minutes before officers confirmed it was a false alarm.

Trust there to be a bomb scare and evacuation at highcross whilst me and gab are looking through topshop's sale�� so scary

— bri✨ (@BrianaCampbell_) February 4, 2015

Ellie Dorran, who works in stationers Smiggle, inside the mall, was one of those evacuated form the building.

She said: "The shops all got an alert about an hour before the alarms started going off, but we weren't told what was going on.

"We were taken outside and were standing out there for about 35 minutes.

"Then they said it safe to back in."

Been evacuated from the Highcross ��

— Mardy Bum (@kay_barratt) February 4, 2015

A spokeswoman for the police said: "Police were called to the Highcross at 2.41pm following a call, which has now been confirmed as being a hoax.
"The shopping centre made the decision to evacuate the area and police were on site for public reassurance."

There will be no respite for Riyad Mahrez after his African Cup of Nations exploits, Leicester City manager Nigel Pearson has warned.

The winger returned from international duty with Algeria this week after playing a big part as Algeria reached the quarter-finals before losing to Ivory Coast on Sunday.

He scored the first goal in Algeria's final group stage win over Senegal to secure their qualification for the last eight.

But Pearson said there would be no time to rest and that Mahrez has been made aware he will be expected to be ready for an immediate return to action for City, with Crystal Palace visiting the King Power Stadium on Saturday.

"My only concern is that Riyad comes back fit and ready to play for us," said Pearson.

"He knows what is expected when he does get back.

"It is not like the end of a season when he can relax. He comes back to us, hopefully, fit and ready to play for us again.

"I spoke to a French agent a couple of weeks ago and he said that one of the problems they have in France with a lot of the French Africans is that they are away for a month and then it takes them a month to get back into it.

"Riyad is aware of the fact I know that.

"He is also aware of the fact I don't expect him to have any further time off.

"He will be coming straight back into it and, hopefully, picking up where he left off."

As well as Mahrez's availability, midfielder Matty James also returns after a three-game ban to bolster City's options ahead of Saturday.

However, new signing Robert Huth will serve the last of his two-game ban for infringing the FA's policy on activity on social media and will have to wait until Tuesday to make his City debut at Arsenal.

Leicester City on-loan striker Tom Hopper has been nominated for January's Player of the Month in League One.

The 21-year-old, who is on loan at Scunthorpe United until the end of the season, has scored four goals in four games for the Iron.

For most Premier League clubs, transfer deadline day proved to be somewhat of a damp squib.

No matter how hard Sky Sports New anchor Jim White tried, it was difficult to muster much excitement with such a dearth of dealings.

Leicester City had their business done early, confirming the loan signing of Robert Huth from Stoke, at midday.

It was not so dull, though, for City's opponents this weekend Crystal Palace, who were the most active club on deadline day and the January transfer window as a whole.

Alan Pardew brought Wilfried Zaha back to the club on a permanent basis, having spent the first half of the season on loan from Manchester United.

Palace also signed Bolton winger Lee Chung-yong on deadline day as well as youngsters Andreas Breimyr, from Norwegian side Bryne FK, and non-league star Keshi Anderson from Barton Rovers.

This added to the arrivals of Yaya Sanogo, on loan from Arsenal, former Newcastle striker Shola Ameobi, Senegal left-back Pape Souare from Lille, and midfielder Jordon Mutch from QPR for £4.75million.

"From what I am hearing, this has been the most successful transfer window Palace have had since their return to the Premier League," said Mark Ritson, Palace reporter for the Croydon Advertiser.

Sanogo has started every game since his arrival, scoring his first goal in the FA Cup victory at Southampton, and is set to do so once again at the King Power Stadium.

"He has linked well with Marouane Chamakh," says Ritson. "It looks like it could be a very good partnership."

Chamakh, a former Gunner himself, is a doubt for the crucial Premier League clash after suffering a broken nose in Palace's defeat to Everton last weekend.

Ameobi, who played under Pardew at Newcastle, will miss Saturday's clash with an ankle injury as will Chung-yung, who fractured his shin while away with South Korea at the Asian Cup. Souare could start after returning from the Africa Cup of Nations.

Much was made of the arrival of 'superkid' Anderson, but he will mainly feature in the under-21s.

But the main buzz around Selhurst Park is around the permanent return of Zaha. The 22-year-old was sold to United two years ago for £15m, was initially loaned back to Palace, before failing to make his mark at Old Trafford. After joining Palace on loan, he has finally returned on a five-and-a-half-year deal worth up to £6m.

"I started playing here when I was eight years of age and my family live locally and to have the opportunity to take the field in the Premier League for this club is a dream come true," said Zaha.

Firefighters have discovered a woman's body in a house in Kirby Muxloe after being called to tackle a blaze at the house.

Crews were sent to Barry Drive, at about 9.40am today.

They entered the home and found the body of a woman in the garage.

Police were called and cordoned off the scene while dog units and forensic investigators examined the house.

A spokeswoman for the police said the death is under investigation and is being handled as unexplained.

She said it was too soon to say if there were any suspicious circumstances and confirmed that no one had been arrested.

She also said that was unclear how the woman died.

A postmortem examination is taking place tonight.

Neighbours who saw the fire said that white smoke could be seen bellowing from the garage of the home - where the woman was found.

Graham George, 61, who lives a few doors away, said: "The police have done a lot of work on this, they've been to every door, been through all the bins and they've been searching for the dog that lived there – a big rottweiler.

"They kept asking us whether we'd seen it. It must have run off during the fire.

"The couple that lived there kept themselves to themselves – we all do round here, really – but from what I did know of them they were nice enough."

His wife Christine, 65, said: "We went into the garden and saw lots of smoke coming from the house – it was all white.

"There were lots of police, they've been standing guard at the house all night."

Earlier tonight, officers interviewed residents and kept watch on the house, which remains cordoned off.

More details about the death are expected to be released in the next few days.

The spokeswoman said: "Police were called at around 9.40am this morning by the fire service following a report of a fire at a property in Barry Drive, Kirby Muxloe.

"Discovered within the garage was the body of a woman.

"Enquiries are ongoing into the incident to determine if there are any suspicious circumstances in relation to the unexplained death."

A Conservative parliamentary candidate is calling on Leicester City Council to retract a boycott of goods from Israeli settlements in Palestine, claiming it is impossible to carry out.

Kishan Devani, who is standing against Leicester East MP Keith Vaz in May, says the moveis a political gimmick.

In November the city council's Labour group voted through the motion not to purchase items from such settlements in the West Bank.

Labour councillors said they wanted to show solidarity with Palestinians suffering at the hands of the Israel's Government.

At the time the council was unable to say what, if any, goods it bought that were covered by the motion.

Now a freedom of information request submitted by Mr Devani has shown the council buys goods from a number of firms with connections to West Bank settlements.

They include Motorola, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Siemens, Apple and Microsoft.

He said: "Is the council suggesting it can do without products from these companies? It cannot function without them.

"It also speaks volumes that Labour could not say what items would be covered by this motion before they passed it.

"It is another gimmick detracting from important local issues that the vast majority of Leicester residents expect to take priority.

"The council has taken the electorate for granted once again by passing an unenforceable motion, solely to score political points and to delegitimise Israel.

He added: "While many are rightly concerned about the expansion of Israeli settlements, the issue is one that can only be resolved in direct peace negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

"Leicester council's attempt to interfere in the process by passing this motion is counter-productive, and I urge it  to retract this motion."

City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said the Conservative had not actually proved any items were made in the settlements.

He said: "The motion is clear it is about goods produced in the settlements in the occupied territories.

"If Devani has any evidence these companies are producing any items we use in the settlements I would be delighted to see it.

"We are continuing to monitor our purchasing and as a result we will be able to what goods might be affected in the future."

A city council spokesman said: "The motion relates specifically to products and produce that originate from illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, rather than trade with organisations that may or may not have current or previous links with that region.

"So far, we haven't identified any products that we currently purchase that are of that origin."

The authority previously refused Freedom of Information request to disclose legal advice it received in relation to the boycott citing legal professional privilege that covers confidential communications between lawyers and clients. 

A woman who claims Jehovah's Witness elders failed to protect her from a predatory sex attacker who repeatedly abused her as a child is now battling for £500,000 compensation.

The woman, in her 20s, was molested by an elder, or "ministerial servant'', Peter Stewart over a five-year period in Loughborough in the 1980s and '90s, London's High Court heard.

The trauma she suffered derailed her education and career and led to harrowing nightmares and recurring thoughts of suicide, her barrister, James Counsell, said.

Matters came to a head after she "passed out on her bed next to a pile of paracetamol" while on holiday with her husband, "having left him a suicide note,'' he said.

Soon afterwards, she had a "bad panic attack" – triggered by seeing a collection of Jehovah's Witness literature. That led to tense discussions with her husband, and her final decision to take legal action, Mr Counsell told the court.

The woman – who cannot be identified – is suing the trustees of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, alleging they are "vicariously liable" for Stewart's crimes. Lawyers for the trustees are defending the case, insisting proper steps were taken to protect its members.

Stewart was convicted of entirely separate offences of sexually abusing a schoolgirl and a young boy in 1995, said Mr Counsell. He died in 2001, aged 72, "shortly before police arrived at his home to arrest him for sexually abusing the claimant".

Stewart was an apparently "respected and devout" member of the congregation in Loughborough, the court heard. However, he repeatedly preyed on the girl between the ages of four and nine. He molested her in a variety of situations – including "both before and after and sometimes during Watchtower study sessions", Mr Counsell claimed.

The attacks took a catastrophic toll, leaving his victim prone to "vomiting" at the memory, and with complex feelings of guilt and shame, it was claimed.

Stewart forced her to keep silent by telling her "what she was doing was fornication and that she was sinning," the barrister said.

"It was precisely because much of the abuse took place at public – and at Jehovah's Witness – events she could not always avoid him," said Mr Counsell.

The woman first "mustered the courage" to disclose her abuse in 2000 – after hearing of Stewart's imminent release from jail for his offences against two school children.

Stewart's former Jehovah's Witness congregation "began an investigation" but failed to contact police, said the barrister, adding that the inquiry "appeared to go nowhere".

That alleged inaction "intensified her feelings of anger" and the woman went to the police in May, 2001.

"But when the police went to Stewart's home to arrest him they discovered from neighbours that he had died," said Mr Counsell.

The barrister alleged Jehovah's Witness elders "had known about Stewart's activities with young girls since the early days of the claimant's abuse and failed to prevent it continuing".

Lawyers for the trustees are defending the case, insisting proper steps were taken to protect its members and that Stewart was not performing a "pastoral role".

Their counsel, Adam Weitzman, said he "disputed the elders were negligent" and denied the trustees could be held legally responsible.

He pointed out that, from 1991, Stewart and the woman "ceased to be members of the same congregation". Stewart was never an "employee" of the Jehovah's Witness congregation and the trustees owed the woman no legal "duty of care,'' he argued.

The hearing continues.

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A woman has been charged with manslaughter and child neglect following the death of a one-year-old child in 2013.

The 43-year-old woman has been charged in connection with the death of Harry Aspley, of Stoney Stanton.

A 34-year-old man has been charged with child neglect.

The youngster became unwell at his home on March 26, 2013. He died on April 1.

A Leicestershire Police spokesman said: "Following a lengthy and complex police investigation, a 43-year-old woman has been charged with manslaughter and child neglect."

She appeared at Leicester Magistrates' Court yesterday and was remanded into custody and will appear at the city's crown court on February, 18.

A man charged with child neglect is due to appear at Leicester Magistrates' Court on February 27.

A team of volunteers is being recruited to join a tour of the county to help people with sight problems.

The sight loss charity Vista has been given a £40,000 grant over two years by Leicestershire County Council to help people living in rural areas.

The money will be used to kit out a specially designed van providing information, support and advice.

To make the new mobile support venture a success volunteers are needed to join the team on the vehicle in their local area.

Volunteer drivers are also needed to take the van around the county.

Paul Bott, Vista's chief executive, said: "Vista's mobile support service is an exciting and new way of helping our local community learn about sight loss and we need a really great team of volunteers to make it a success."

"Becoming a volunteer is extremely rewarding.

"Not only does it increase self-confidence, but it gives the chance to gain new skills and meet new people."

The new service launches in April and for the first month will spend two days each week in north west Leicestershire.

The first stop will be in Kegworth village hall on April 7, from 10am-12.30pm.

In May the service will be in Harbrough, in June in Charnwood, in July in Hinckley and Bosworth.

Come August it moves to Melton with Oadby and Wigston in September and lastly in Blaby in October.

Kate Naish, Vista's director of income generation, said: "The aim of the project is to go out into the community to raise awareness particularly among the elderly about sight loss, how they can look after their eyes and what support we can give.

"With developments in technology there have been massive improvements in the range of products and equip available to help support people.

"As well as giving information and advice we will have some of the products we sell in our city centre shop."

She added: "We would like recruit a few volunteers in each area we are due to visit.

"We are Leicestershire's biggest sight loss charity and we really want to raise our profile."

Leicester powerhouse Jahmaine Smyle has got a shot at the vacant English super-middleweight title.

The 28-year-old from Northfields will meet Lee Markham for the St George's belt, in Bethnal Green, on Saturday, March 14.

The winner of the 10-round fight at the York Hall will take a big step towards a British-title fight.

Smyle currently holds the Midlands Area belt and said: "This is the fight I've been waiting for, and it's come at the right time for me.

"I've learned from every fight I've had, especially the losses, and I'm learning every day in the gym as well.

"I've got the Midlands title, the English title is the next step and then it's the British title.

"Every year I write a list of what I hope to achieve, and this year I was hoping for a British title fight.

"Now I've got this fight, I know it's possible."

Markham chalked up his 14th win in 15 fights at the O2 Arena last weekend.

The 27-year-old from Grays outgunned Lewis van Poetsch inside two rounds.

The best results on Markham's record are his 10-round points victories over ex-Commonwealth light-middleweight champion Bradley Pryce, and Harry Matthews.

Smyle added: "I knew an opportunity like this would come along this year.

"I've got to thank (manager) Clifton (Mitchell) for delivering me this chance, and now I've got to prove to everyone that I deserve a place in the top 10 and I deserve a British-title shot."

Tickets for the show at the York Hall are available from 07938 879026.

Braunstone Golden Gloves debutants Prosper Milo and Shane Shield made winning debuts at New Parks Social Club. Milo won a back-and-forth scrap with Jamie 

Johnson (Swadlincote) and, in a sometimes messy middleweight clash, Shield delighted his many supporters by outpointing Steve Whitchurch (Long Eaton).

Taylor Squire, last season's Midlands Schools champion, returned after seven months away and dropped a narrow points decision to Luke Liptrot (Wellingborough).

Match-maker Clare Lynch described the flyweight contest between Shepshed teenager Benn Norman and Scott Rankine (Salisbury) as "the best bout I've seen for a long time."

Eighteen-year-old Norman, the younger brother of English flyweight champion Louis, grabbed the points decision.

Earl Shilton ABC had a couple of winners on the show as well.

Callum Blockley outpointed Tom Cowling (South Normanton School of Boxing) in his first bout of the season.

In the best junior bout on the show, Tyler Rivers was a points winner over Chad Woodfield.

Braunstone teenager Chloe Hessin heads to Stoke on Sunday looking to secure her place in the quarter-finals of the England Boxing Youth championship.

She meets Lauren Hall (Exhall) in the pre-quarter finals.