Leicester Mercury
NURSE AND STUDENT SERIOUSLY INJURED IN ATTACK
A NURSE and student attacked by a man in his flat suffered serious injuries. Arron Bulmer, 35, who has paranoid schizophrenia, locked a male psychiatric nurse and female student nurse in his Leicester flat. He removed his clothes, then grabbed the...
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CLUB ATTACKER LEFT TOTAL STRANGER LYING IN A POOL OF BLOOD
THE victim of an attack by a stranger was left in a pool of blood in an alleyway. The attack happened outside the Emporium nightclub, in Belvoir Road, Coalville, at about 11pm on December 27. The victim went outside the club to be sick on the street...
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MAN’S DEATH ‘COULD HAVE LINK TO POISON TREE FROG DETOX DRUG’
A MAN may have died after an apparent detox ceremony using a drug derived from the poisonous skin of an Amazonian tree frog. Kristian Trend, 40, pictured, from Leicester, is thought to have collapsed at his flat after using kambo, a traditional South...
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‘WE WILL CARRY THIS LOSS FOR THE REST OF OUR LIVES’
THE family of a man killed by a thug in an unprovoked attack outside a pub have spoken of the ongoing pain. David Darke, 66, was knocked out by a single punch just before Christmas last year, hitting his head as he fell to the ground. He died of...
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BETTER CARE FOR CHILDREN AROUND WORLD – LEXI’S LEGACY
ADVICE from a teenager to doctors and nurses on caring for young people is being adopted around the world. Lexi Johnson, from Leicester, spent months in isolation in hospital being treated for an immune condition. After one long and difficult day of...
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DRIVER FLED SCENE OF A CRASH THAT LEFT BABY TRAPPED IN CAR
A SPEEDING driver caused a crash that left a three-month-old baby trapped upside down in an overturned car. Thomas Dalton, of Bideford Close, Wigston, sped off when the lights went green at a roundabout in Toton, Nottinghamshire, on September...
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BITTERSWEET VICTORY FOR BHIM’S FAMILY
THE daughter of an 80-year-old man killed in an attack by a youth has said government plans to crack down on the parents of “feral” youngsters has come too late for her family - but welcomed the “bittersweet” victory. Susan Kohli, the daughter of Bhim...
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‘WHOLESALE’ DRUGS GANG BEHIND BARS
MEMBERS of a drugs network that bought and sold at a wholesale level have been jailed. Kenneth Galloway, Mohammod Jahed and Kian Senior got class A drugs from Sarju Khushal, who was jailed for 11 years in March 2025. Galloway, 31, formerly of Myrtle...
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MAN MADE FAKE GUN WITH DRILL IN BAG THEN RANG THE POLICE
A DRUNK man wrapped a drill in a carrier bag and call ed the police pretending to have a gun after being inspired by a clip on TikTok. Lee Hamill, 41, of Braunstone, called 999 at about 5.20pm to tell police where he was and that he was armed with a...
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THREATS AND VIOLENCE AS SHOP THEFTS REACH RECORD LEVELS
SUPERMARKET and store owners have spoken of the threats and assaults they have suffered as shoplifting offences reach new records across the city. New data shows that Leicestershire Police recorded 8,525 shoplifting offences in 2025, the highest ever...
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DAD SET HOUSE ON FIRE WHILE HIS CHILDREN WERE SLEEPING
A MAN set his house on fire while three of his children were sleeping before going on to start blazes at the homes of his brother and sister. A jury took only 25 minutes to decide at the end of a short trial that Karl Poxon, 50, did carry out the...
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STRICTLY DANCER’S CAREER ‘ENDED BY FALL AT THEATRE’
A STRICTLY Come Dancing veteran who spent 12 seasons with the show says a fall at Curve theatre has ended her career. Kylie Hayes, 41, pictured, fell from the stage in May 2023 during a preview night for a production of 42nd Street. Temporary steps...
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MAN FAKED HIS HEALTH CONDITIONS IN A BID TO BEAT JUSTICE
A PAEDOPHILE has been jailed for a string of sex attacks on young boys after previously dodging justice by faking a severe stroke. John Siddell was accused of sexual assaults against three boys aged four to 14 but – with the help of his brother – he...
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I WAS LOCKED UP ON SUSPICION OF MURDER THAT NEVER HAPPENED
A MAN arrested on suspicion of murder – then released when police found the death was probably natural – says his treatment was a disgrace, writes Jasmine Siddon. Bobby Carmichael, 79, pictured, spent 15 hours in custody after a friend he was with...
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‘BARRED FROM TAKING SCHOOL PLACE AND EDUCATION’
A BOY potentially faces another year without formal education after reportedly being “barred” from the school place of his choice over cost issues. Felix Nienartowicz, six, has a diagnosis of ADHD Combined Type and Autism Spectrum Disorder and has...
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POLICE LEADER OPPOSES £2M TOWN SECURITY WARDENS PLAN
PLANS to introduce private security wardens to patrol town centres to tackle anti-social behaviour, low-level crime and shoplifting have been slammed by unions and the policeman speaking for rank-and-file officers. The £2 milllion project by the...
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A VERY HAPPY 100th, SIR DAVID!
SIR David Attenborough has inspired generations to learn more about the natural world, bringing adventure and wonder, dinosaurs and polar bears into the homes of millions of television viewers. The reassuring, hushed and reverential whisper has...
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NHS STAFF LEAVING IN BID FOR LEANER OPERATION
MORE than 100 NHS management and administrative staff are set to walk away from their jobs by next month, it has been confirmed. The voluntary redundancies come as two Integrated Care Boards - the people who manage local NHS budgets and set strategic...
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DRUGS GANG MEMBERS ARE JAILED FOR TOTAL OF 47 YEARS
EIGHT men who took part in a major cocaine dealing gang - including five from Leicestershire have been jailed. The men are the latest to have been put behind bars for their role in the network, which operated between this county and the West Midlands,...
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NUMBER OF YEARS OF LIVING IN GOOD HEALTH DECREASING
THE number of years people can expect to live healthily has fallen, according to new figures. A report to the city council found that healthy life expectancy for residents peaked at about 60 years in 2014-16 – but had declined to 58 years in...
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ON THE WAY DOWN - PUBS ARE ALREADY BEING HIT BY FOXES’ RELEGATION
PUBS and bars are already feeling the effects of Leicester City’s relegation, from the Championship to League One. Fewer fans have been going to the King Power over the past few weeks but the hospitality industry has been feeling the sting from City’s...
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‘UP TO £60M’ IN SAVINGS IDENTIFIED BY COUNCIL
SAVINGS of up to £60 million have been identified at Leicestershire County Council, its leader says. Councillor Dan Harrison said the savings were part of a range of measures that would also improve services, by “making every pound of taxpayers’ money...
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KNIFEMAN DROVE HIS CAR AT POLICE OFFICER
A MAN drove at a police officer trying to stop him as he fled the scene of a knife incident. Connor Bishop was spotted wielding a knife and walking towards another group of men at about 10.20pm on February 14 at Highcross shopping centre, in...
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CITY DOCTOR STRUCK OFF FOR SELLING FAKE CURES FOR CANCER
A CITY doctor who charged cancer patients up to £15,000 for treatments that would not work has been struck off, writes Dylan Hayward. The General Medical Council Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service has permanently erased Mohsen Ali’s name from the...
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PUNCH ‘THROWN TO SAVE FACE AFTER FIGHT KILLED VICTIM’manslaughter.
A MAN died following a punch after helping his alleged killer, a murder trial has heard. Prosecutor Peter Joyce KC told Leicester Crown Court Nathan Gothard, 36, got into a fight outside the Crown Inn, in Appleby Magna, on December 21. Mr Joyce said...
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PAIR ACCUSED OF MURDERING TODDLER
TWO people have appeared in court charged with murdering a 21-monthold boy. Omiel Gordon, 35, of Butterwick Drive, Beaumont Leys, Leicester, and Shalom Morgan, 23, of Morledge Street, Leicester, appeared before magistrates yesterday in connection with...
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‘I REALLY DO GET TO CALL VANELLOPE AN AMAZING WARRIOR PRINCESS’
ONE year on from a first-of-its-kind chest reconstruction surgery, a mum has said she is forever grateful to the city hospital team who have cared for her daughter since birth. Vanellope Wilkins, pictured, was born with her heart outside her body when...
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PENSIONERS FLEW IN FOR GOLDEN MILE GOLD THEFT
TWO pensioners from Colombia face jail and deportation after thefts from jewellers. Elizabeth Arguello, 69, and her husband Manuel Jairio, 67, stole a pair of gold chains worth £6,200 at Kalyan Jewellers, in Belgrave Road, Leicester. They went into...
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‘APPALLING’ CONDUCT - PC CONFESSES TO VISITING SEX WORKERS
A LEICESTERSHIRE Police constable was investigated after evidence he visited sex workers was discovered. Pc Noel Chambers was interviewed about the messages his colleagues had found and he confessed to paying for sex on two occasions in September 2024...
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WE WILL FACE THIS HEAD ON
LEICESTER City fans are calling for a “complete change” at the club. Tuesday’s 2-2 draw with Hull on Tuesday confirmed City’s relegation to the third tier of English football for only the second time, 10 years after the highs of winning the Premier...
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‘CITY MAYORS NO LONGER IN FASHION
SIR Peter Soulsby has said it is unlikely his mayoral job will exist amid a major shake up of local government structure. Last year, Leicester’s mayor said he would give the city’s councillors a vote on whether they still wanted a directly elected...
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DRUNK WHO SHUT M1 FOR THREE HOURS ‘WAS SEEKING ATTENTION’
A MAN who brought the M1 to a standstill when he climbed on to a gantry and taunted police has been jailed. Leicester Crown Court heard that Braydon Knapp had been looking to draw attention to a grievance and was drunk when he climbed the gantry, near...
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PLANS FOR ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR POWERS ACROSS CITY
LEICESTER City Council is preparing to consult on extending powers to tackle anti-social behaviour outside the city centre. Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said: “I’m determined to use all the tools at my disposal to deal with those who spoil Leicester’s...
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PREDATOR ATTACKED WOMAN UNDER CANAL BRIDGE
A SEXUAL predator who waited to attack his chosen victim under a canal bridge in the centre of Leicester has been jailed. A hooded Warren Laight carried out a serious sexual assault on the young woman, who had been strolling along the Grand Union...
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CONVICTION FOR MURDER QUASHED BY APPEAL COURT JUDGES
A MAN jailed for the murder of a university lecturer has had his conviction quashed. Ben Field, pictured, who is originally from Market Harborough, was found guilty of murdering Peter Farquhar, 69, in 2015. Appeal court judges have now ordered a...
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HOUSEMATE KILLER GETS 15 YEARS AND A LIKELY DEPORTATION
A MAN who stabbed a housemate through the heart when asked to keep the noise down in the early hours has been sentenced to 15 years. Amritpal Singh, 45, who lived with three housemates in Evington, killed 32-year-old Amit Kumar in October. At his...
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‘5MM FROM NECK BEING BROKEN’
A WOMAN badly hurt when a car crashed into the takeaway she was in was “about 5mm from having her neck broken”, medics said. The woman suffered numerous injuries when a car hit Shokudo, in Bell Street, Wigston, on Saturday.
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TEENAGE GIRLS ARRESTED AS WOMAN LEFT WITH BROKEN PELVIS
POLICE have appealed for witnesses after a spate of muggings in the city. A woman in her 80s was left with a broken pelvis in one of the alleged incidents and is now in rehabilitation following hospital treatment. Four girls, aged 13, 14 and two aged...
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‘WE COULD HAVE DIED IF WE WERE SLEEPING...’
A WOMAN has told of her horror after a firework was hurled through her bedroom window and ignited her curtains while she lay in bed, The resident, who lives at Highland Court in Loughborough, had to scramble for pans of water to douse the flames and...
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REUNITED: SURGEON AND A SPECIAL PATIENT
THE UK’s youngest open-heart surgery patient has been reunited with the Leicester Royal Infirmary surgeon who saved her. Ikenna Omeje operated on Fleur when she was 28 days old, nearly three years ago. He said: “I see hundreds of patients, but you...
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WHEELCHAIR THIEVES LEAVE GIRL,6 HOUSEBOUND
THIEVES have stolen a specialised wheelchair used by a six-year-old girl - leaving her housebound. The mother of Bonnie appealed to whoever took the chair from the family’s driveway to return it. “We can’t do anything now, because she needs that...
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MAN ACCUSED OF KILLING ‘LOVING FATHER’ JIMMY
A MAN has been charged with the manslaughter of a “loving father”. Jimmy McKeown, 62, pictured, died in hospital shortly after an incident at Beaumont Leys Park, Leicester, on Monday. Joshua Moore, 33, of Fowler Close, Beaumont Leys, appeared before...
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SUSPECT, 33, HELD AFTER PARK DEATH
A MAN has been arrested on suspicion of murder following the death of a 62-year-old found unconscious in a park, police have said. Police confirmed the 62-year-old victim died in hospital after being discovered in the park in Leicester on Monday. A...
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ARMED ROBBER IN STRING OF ‘TERRIFYING’ JEWELLERY SHOP RAIDS
A ROBBER carried out a string of raids on jewellery stores. Simon Harrald, pictured, had a knife and imitation gun while snatching gold rings at stores in Leicester and Market Harborough. Police said the raids were “terrifying” for shop staff.
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TAXI DRIVER HIGH ON COCAINE WHEN POLICE STOPPED HIM
AN UBER driver was found to be almost five times the limit for a cocaine chemical after being stopped by police. Adam Daley, 33, was on duty when he was pulled over in Vaughan Way, Leicester. Blood tests showed he had in his system nearly five times...
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THIEF STOLE A £15,000 GOLD NUGGET FROM HIS EMPLOYER
A GARDENER stole a gold nugget from the man he worked for and sold it for more than £15,000. Christopher Darlison, 42, of Briargate Drive, Birstall, pleaded guilty to stealing the nugget from Roger Bown. Last summer, Mr Bown, 86, gave Darlison money...
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RECORD FINE IMPOSED FOR ILLEGAL TREE FELLING
A GARAGE operator has received the largest fine of its kind for illegally felling trees. Motor Fuel Ltd pleaded guilty to ignoring an order to replant trees it cleared at Snells Nook Lane, Loughborough, in 2019, to make way for an...
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STONED DRIVER BADLY INJURED WOMAN , 80, IN CRASH
A STONED driver caused a head-on crash that left an 80-year-old woman seriously injured. Dalton Marlow, pictured, ignored priority for oncoming vehicles at a trafficcalming gate in Edith Weston and hit the victim’s Kia. She suffered numerous broken...
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NEAR £1M IN ILLEGAL GOODS SEIZED IN CITY SHOPS
THE scale of illegal vapes and drugs being sold in Leicester is extremely worrying, a health campaigner has said, as it was revealed almost £1 million of dodgy products have been seized from city shops by trading standards officers. There are fears...
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PAYBACK TIME FOR CON MAN
A CON man has been ordered to pay back £124,000 to dozens of victims duped by his fake investment plan. Mital Mehta, of Oadby, is already serving five years and three months in jail after pleading guilty to 21 counts of fraud by false...
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DANGEROUS DRIVER SENT TO JAIL OVER FATAL CRASH
A MAN has been sentenced for dangerous driving after he caused the death of a 28-year-old woman in a crash. Mantas Kudrevicius, 32, of Quorn, was driving towards Spalding on the A16 when he crossed into the opposing carriageway and collided headon...
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THE KILLER DAMNED BY CCTV
A MAN who stabbed a housemate through the heart in a late-night row and then left the scene to get rid of the weapon is now awaiting sentence after being found guilty of manslaughter. Amritpal Singh, right, attempted to dispose of the evidence, first...
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PROTRACTED IRAN WAR MAY DRIVE UP PRICES , NEXT WARNS
NEXT says it has already taken a £15 million cost hit from the Iran conflict and warned it may need to raise prices if the war is prolonged. The Enderby retailer said it has accounted for additional costs including fuel and air freight, on the...
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CITY ‘IS AT RISK’ OF A MENINGITIS OUTBREAK
LEICESTER is at risk of a meningitis outbreak because uptake of a vaccine is below average, a councillor believes. City councillors were told just under half of 13 and 14 years old received the meningitis ACWY vaccine last year. The national average...
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ATTACK ON NILA WAS ‘SHOCKING, BRUTAL, MERCILESS’
A MAN who launched a fatal attack on an innocent stranger seconds after crashing his car in Leicester city centre has been jailed for life. The judge condemned Chukwuemeka Ahanonu’s attack on Nila Patel as “shocking, brutal and merciless”.
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PREDATOR’S FIVE DECADES OF CHILD SEX ABUSE AT AN END
A PREDATOR who abused girls over five decades has been jailed for 22 years. George Davey, 76, pictured, of Shelthorpe Road, Loughborough, abused the first of his five victims between 1975 and 1985. A victim exposed his crimes in December 2022. Det...
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20,000 CITY HOMES PLAN POISED TO GET FINAL APPROVAL
LEICESTER’S local plan will go to councillors next week for final adoption. The blueprint includes a housing target of 20,730 homes over the plan period – to 2036 – some of which have been built. Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said: “New site allocations in...
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ACTRESS LOSES FINAL DAMAGES CLAIM IN ANTI-GAY COMMENTS ROW
AN actress dropped from a role at Curve after anti-gay comments posted online emerged has had her final attempt to win compensation dismissed by the Court of Appeal. Seyi Omooba, pictured, previously lost a claim against the Leicester theatre at an...
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SCHOOLS SHAKE-UP COULD SEE END OF THE ‘HOLIDAY FORTNIGHT’
PROPOSED changes to children’s summer holidays in Leicester and Leicestershire include the potential loss of the traditional “Leicestershire fortnight”. Both the city and county councils are looking to change their traditional early summer break and...
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‘MAN KNIFED HOUSEMATE IN DRUNKEN ARGUMENT’
AN ARGUMENT between two housemates over the amount of noise one of them was making in the early hours ended up with a fatal stabbing, a murder trial heard yesterday. The prosecution, opening the case against Amritpal Singh, alleged that he...
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POLICE HUNT ‘SERIAL CAR SCRATCHER’ AS MAN LEFT WITH HUGE REPAIR BILL
POLICE are investigating after drivers parking on a street were targeted by a serial car vandal - with one motorist facing a repair bill of up to £2,500, writes Dylan Hayward. Last week, three cars parked in Willow Park Drive, Wigston were scratched...
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‘BOGUS MEDICAL CHECKS FOR DVLA CARRIED OUT IN BACK OF A VAN’
SIX people have gone on trial accused of involvement in a Leicestershire firm that allegedly carried out bogus DVLA medical examinations in the back of a van. A man from Hinckley and a Loughborough woman are part of the group accused of participating...
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