A homeless and penniless drug addict with 90 previous convictions stole perfume and a handbag to sell for food just days after being released from jail.

Laura Neale was arrested for shoplifting in Leicester city centre last Saturday after being released from prison on the Monday before.

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Neale, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to stealing two bottles of perfume and a handbag worth a total of £136.97 from TK Maxx in Leicester city centre on March 18.

Prosecutor Zabin Chauhan told the court that Neale had 90 previous convictions for 193 offences, 140 of which were theft-related.

TK Maxx store in Leicester city centre

She said that security staff at TK Maxx watched Neale on the in-store CCTV after she entered the store.

Ms Chauhan said: "She was seen to remove the plastic wrapping off two bottles of perfume.

"She then removed a handbag from a display and took the security tag off.

"She put the perfume into the bag and walked out of the store without paying."

Neale was then stopped by a security guard and walked back into the store with the goods.

Miss Isabel Wilson, defending, told Leicester Magistrates Court how the 27-year-old was a heroin addict and had been for years.

Miss Wilson said that Neale had just been released after receiving an eight-week prison sentence on February 14 for a theft offence.

She said: "She has often stolen to pay for drugs but this time she had no money at all and stole to pay for food.

"She had no accommodation either and was homeless."

Miss Wilson said that she had known Neale since she was 13 years old.

She said: "She suffered serious abuse during her childhood and turned to drugs to cope.

"She has been a victim all her life and has survived by using drugs and stealing to pay for that drug habit.

"She has been in court since she was 13. These short custodial sentences are not working.

"She has no support, she has no family, she is alone. She needs proper help."

Chair of the bench Jean Anderson gave Neale a six-month conditional discharge.

After being sentenced Neale told the magistrates: "Thank you".

read more: Tigers fans warned of possible disruption ahead of derby with Saints

Someone is protecting Madeleine McCann's kidnappers, says a detective who hunted for her for three years.

As Kate McCann went through yet another Mother's Day without Madeleine yesterday, retired Detective Inspector Dave Edgar broke his silence for the first time.

Madeleine, from Rothley, went missing in May 2007 during a family holiday in Portugal with her siblings and parents Kate and Gerry.

Revealing findings, that a child-sex gang most likely took the three-year-old, he told the Mirror: "Someone knows what happened and it's time they came forward."

Mr Edgar believes an abductor has secretly confessed to the crime and, speaking for the first time since his three-year private investigation into the 2007 disappearance, he said one of those involved will have opened up to a friend or relative.

Calling for an end to the agony of Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry, he pleaded: "If anyone confided in you, now is the time to come forward."

When the Metropolitan Police took over the search in 2011, Mr Edgar handed his files to the force.

But he has kept in contact with the probe and believes a new appeal could finally solve it.

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He said: "Someone knows, it must be on someone's conscience, please come forward."

During his probe, paid for by the Find Madeleine Fund, Mr Edgar's small team of investigators examined a number of potential suspects,

Mr Edgar had a 30-year career with the RUC and Cheshire police and worked on high profile murder cases.

He believes it was a planned operation by a lone kidnapper or a gang.

He said: "If the motive was gang-related child prostitution, there might have been more than one involved."

And that's where a breakthrough may come.

He said: "They can't keep it to themselves and research has shown they always confide in someone else.

"I think that someone else apart from the perpetrator knows and that is one of the best hopes of getting to the truth, that someone comes forward and says what they know."

Mr Edgar wants a police-backed European campaign.

Read more: Police make two arrests after man found stabbed in Leicester car park

He said: "I'm talking about TV, posters, letters, text messages, new technology. We're talking Europe. Get the message out there."

The retired detective clings to the hope that Madeleine is still alive, possibly being held prisoner and potentially still in Portugal.

There have been a number of cases where victims have emerged after being held in captivity for years.

"Until such time that a body is found it is a live investigation and there is always hope," he said.

A Pakistani cricketer who hit his wife with his bat and made her drink bleach has been spared jail - clearing his way to play for Leicestershire, a court heard.

Mustafa Bashir also slapped and choked his wife, berated her for wearing western clothing, tried to turn her against her own family and called her a "slag" when she went out socialising with friends he called "English slag girls".

Mustafa Bashir claimed he had job with Leicestershire CCC

The 34-year-old avoided jail after a judge said he was not convinced the victim was vulnerable.

Bashir's lawyer claimed at Manchester Crown Court that his client would sign a contract with Leicestershire as a professional player after being offered a contract shortly before his arrest.

However, a spokesman for the club has denied those claims, saying it has never spoken to Bashir or his agent, or offered him a contract.

The court heard how Bashir and Fakhara Karim met in their native Pakistan and married in 2013, but he controlled her and how she spent her money.

During the stormy marriage he struck Miss Karim over her back with his cricket bat because he felt she spent too long talking to a friend on the phone, telling her: "If I hit you with this bat with my full power then you would be dead."

The incident occurred at their home on New Year's Eve in 2014, with Bashir snatching his wife's phone and telling her he would search it to look at her messages.

He bent her fingers back in attempt to break them and slapped her so hard she lost consciousness, the court heard.

Prosecutor Roger Brown: said "The next thing she remembers is waking up on her bed, she went to get her phone but he was there.

"She said to him 'it's over please leave me alone' but he called her a 'slag', and strangled her until she was struggling to breathe.

"He grabbed a cricket bat that was in the bedroom and her over the back with it. She recalls feeling a sharp pain.

"He said to her 'If I hit you with this bat with my full power then you would be dead'. He went into the hall and she took the opportunity to call 999."

In an earlier incident the couple were on a day out to Rochdale Lake in April 2014 when they argued over his cricket tour to the Netherlands.

Bashir, who plays for a local cricket league in Oldham, Greater Manchester, grabbed his wife by the neck and squeezed until a member of the public intervened, the court heard.

As the argument continued at home he grabbed her neck again and then picked up a knife and threatened to kill himself as his wife begged him not to.

Mr Brown said: "He took her into the bathroom where he grabbed a bottle of bleach and he made her drink the bleach so she would kill herself. She spat that out as she was unable to swallow it.

"Then he gave her tablets from the house and told her to take them. She did but again she was unable to swallow them.

"He said to her "I want you to kill yourself."

Mustafa Bashir hit wife with his cricket bat

In a statement Miss Karim said she was a confident, active and social woman before she met Bashir, but became a shell of her former self as she was abused.

Miss Karim, a hotel receptionist who was taking university studies, added: "It will take a long time to get back to how I was before. My education results got better after the split and I got a 2:1 and was able to qualify for my masters. I still find it very difficult to trust people.

"I can't see how I could trust another man again after what happened to me. I dreamt of being in a happy relationship and I do not feel now that that will ever happen with someone else."

Judge Richard Mansell QC said he didn't believe the victim was vulnerable as she was "an intelligent woman with a network of friends" and had a college degree.

Bashir admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm but his lawyer said if he was spared prison he would be able to accept a place at Leicestershire County Cricket Club.

Passing an 18 month jail term suspended for two years Judge Mansell QC ordered Bashir to attend a workshop entitled "building better relationships" and pay £1,000 costs, and banned him from contacting Miss Karim indefinitely under the terms of a restraining order.

The judge said: "You told her how to spend her money and you tried to turn her against her family who you regularly insulted. She would buy clothes that were of a western style which you disapproved of and called her a slag and said her friends were 'English slag girls'.

"But I am not convinced she was a vulnerable person. Sometimes women who moved here from their country become trapped in a relationship where they lose their support network of family and friends and cannot speak the language.

"This is not the case with her. She is plainly an intelligent woman with a network of friends and did go on to graduate university with a 2:1 and a masters – although this has had an ongoing affect on her. She had difficult trusting people now, especially men."

He added: ''With regard to the mitigating factors I am not convinced of your remorse for her, but you are sorry for the position you find yourself in over the last two years. Your current partner is supporting you in court and she complains of no violence.

"You have employment prospects of being employed in cricket for Leicestershire Cricket Club.

"This court will not tolerate violence in a relationship of this nature. It is a very fine line between imprisonment and a suspended sentence.''

In mitigation Bashir's lawyer Hugh McKee said: "He has continued to play professionally in a local cricket league but of some importance certainly to him is if he is allowed to keep his liberty he will be employed by Leicestershire as a professional.

"He was about to sign the contract when he was arrested."

Mr McKee added: "Mr Bashir was working in that time for long hours and having two jobs and she had no jobs.

"He says that he gave her money and got into debt to allow her to go on holiday with her friends.

"He struggled and continues to struggle and to this day he hasn't been able to give an explanation about what led him to do what he did."

Following the sentencing hearing a spokesman for Leicestershire County Cricket Club said: "[We] are aware of stories that have been published this morning regarding Mustafa Bashir.

"The club are bemused by these stories.

"Any references to Mustafa Bashir signing or being approached to sign for Leicestershire County Cricket Club are completely false.

"The club have never spoken to Mustafa Bashir or an agent, nor offered a contract to the player."

read more: Police make two arrests after man found stabbed in Leicester car park

Arsonists set fire to bales of hay as horses nibbled at the straw.

Owner Lee Hamilton has told how the actions of the arsonists yesterday could have given one of his horses, which is elderly, a heart attack.

He spoke out after two youths set fire to two, quarter-tonne bales of hay as the horses munched on them in a field off Gynsill Lane, Anstey.

Lee, who lives in Beaumont Leys, said: "I can't believe how anybody could be so callous.

"A couple I spoke said they had seen two youths set fire to the bales as the horses were nibbling at them.

"One of the horses in that field is 27 years old and not in good health.

"That action could have easily given her a heart attack. The other horse is nine years old and is also a rescue horse.

"We rescued them and the last thing they need is to see someone light a fire just feet from their noses. It must have been very upsetting and confusing for them."

A fire service spokeswoman said that a crew from the city's Western station was called out at the field at 5.05pm.

She said: "Two large bales of hay had been set alight by the gate in the field.

"It is believed that the bales were deliberately set on fire.

"Firefighters used drag forks and a hose reel to put out the flames."

Lee said he was at home when he received a call from a friend telling him there was a fire in the horses field.

He said: "Molly the horse is 27 and frail and Tilly is nine but has been through a lot.

"When I got out there I could see that the horses were over the other side of the field in a distressed state.

"The people who started this fire need to be caught. It was a nasty thing to do to a pair of defenceless animals."

A police spokeswoman said they were investigating the incident.

She said: "We were called at 5.20pm to a report of bales of hay on fire in a field off Gynsill Lane."

Anyone with any information should call the police on 101.

The sentence of a wife-beating cricketer who claimed he had job lined up with Leicestershire County Cricket Club could be altered.

The Crown Prosecution Service is considering its options after Mustafa Bashir, who beat his wife with a cricket bat and forced her to drink bleach and swallow pills, was given a suspended sentence.

Read more: Leicestershire Cricket Club tell police they never offered job to abusive cricketer Mustafa Bashir

The Pakistani cricketer walked free from Manchester Crown Court on Monday after Judge Richard Mansell handed him an 18-month suspended sentence, after saying Bashir's victim was not vulnerable because she was an "intelligent woman with a network of friends" and had a degree.

Leicestershire County Cricket Club have said that they have never spoken to Bashir let alone offered him a contract.

Asked whether the CPS would apply for a review of the sentence in light of the new information from the cricket club, a spokesman said: "We are aware of recent developments relating to this case and are currently considering our options."

Read more: Cricketer who hit wife with bat claimed he had job at Leicestershire CCC

The crown court has the power to alter a sentence within 56 days of the date it was made, under the 56-day "slip rule".

The usual reason for altering a sentence under section 155 of the Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000 is that further relevant information has become available, the court has overlooked some statutory provisions limiting its powers, or the sentence is found to take effect in an unexpected manner.

Protesters are to gather outside council offices today to protest about the construction of a new £170m prison at Glen Parva.

Members of the local action group Leicester Prison Resistance are to demonstrate outside Blaby District Council at 3.30pm.

The group is making its opposition known to the plans to create the new prison as councillors arrive for a planning committee meeting at the council offices in Desford Road, Narborough.

Glen Parva's ageing jail will close in June when the last of its inmates are transferred to other prisons.

Read more:Glen Parva jail to close in June before new prison is built in its place

Prisons minister Sam Gyimah has told South Leicestershire MP Alberto Costa that the 1970s young offenders institution will close within the next few months and be demolished.

Mr Costa, in whose constituency the prison sits, has been tracking the progress of a project to replace the jail with a new Category C prison complex.

A spokesman for the group said: "Come and demonstrate outside the council offices to influence the planning committee to the new mega-prison at HMP Glen Parva.

"The government are in the process of trying to build a new mega-prison in Leicester at the site of HMP Glen Parva.

"It will lock up more than 1600 people."

Leicester Prison Resistance are staging a public meeting about the proposed new prison at 7pm today at the Secular Hall in Leicester city centre.

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The ex-wife of a man who beat her with a cricket bat and forced her to drink bleach has spoken out after he avoided jail.

Cricketer Mustafa Bashir, 34, was given a suspended sentence on Monday after admitting assaulting his then wife Fakhara Karim.

Bashir walked free from Manchester Crown Court when Judge Richard Mansell handed him an 18-month suspended sentence, after saying Bashir's victim was not vulnerable because she was an "intelligent woman with a network of friends".

Ms Karim told the BBC: "I am a confident and strong woman because of what I have suffered.

"I was suffering for my life but the judge didn't believe me."

Read more:Wife beating cricketer Mustafa Bashir could have his sentence altered - CPS

Bashir told the court that if he was not jailed he would be free to take up a professional contract with Leicestershire County Cricket Club.

Leicestershire County Cricket Club have said they have never spoken to Bashir, let alone offered him a contract.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said there is possibility that the sentence could be altered.

A CPS spokesman said: "We are currently considering our options."

The crown court has the power to alter a sentence within 56 days of the date it was made, under the 56-day "slip rule".

Read more:Cricketer who hit wife with bat claimed he had job at Leicestershire CCC

In a statement read out in court on Monday, she said: "Before I met Mustafa Bashir I was a confident, active and humorous person. I looked after myself and liked dressing up.

"I spent money on myself and enjoyed going shopping. I felt the future was bright.

"I was in good mental health and felt strong. After the abuse my confidence was very low and I hid myself away from family and friends.

"He didn't like me socialising and I couldn't accept my friends requests to go out.

"Once we split it took months for me to get my self belief back and I am not back to the person I was before.

"It will take a long time to get back to how I was before.

"My education results got better after the split and I got a 2:1 and was able to qualify for my masters. I still find it very difficult to trust people.

"I can't see how I could trust another man again after what happened to me.

"I dreamt of being in a happy relationship and I do not feel now that that will ever happen with someone else."

The judge's comments have prompted a backlash from domestic violence campaigners.

Sandra Horley, chief executive of Refuge, said: "Judge Mansell's comments that he was not convinced of the victim's vulnerability show a shocking ignorance around the impact of domestic violence on women.

"What a woman does for a job, her level of education or the number of friends she has makes no difference – for any woman, domestic violence is a devastating crime that has severe and long-lasting impacts."

A horse owner is offering a £100 reward to help catch arsonists who set fire to bales of hay as his animals nibbled at the straw.

Lee Hamilton has put up the money after a witness saw two youths set fire to the bales in field off Gynsill Lane, Anstey, on Sunday.

Tilly after she was injured in 2010

Lee, who lives in Beaumont Leys, said both horses had been very distressed by the attack.

He said: "When I got down to the field they were in a right state.

"They had gone over to the other side of the field away from the blazing hay.

"Both horses are rescue animals and have already been through a lot of suffering in their lives.

"I have offered money because whoever did this is dangerous and needs to be caught.

"It has been nearly a week now and the culprits have not been arrested.

"I am hoping this money will jog someone's memory or make people think a bit harder."

Lee said the horses are 27-year-old Molly and nine-year-old Tilly.

He said: "Molly is frail and could easily have suffered a heart attack.

"Tilly has been through a lot and I had to sleep in the field seven years ago when vandals kept targeting the field."

The field after firefighters had put out the blaze

He said Tilly suffered cuts and bruising to her face and damage to ligaments in her foot after she became trapped in the bars of a metal gate inside a drainage tunnel back in 2010.

A fire crew from Western station used drag forks and a hose reel to put out the blazing quarter-tonne bales on Sunday.

A police spokeswoman said they were investigating the incident.

She said: "We were called at 5.20pm to a report of bales of hay on fire in a field off Gynsill Lane."

Anyone with any information should call the police on 101.

A man had his watch, wallet and mobile phone stolen after being attacked in a Leicester street.

Two men targeted the victim near the STA coffee shop, in Tudor Road, at about 1am on Sunday.

Read more: Violent burglar carried out 'nasty attack' on elderly man in his Quorn home

A spokesman for Leicestershire Police said: "He was approached by two men who demanded his phone, wallet and watch and assaulted him, kicking and punching him in the head."

The attackers made off towards King Richard's Road after the robbery.

A 24-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of robbery and has been released on police bail pending further inquiries.

Police are hunting a second man in connection with the incident. He is described as having a light complexion, in his late teens and around 5ft 6ins.

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He had short, dark, tightly curled hair and was wearing a dark, parka-style coat with fur around the hood.

Anyone with any information about the incident should call the police on 101.

The sentence of a wife-beating cricketer who claimed he had job lined up with Leicestershire County Cricket Club is to be reviewed this week.

Mustafa Bashir, 34, attacked his then wife Fakhara Karim with a cricket bat and forced her to drink bleach.

He admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm, assault by beating, destroying or damaging property, and using a destructive substance with intent to maim at Manchester Crown Court.

Read more: Cricketer who hit wife with bat claimed he had job at Leicestershire CCC

Bashir was given an 18-month sentence, suspended for two years, and was ordered to attend a Building Better Relationships Programme.

The court also imposed an indefinite restraining order.

Judge Richard Mansell QC was heavily criticised afterwards for saying Karim was not vulnerable because she had graduated with a 2:1.

The judge was also told that if Bashir was spared custody he would be employed as a professional player by Leicestershire County Cricket Club.

However, the club immediately contacted the Crown Prosecution Service to tell them that the claim was 'wholly false'.

Read more: Woman hit by ex-husband Mustafa Bashir with cricket bat says judge did not believe her

In light of this, Judge Mansell has now ordered for Bashir's sentence to be reviewed at Mancheter Crown Court on Friday at 11am.

Leicestershire CCC chief executive Wasim Khan has said: "Leicestershire CCC are appalled that Bashir could have invented a job offer from the club in order, it would seem, to evade a prison sentence.

"The club are actively involved in the fight against domestic abuse and had already arranged a Bowling Out Domestic Violence cricket match in September, in support of the White Ribbon Campaign, set up to tackle domestic violence.

"So Bashir's claim was deeply disturbing for the club, and we will continue to do what we can to support the authorities in bringing about justice."

The head of a charity supporting domestic violence victims had slammed the judge for showing "shocking ignorance" in sparing Bashir.

Sandra Horley, chief executive of Refuge, said: "Judge Mansell's comments he was not convinced of the victim's vulnerability show a shocking ignorance around the impact of domestic violence on women.

"What a woman does for a job, her level of education or the number of friends she has makes no difference – domestic violence is a devastating crime that has severe and long-lasting impacts."

Police have issued this photograph of a man they want to talk to after a student flat in Leicester was burgled.

Police have asked: Do you know this man?

Officers have released the image after the aggravated burglary in Tudor Road in February.

A police spokesman said: "Do you recognise this man?

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"We want to speak to him in connection with an aggravated burglary in Tudor Road, Leicester.

"Four men entered a student accommodation complex and targeted a flat, taking an amount of cash, a mobile phone and laptops on February 10.

"We would like to speak to the man in the image as he may be able to help with our enquiries into the incident."

Anyone with any information is asked to contact the police on 101.

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The suspended prison sentence given to a wife-beating cricketer who claimed he had job lined up with Leicestershire County Cricket Club is to be reviewed today.

Mustafa Bashir attacked his then wife Fakhara Karim with a cricket bat and forced her to drink bleach.

During a hearing at Manchester Crown Court, the 34-year-old admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm, assault by beating, destroying or damaging property and using a destructive substance with intent to maim.

Read more: Wife beating cricketer who lied about Leicestershire contract is finally jailed

Bashir was given an 18-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, and ordered to attend a Building Better Relationships programme.

Judge Richard Mansell QC was heavily criticised afterwards for saying Bashir's victim, Ms Karim, was not vulnerable because she had graduated from university with a 2.1.

The judge was also told that if Bashir was spared custody, he would be employed as a professional player by Leicestershire County Cricket Club.

read more: Woman hit by ex-husband Mustafa Bashir with cricket bat says judge did not believe her

However, the club immediately contacted the Crown Prosecution Service to inform it that the claim was "wholly false".

As a result, Judge Mansell ordered Bashir's sentence to be reviewed.

Leicestershire CCC chief executive Wasim Khan has said: "Leicestershire CCC are appalled that Bashir could have invented a job offer from the club in order, it would seem, to evade a prison sentence.

"The club are actively involved in the fight against domestic abuse and had already arranged a Bowling Out Domestic Violence cricket match in September, in support of the White Ribbon Campaign, set up to tackle domestic violence.

"So Bashir's claim was deeply disturbing for the club, and we will continue to do what we can to support the authorities in bringing about justice."

read more: Arrested Ahmed Musa's lawyer says Leicester City striker "couldn't harm a fly"

A Leicester man has been jailed for 16 months today after he was caught trying to smuggle a passenger into the UK.

Gurpal Bharth, of Western Road, West End, was stopped by Border Force officers at the Channel Tunnel UK control zone in Coquelles on August 14 last year on his return from France.

In his car was a passenger who was carrying a UK passport. Bharth told officers that the man was a friend he had known for several years.

The 24-year-old told the officers that he was giving him a lift to the UK having met up by chance at a festival in Calais.

Read more: Engelbert Humperdinck and the Queen to have lunch together in Leicester tomorrow

However, checks established that the man was an imposter and that the passport he presented had been cancelled by its rightful holder in 2009.

The individual was subsequently identified as an Indian national and he was passed to the French Police Aux Frontieres.

Bharth was arrested and the investigation passed to Immigration Enforcement Criminal and Financial Investigation officers.

Bharth was subsequently charged with assisting unlawful immigration into the UK.

Today, on the second day of his trial at Canterbury Crown Court, Bharth changed his not guilty plea and admitted the charge. He was sentenced to 16 months imprisonment.

David Fairclough, assistant director at the Immigration Enforcement Criminal and Financial Investigations team, said Bharth had lied about his passenger.

Read more: 'She thinks Harry is going to kill her' - flatmate of Alice Ruggles gives evidence during trial

He said: "Bharth knew exactly what he was doing. He knew the passenger was an immigration offender and told Border Force officers a pack of lies in an attempt to bring him into the UK illegally.

"He's now paying the price for his criminality.

"This case serves as a warning that abuse of our immigration rules will not be tolerated, especially by those trying to do so in order to make a profit."

Anyone with information about suspected immigration abuse can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 anonymously or visit their website.

Five people were arrested during the policing operation for Leicester City's Champions League match against Atletico Madrid last night.

Police have revealed that five men were arrested for various offences before and during the quarter-final clash at the King Power Stadium.

A 23-year-old man was arrested for affray at the Jubilee Square fanzone before the game.

He was released with a community resolution and told to leave the city centre for 24 hours.

Read more:How the national papers reacted to 'brave' Leicester City's Champions League exit

Officers arrested a 39-year-old man at the King Power Stadium on suspicion of theft.

He was still in police custody.

A 25-year-old man was arrested at the stadium on suspicion of intent to supply a Class A drug.

He was still in police custody.

Officers arrested a 46-year-old man on suspicion of affray in High Street.

The man was arrested at the King Power Stadium. He was released with no further action to be taken.

A 31-year-old man was arrested in the city for failing to comply with a banning order excluding him from parts of Leicester city centre.

He is due to appear in court next month.

Read more: One players gets an eight - City ratings

Leicestershire Police praised both sets of fans after the high-profile game passed off without any major disruption.

Chief Inspector Steve Potter, match commander, said: "This was another event that displayed the professionalism of Leicestershire Police and was a fitting end to a fantastic experience of international policing.

"I would like to say thank you to the fans for their patience and cooperation during the policing operation and making the match a safe event."

Armed police were on the streets in the city centre and around the ground before the game which kicked off at 7.45pm.

Leicester City's European dream ended in the 1-1 draw Atletico Madrid.

The Spanish side progressed to the semi-final on a 2-1 aggregate.

Read more: Atletico boss Simeone heaps praise on valiant City

A derelict building has been damaged in a suspected arson attack today.

Firefighters were called out to the blaze at the single story building in Stud Road, Barleythorpe, near Oakham, in Rutland, at 3.23am.

read more: WATCH: Leicester Morris Men perform for St George's Day Festival

A fire crew from Oakham, one from Stamford and the tactical response vehicle from Oakham were called to the scene.

Firefighters using breathing apparatus had extinguished the blaze by 5am.

A fire service spokesman said: "It is believed the blaze was due to deliberate ignition."

Anyone with any information about the fire should call police on 101.

read more: RECAP Man, 20, critical after suspected stabbing in Leicester

A 20-year-old man remains in a critical condition today after being assaulted in Leicester.

The man was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries after an incident in Evington on Friday.

One of the drains on Cropthorne Avenue lifted by police

Police were called to Cropthorne Avenue at about 12.50pm by a member of the public reporting that a man had been assaulted.

Officers attended and the man was taken to the Leicester Royal Infirmary for treatment to "an injury believed to have been caused by a bladed weapon", said Leicestershire Police.

A resident, who did not want to be named, said she was told the man was found injured in a car park.

read more: 'Naive' drug dealer spared jail

She said: "I heard that the paramedics were seen working on him, carrying out CPR, as he lay on the car park ground.

"Then they put him an ambulance and rushed him away. It is awful. I hope he makes it."

An area surrounding a car park at the top of Cropthorne Avenue was cordoned off yesterday while scenes of crime officers carried out an investigation.

Detectives have appealed for witnesses to get in touch and want to trace a dark coloured car seen in the area at the time of the assault.

Car park in Cropthorne Avenue cordoned off

People who live near the car park, which is overlooked by flats, told the Mercury they believed a man had been stabbed and the weapon had been "dumped".

Officers had been seen lifting drain covers and searching bushes nearby as part of their investigation.

A spokesperson for the force said: "We are actively pursuing several lines of inquiry and we would encourage anyone who was in the vicinity of Cropthorne Avenue, Broad Avenue and St Saviour's Road around the time of the incident and saw anything suspicious to get in touch."

A medium sized, dark coloured car was seen in the area at the time the man was assaulted. Two men were also said to have been seen with the victim.

Anyone with any information should call the police on 101.

read more:Suspected arson attack on building in Rutland village

A 19-year-old man was arrested and charged with a public order offence after an incident in a Leicester street.

Officers were called to Aikman Avenue in New Parks at about 1pm yesterday as they searched for a man "causing harassment, alarm or distress".

read more: Man, 20, STILL critical after suspected stabbing in Leicester

A man was arrested at the scene by police after a section of Aikman Avenue between Kay Road and Pindar Road was cordoned off.

A policespokeswoman said: "A man was arrested and charged with causing harassment, alarm or distress under section 4a of the Public Order Act.

"This offence related to the situation in Aikman Avenue."

read more: 'Naive' drug dealer spared jail

She said that the man was also arrested on suspicion of two other offences.

She said: "The man was also arrested on suspicion of aggravated burglary in relation to an incident in Leicester on April 7.

"He was also arrested on suspicion of causing a public nuisance in relation to Aikman Avenue yesterday.

"Further investigations are continuing into both of these matters."

The man is being held in police custody and is due to appear in court this week.

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Detectives have launched a murder investigation after the death of a 20-year-old man following a suspected stabbing in Leicester.

The man had been fighting for his life after being found injured in Cropthorne Avenue, Evington, at 12.50pm on Friday.

Police have revealed that the man died late last night in Leicester Royal Infirmary.

Formal identification has not yet taken place.

A post-mortem examination is to be carried out today.

Police have said that they believe the man's injuries were inflicted by a bladed weapon.

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A police spokesman said: "The investigation into finding those responsible for the assault is continuing and we are pursuing several lines of inquiry.

"Were you in the area of Cropthorne Avenue, Broad Avenue or St Saviour's Road around the time of the incident?

"Did you see anything that made you suspicious? We would urge you to get in touch with us - you may have vital information."

A car park at the top of Cropthorne Avenue was cordoned off on Friday and Saturday as police carried out an investigation.

A resident, who did not want to be named, said she was told the man was found injured in the car park.

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She said: "I heard that the paramedics were seen working on him, carrying out CPR, as he lay on the car park ground. Then they put him an ambulance and rushed him away. It's awful. I hope he makes it."

Police were seen searching bushes and pulling up drain covers near the car park at the top of Cropthorne Avenue.

A medium sized, dark coloured car was seen in the area at the time the man was assaulted. Two men were also said to have been seen with the victim.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact the police on 101.

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Police arrested a 29-year-old man in Leicester city centre yesterday after receiving reports that he was exposing himself in the street.

Male just arrested in the City Centre for outraging public decency and assaulting PC James Wells by spitting on him. #ProtectTheProtectors
— LeicesterCity Police (@CentralLeicsNPA) May 1, 2017

Officers detained the man in Belgrave Gate after a member of the public called 999 at 3.50pm.

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The man is alleged to have spat at an officer during his arrest.

A police spokeswoman said: "A man was arrested on suspicion of outraging public decency by indecent exposure.

"He was also arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police officer."

Police took to Twitter to inform people of the arrest.

Leicester City Police tweeted: "Male just arrested in the city centre for outraging public decency and assaulting PC James Wells by spitting on him. #ProtectTheProtectors."

A police spokeswoman said the man had been released pending further enquiries into the matter.

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A Leicestershire Police staff member is due to appear in court tomorrow charged with theft offences.

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Julie Treen, 52, of Leicestershire, has been charged with 25 counts of theft of money.

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The offences are alleged to have happened between February 2015 and January 2016.

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She is due to appear at Leicester Magistrates' Court.

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