Actor Martin Clunes has offered a £2000 reward to try to find a stolen dog from Leicestershire.

The 54-year-old star of TV show Doc Martin has made the generous gesture after Pippin was stolen in smash-and-grab raid at a house in Bransdale Road, Wigston, last Tuesday morning.

Gareth Wilson, the owner of Pippin - a 15-year-old black yoodle, contacted the actor's agent in a desperate bid to find his beloved pet.

Gareth said Pippin, a cross between a Yorkshire terrier and a poodle, is seriously ill and needs daily medicine to keep him alive.

He said: "My mother Jane took Pippin on holiday to Cornwall a few years ago.

"She is big fan of Martin Clunes so she went to the set in Port Isaac where they were filming the show.

"She got to meet Martin and he got to meet Pippin. She said he was lovely and was genuinely interested in Pippin.

"It was memorable for all concerned as Pippin did his business just as mum was about to meet Martin.

"She had to bag Pippin's deposit. When she met Martin she was still holding the bag.

"He said to her, 'Lovely to meet you and Pippin and you have brought me a little gift.'

"Mum said you could tell Martin was a genuine animal lover. That is part of the reason mum likes him."

Gareth said he was delighted when Martin's management agency got back to him within hours of his sending an e-mail telling of Pippin's disappearance.

He said: "It is wonderful that Martin has made such a generous offer.

"We hope that his involvement might help us get our beloved Pippin back."

Gareth had already posted a £2,000 reward so Martin's offer boosts the total to £4,000.

A spokeswoman for Martin's management agency Independent talent, said: "Martin can't think what he can do to help except add another £2,000 to their existing reward offer."

Hundreds of people have joined the search online after Gareth posted an appeal on Spotted Wigston's Facebook page.

Leicestershire Police confirmed they were investigating the report of a dog being stolen.

People with information can contact the police by calling 101

Gareth can be contacted on 07715447890 and by e-mail at: gareth.wilson@ymail.com

A man was taken to hospital after being assaulted in the street in Loughborough.

The man was injured after an incident in Oxford Street on Friday afternoon.

Police sealed off the street while a forensic investigation unit worked at the scene.

A police spokeswoman said: "We were called out at 3.35pm on Friday to a report of an assault.

"A man was injured and taken to hospital.

"We believe there were three male suspects involved in the incident.

"We believe the incident happened on Oxford Street, between the junction of Paget Street and Leopold Street, in Loughborough.

"We would appeal to anyone who was in the area at about 3.30pm or shortly after to call us if they think they have any information that might help."

The police can be contacted by calling 101.

A police officer has stepped down from her role investigating wildlife crime after activists highlighted her links with a Leicestershire hunt.

Pc Sharon Roscoe resigned from the voluntary and part-time post of Leicestershire Police's wildlife officer after threatening posts on social media made her fear for her safety, senior officers said.

A former member of the Belvoir Hunt, she took on the job last year of investigating incidents of illegal hunting, trapping, poaching and badger baiting and other issues of animal welfare.

Anti-hunt campaigners believed Pc Roscoe's association with the Belvoir Hunt was a potential conflict of interest.

They launched a petition calling for her to be removed from the post. It has been signed by more than 6,000 people.

Leicestershire's Deputy Chief Constable Roger Bannister announced Pc Roscoe's decision to resign from the post and concentrate on her normal police duties.

He said senior officers believed Pc Roscoe was "passionate" about wildlife and animal welfare issues and added she was no longer a member of the Belvoir or any other hunt and had not been "for some time".

He added that police officers are free to be members of hunts because their oath of office obliges them to report any illegal activity whether they are on off duty.

However, he said she decided to step down because of the viciousness of some posts on social media and because she feared the issue was damaging the force's reputation.

Mr Bannister said: "Her former connection with hunting coupled with her voluntary role as wildlife officer has attracted much interest and, I regret to say, a significant amount of highly offensive, spiteful, malicious and threatening comments on social networking sites.

"Like all of her colleagues, Pc Roscoe is committed to serving the community without fear or favour and with integrity and impartiality.

"She remains passionate about all matters of the countryside, but she and her family have become increasingly concerned about the personal attacks on her.

"For these reasons she has reached the decision to stand down from this voluntary role.

"I would like to make it clear we respect her decision and that she retains the support of her colleagues and of the vast majority of those who live in the communities she polices."

Anti-hunting organisations condemned any threatening or abusive messages which had been posted online.

However, they welcomed the officer's decision to leave the role.

A spokesman for Leicester Animal Rights, said: "A lot of people felt there was always a perception that there was a potential conflict of interest in the officer having the role.

"We welcome her decision to stand down and believe it's a step in the right direction by Leicestershire Police.

"We believe there is illegal hunting activity taking place and hope Leicestershire Police will take action."

A spokesman for the West Midlands Hunt Saboteurs said: "We believe putting the officer into the post called the police's judgement into question.

"It did not inspire much confidence in the police and many ordinary members of the public felt it was a bizarre situation to have a wildlife officer who had been a member of a hunt."

Leicestershire Police, which is holding meetings with hunts and animal rights groups in order to foster better relations, is currently investigating five alleged assaults – four alleged attacks on hunt saboteurs and one on a hunt supporter.

One allegation is that two supporters of the League Against Cruel Sports were assaulted while monitoring the Belvoir Hunt earlier this month.

Lincolnshire Police is investigating an allegation that a hunt kept a fox in captivity in order to release it to hounds.

Pc Roscoe's decision to leave the post was announced at Leicestershire Police headquarters in Enderby last Thursday at a meeting of the ethics, integrity and complaints committee – a group of independent members of the public.

The body was created by police and crime commissioner Sir Clive Loader to scrutinise aspects of policing in the city and county.

The jury in the trial of a woman, accused of causing the deaths of her daughter and another girl in a motorway crash, has retired to consider the verdicts.

Anastasia James (37), a private investigator, of Thornton Close, Braunstone, Leicester, denies causing the deaths of two passengers, her 14-year-old daughter, Destiny James-Keeling, and her son's 18-year-old girlfriend, Megan Marchant, by driving her convertible Vauxhall Astra without due care and attention, while unfit through drugs (cannabis).

The jury of six men and six women began their deliberations this morning after Recorder Paul Mann QC finished summing up the evidence in the trial.

The prosecution allege James smoked the class B drug within two hours of the tragedy which happened at just after 7pm, on the northbound carriageway of the M1, near junction 19, on Saturday January 4, 2014.

Traces of the drug were found in a blood sample taken after her car spun off the motorway at 70mph and hit a tree.

James told the jury she did not knowingly taking cannabis, claiming she had smoked what she thought was a legal high called Mamba the night before.

James, a graduate and former good-parenting co-ordinator, told the court: "I'm really shocked by these (toxicology) results.

"I didn't smoke earlier that day or in the car.

"I wasn't aware I had cannabis in my system."

She said she was unaware her son, Wade James-Keeling, then 17, who survived the crash, was found to have a 1.5 gram bag of cannabis on him.

A man is being treated in hospital after he was stabbed in the back in Loughborough.

The 34-year-old was injured in Oxford Street, near the town centre at 3.30pm on Friday.

A 23-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the attack.

The injured man was taken to the Leicester Royal Infirmary but later transferred to the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham, where he remains in a stable condition.

In a statement, Leicestershire Police said: "The man was arrested on Sunday on suspicion of grievous bodily harm with intent and released on police bail pending further inquiries.

"Inquiries are ongoing into the assault and we'd like to speak to anyone who may have witnessed the incident or knows anything about the circumstances leading up to it."

Contact Detective Constable Claire Reid on 101, quoting crime number 58033.

Cases heard before Leicester Magistrates' Court include:

Regis Shambare (21), of Linney Road, Beaumont Leys, Leicester, pleaded guilty to using a vehicle without third-party insurance in Tilling Road on July 25.

He was fined £125, with a £20 victim surcharge and £85 costs and given eight penalty points on his licence.

Mary Ann Rooney (24), of Leicester Road, Market Harborough, was found guilty in absence of driving without third-party insurance on the A6 on May 3.

She was fined £660, with a £66 victim surcharge and £85 costs, and disqualified from driving for three months.

Rooney was also found guilty in absence of using a vehicle at the same time and place carrying four children aged between three and five who were seen standing between the two front seats without appropriate seats, seatbelts or restraints.

For this offence she was fined £440.

Anthony Ian Gordon (57), of Island Place Nursing Home, Gooding Avenue, Braunstone Park, Leicester, pleaded guilty to stealing an iPhone 6, value unknown, from Duns Lane, Leicester, on August 27.

He was fined £250, with a £25 victim surcharge.

Martin Adrian Bradley (37), of Crescent Road, Hugglescote, pleaded guilty to assault causing actual bodily harm on January 4 by stamping with a shod foot on the person's face in the presence of children.

He was jailed for 26 weeks, suspended for 24 months.

Bradley was ordered to take part in an accredited programme for 30 days and given a rehabilitation requirement to attend appointments or activities for up to 10 days.

Stephen Brian Edwards (51), of Rugby Road, Hinckley, pleaded guilty to producing a quantity of cannabis in Hinckley on July 27. He was given a community order including 100 hours of unpaid work.

Nigel James Smith (52) of Southfields Drive, Saffron Lane, Leicester, pleaded guilty to speeding in London Road, Leicester, on July 19. He was fined £50 with three points on his licence.

A man was attacked in the street when he objected to wolf whistles directed at his girlfriend.

At Leicester Crown Court, Christopher Cunningham-Pithouse, 21, admitted causing actual bodily harm to the man, as he and a second male set upon him in Leicester Road, Loughborough.

The man suffered a stab injury in his chest, near his heart, but Cunningham-Pithouse, denied wounding and pleaded guilty to a lesser alternative offence, on the basis he was not carrying a knife and was not responsible for the stabbing.

Cunningham-Pithouse, of Gardner Close, Loughborough, claimed not to have started the fight and was unaware the other, unidentified, assailant had a knife - but accepted throwing a punch.

He was jailed for 10 months.

Philip Gibbs, prosecuting, told Leicester Crown Court: "No eye witnesses saw a knife or could say who it was.

"It was a spontaneous eruption of violence on the evening of October 2, 2015.

"We can't prove joint enterprise."

The violence happened as the complainant and his girlfriend were walking home at 10.20pm after an evening out.

Wolf whistles were directed at the girlfriend and the complainant confronted the defendant and the second male saying "What are you looking at?"

Mr Gibbs said: "Both males engaged in fisticuffs, striking him causing some injury.

"The complainant went on to sustain serious injuries that are now not a part of this prosecution."

Sentencing, Judge Nicholas Dean QC said: "You're only 21 and have spent a good portion of the last few years in prison or detention and you're going back.

"I don't know what you think you're going to do with your life but if you carry on in this vein you will be spending the best years of your adult life in prison and neither you or your loved ones want that.

"Mr Neal suffered serious injuries; but you're not found to be responsible for those.

"It was unprovoked and unjustified violence."

The court heard the defendant has had his licence revoked, from an earlier sentence for burglary, and was recalled to prison.

His previous convictions include two attacks involving the use of a bottle.

Ben Isaacs, mitigating, said: "He may be encouraged to now take a long hard look at things."

Judge Dean said: "He's had plenty of opportunity to take a long hard look at his behaviour."

Mr Isaacs said: "The offence is aggravated by his previous record.

"His partner and mother are in court to support him."

Police have named two passengers who were killed when the car they were travelling in crashed while being followed by police.

David Paul Anger, 24, and 37-year-old Christopher Mark Needham, both of Leicester, died when the Peugeot 206 ploughed into a truck in Fosse Road South, Leicester earlier this month.

The Peugeot, which was being followed by an unmarked police car, crashed into truck, pushing it into the front of a newsagents.

They were pronounced dead at the scene, while the driver was taken to hospital with serious injuries. He has since been released.

The occupants of the Ford truck suffered minor injuries in the collision, which happened shortly before midnight on Wednesday, March 9.

A 35-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.

He has since been released on police bail while detectives continue their inquiries.

He has been interviewed by detectives about his driving prior to the collision at the junction of Fosse Road South and Upperton Road.

Leicestershire Police has referred the incident to the Independent Police Complaints Commission because its officers were present at the time of the collision.

Neither police or the IPCC have said why officers were following the Peugeot.

Anyone who witnessed the collision or the events leading up to it is asked to contact the police on 101, quoting incident 782 of March 9

A crooked solicitor who was convicted of running a complex property fraud has been ordered to cough up £1.2 million.

Shameer Farouk Sacranie, who fled overseas before his original trial 18 months ago and is still at large, has to pay back the proceeds of his crime or have eight years added to his sentence of 10 years.

The order was made by a judge at Nottingham Crown Court on Friday.

The 42-year-old, of Naseby Road, Leicester was convicted in his absence in September 2014 of perpetrating the huge scam.

The trial, also at Nottingham Crown Court, heard Sacranie, a conveyancer, had taken money from house-buyers to pay their stamp duty, but kept the cash for himself.

In total, he conned the public purse out of over £1 million, which he used to fund his business.

He fled the UK while he was under investigation by HM Revenue and Customs, (HMRC), even though his passport had been confiscated.

However, he is instructing lawyers in the UK to represent him.

He is thought to be living in Dubai and aware of Friday's confiscation order, which was made under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

The original trial heard he made false stamp duty and land tax claims while working as a director for SFS Legal solicitors, in Barkby Road, Leicester, between June 27, 2006, and December 7, 2011.

Under UK law, home buyers are required to pay stamp duty and land tax on properties over a certain value.

He worked the scam by lying about the sale prices of the houses to take them below the threshold where stamp duty was payable.

The scam involved 139 property deals.

Sacranie came to the attention of HMRC investigators looking into tax avoidance schemes across the country.

He was arrested on December 7, 2011. In interview, he told investigators the scheme only took advantage of a loophole in the law.

Police have arrested 10 people in a series of drugs raids across Leicester and the wider Midlands this morning.

Nine men and a woman were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to supply class A drugs and money laundering.

The warrants, which were executed under the Misuse of Drugs Act, were carried out by officers from Leicestershire Police, the East Midlands Special Operations Unit, (Emsou) as well as officers from the West Midlands and Cambridgeshire forces.

In a statement, police said: "Searches are ongoing at the addresses and we'd like to thank local people for their co-operation and patience whilst those inquiries are being carried out."

Police said the arrested men – aged 24, 29, 29, 34, 35, 39, 42, 42 and 44 – were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and money laundering.

The woman, aged 29, was taken into custody on been arrested on suspicion of money laundering.

The suspects were taken into police custody for questioning.

Police found two handguns and a sawn-off shotgun, with ammunition, hidden in the back garden of a teenager's home, a court heard.

Jordan Ashley Harris (18), who was sentenced to three years detention, claimed he was looking after the illegal weapons for someone he was too scared to name.

The guns and ammunition were found wrapped in plastic bags inside canvas bags, concealed in a gap between two garden fences, in Billington Close, off Halifax Drive, Leicester, on May 9 last year.

Harris admitted three counts of possessing prohibited weapons; a sawn-off Hatsan self-loading shotgun, an Enfield revolver and a Colt pistol.

Harris pleaded guilty to three counts of possessing ammunition, without a firearms certificate, in relation to three 12-bore shotgun cartridges and 20 assorted bullets including eight rounds of 9mm centre fire ammunition.

Esther Harrison, prosecuting, said: ""The weapons are capable of being discharged."

The court heard that Harris has a previous conviction for possessing a Taser in February last year and was currently serving a sentence for drugs offences.

At Leicester Crown Court, Judge Ebrahim Mooncey said: "You were arrested by the police and subsequently sentenced for drugs matters.

"The police conducted another and these items were found.

"Your case, the prosecution accept, is you were looking after them for someone you can't name as you're scared of them.

"These items haven't actually been used as a weapon of offence in any event.

"In the wrong hands they would be a great danger to people.

"In the time you're in custody you can have time to reflect about the kind of people you mix with.

"If you find yourself in this position, where you're looking after items you shouldn't be, it's going to land you in a lot of difficulty.

"Because of your age the minimum term is three years."

Miss Harrison said that Harris's fingerprints were found on the plastic wrappings inside both canvass bags.

She said: "No weapons are known to have been used in crime and the only history is that the shotgun was stolen (by persons unknown) from a burglary in Surrey in 2012."

Nathan Palmer, mitigating, said the defendant was 17 at the time.He said: "He's remorseful.

"He also feels bad about letting down his mother and sister who have been a great support to him throughout.

Afterwards, investigator Emily Sharpe, of Leicestershire Police, said: "We're pleased these potentially lethal weapons are off the streets of Leicester and they can now be destroyed.

"We are continuing to stamp down on gun crime."

Cases heard before Leicester Magistrates' Court include:

Karen Elizabeth Bloxham (36), of Barnsdale Road, Anstey Heights, pleaded guilty to stealing a wallet, value unknown, on February 3 in Raymond Road, Leicester. She was jailed for eight weeks and ordered to pay an £80 victim surcharge.

The sentence also covered an offence of fraud on the same date in which she used a stolen bank card in Hinckley Road, Leicester, intending to obtain tobacco and cigarettes for herself.

Bloxham was also disqualified from holding or obtaining a driving licence for 12 months.

Lucy Diane Marlow (37), of South View, Burrough on the Hill, pleaded guilty to driving without third-party insurance on August 18, 2015.

She was fined £380 with a £38 victim surcharge, £85 costs and six penalty points on her driving licence. Marlow also pleaded guilty to driving on the same date and place other than in accordance with a provisional driving licence – not displaying L-plates.

Shane Wade Astill (29), of Linney Road, Leicester, pleaded guilty to intentionally destroying a window worth £250 on August 2015 at The Meadows pub in Leicester.

He was jailed for two weeks.

He was sentenced to 12 weeks, to run consecutively, after admitting making comments to a third party between September 14 and 17 which intentionally intimated a witness to the criminal damage at his place of work and which were intended to interfere with or pervert the course of justice.

Astill further pleaded guilty to stealing a bottle of Jack Daniels and five Golden Virginia tobacco pouches, worth £70, from Raja Stores, Leicester, on November 21, and two Amber Leaf tobacco pouches worth £34.60 from Cross Hedge Off Licence on November 24.

For each offence he was jailed for a week, to run concurrently.

Harriet Stephen (23), of Maplewell Road, Woodhouse Eaves, pleaded guilty to assaulting a police officer in the execution of her duty in Abbey Street, Leicester, on November 22. She was fined £370 with £125 costs. No separate penalty was given for an offence for resisting a police officer at the same place and time.

Jabir Namaji (42), of Benjamin Court, Leicester, pleaded guilty to assault by beating on January 28. He was given a community order, including a rehabilitation activity requirement, and ordered to carry out 40 hours of unpaid work.

A restraining order was made preventing him from contacting a named person except through specified people or solicitors and from going to a named address.

Stephen Paul Smith (41), of Somerville Road, Leicester, pleaded guilty to a course of conduct between November 27 and December 28 knowing it amounted to harassment.

This included visiting the person's home uninvited, waiting for them at their workplace and sending unwanted texts.

A community order was made including participating in an accredited programme for 35 days and a rehabilitation activity requirement.

A restraining order was made preventing Smith from contacting a named person directly or indirectly and ordering him not to go to a specified place and not to go to a named hospital except for urgent personal medical treatment.

Pele Williams (25), of Elston Fields, Leicester, pleaded guilty to assault by beating on April 1, in Leicester.

He was given a community order including a rehabilitation activity requirement and ordered to pay £250 costs.

Williams was fined £80 after pleading guilty to sending a grossly offensive, indecent, obscene or menacing message on October 13, 2014.

He also admitted using threatening, abusive or insulting words or disorderly behaviour with intent to cause harassment, alarm or distress on March 14, 2015.

He was given a community order including a rehabilitation activity requirement to attend appointments or take part in activities when required for up to 12 days.

The jury in the trial of four men accused of beating to death a father-of-five outside a Leicester pub is due to retire today to consider its verdict after hearing four weeks' of evidence.

Steve McKinnon, of Uppingham Road, Leicester, suffered severe head injuries in the attack, outside the Durham Ox pub, in Belgrave, in the early hours of June 6 last year.

The 44-year-old died two days later, having failed to regain consciousness.

Four men accused of Mr McKinnon's murder are on trial at Nottingham Crown Court.

Eugene Bell (29), of Helmsley Road, Leicester; Ross Lowndes (27), of Windley Road, Leicester; Gurdev Sangha (24), of Overdale Avenue, Glenfield; and Phillip Merry (28), of Pinewood Avenue, Thurmaston, all deny the charge.

READ:Defendant claims he threw punch to prevent a fight

Three of the defendants also deny assault occasioning actual bodily harm against Cortney Hughes-Smith, Mr McKinnon's teenage stepson, in the same incident. Lowndes was found not guilty of the charge against Mr Hughes-Smith earlier this month.

The Honourable Mr Justice Ian Dove, the judge presiding over the case, is expected to conclude his summing up of the evidence this morning, before the jury retires to begin its deliberations.

Two drug dealing brothers were caught with a haul worth more than £74,000 when the police searched their home.

Officers seized two kilos of MCat, with a street value of £50,000, and two kilos of cannabis, which could have fetched just under £25,000 on the streets.

Gurdeep Ghuman (38) and Sarbjit Ghuman (35), both of , were told to expect jail when they next appear at Leicester Crown Court.

The brothers both pleaded guilty to possessing the class B drugs with intent to supply them, on February 18.

Gurdeep also pleaded guilty to simple possession of nine grams of cocaine, a class A drug, on the same date.

Recorder William Edis QC adjourned the case until May for the preparation of pre-sentence reports.

He said he was granting bail to the defendants, both described as "family men", as an act of compassion so they could put their affairs in order before their "inevitable" jail terms.

Recorder Edis said: "You've admitted serious offences of drug dealing.

"It's inevitable you're both going to go to prison.

"Nothing I say, in allowing bail, should indicate otherwise.

"You're not to have false hope in my asking for pre-sentence reports."

The recorder granted them bail with conditions, including that they both live at their present address.

They were told they must also surrender their passports to Beaumont Leys Police Station within 24 hours.

Prosecutor Adrian Harris said: "Two kilos of both types of class B drugs are involved and the defendants accept they're street dealers.

"They were both dealing in both drugs and don't dispute that.

"The class B drugs were being held for the purpose of supply and they were going to deal in them.

"They are where they are on the supply chain.

"Gurdeep (who has previously been prosecuted in relation to drugs) had a leading role and his brother was in a significant role."

Recorder Edis told defence counsel: "As both are family men they can have bail before they go to prison, and it's not to give them any hope about the sentence."

A dispute between two traveller families led to violence erupting on a petrol station forecourt.

John Goodwin (40) and his son John Varey (18) armed themselves with baseball bats and attacked Danny Brewer in front of his 13-year-old son.

They then smashed up the car in which Mr Brewer had arrived, causing £1,160 damage.

The victim, from the Market Harborough area, suffered a three-inch cut to his head which needed stitches, as well as bruising to his abdomen and thigh.

The attack took place on the afternoon of July 7, at a petrol station in Market Harborough.

Leicester Crown Court was told the distressing incident had caused Mr Brewer's 13-year-old son to suffer sleepless nights.

Recorder Paul Mann QC said: "This was an appalling piece of disorder in public with the use of weapons, and the travelling community has to know if they choose to take the law into their own hands then they must expect a prison sentence."

Goodwin and Varey, both of Chase Terrace, Burntwood, Staffordshire, admitted unlawful wounding, possessing offensive weapons, namely baseball bats, and causing damage.

Goodwin was jailed for eight months.

Varey, who was 17 at the time, was given a 15 month community order and will have to do 150 hours of unpaid work.

The court heard that Goodwin had already paid more than £1,160 to cover the cost of repairing the damaged car, which belonged to Mr Brewer's daughter.

Outlining the incident, Recorder Mann told the defendants: "It all stems from a dispute between your family and the complainant's family which had clearly been going on for some time and got out of hand.

"Neither side comes out of this with any glory.

"The Crown accept it got to the stage where you, Mr Goodwin, were receiving threatening texts and on social media, including threats to burn your own daughter's face with acid.

"It's a great shame that within the travelling community there's such reluctance to involve the civilian police because, if you had, those complaints and threats could have been dealt with, and it may be it wouldn't have been you two in the dock, but others – because those threats would have been taken seriously by the court.

"Sadly, Mr Goodwin took up the complainant's invitation to sort it between yourselves; it was tacitly agreed there would be a meeting at some point where you'd clash and there would be violence.

"I'm satisfied you are both full of remorse for what you've done, and if you could have your time again you would have treated it differently."

Recorder Mann added: "To some extent I think each side wound up the other.

"I'm prepared to accept there was a great deal of provocation and you (Goodwin) were at your wits' end before you decided to do what you did."

Karen Davenport-Coles, prosecuting, said the victim and his son were putting petrol into a can at Protheroes garage in Northampton Road at 1.45pm when the defendants, armed with baseball bats, unexpectedly arrived in a vehicle, and carried out the attack.

She said the victim had said he did not want any further difficulty, and there had been no more incidents to date.

Barry White, mitigating, said the complainant's daughter had initially made extremely disparaging remarks against Goodwin "which started it all off".

He said: "The complainant was looking for a fight and it was dealt with in completely the wrong way.

"In the travelling community there appears to be a different way of dealing with things."

A 70-year-old man has been jailed for four years after he was caught growing cannabis plants.

Frank Haines, of Melton, was arrested in November last year when police discovered the 70 plants in a property he was linked to in Kent.

Officers were called to the house, in Broadstairs, after neighbours complained of suspicious comings and goings at the house.

They raided it and discovered 70 cannabis plants, as well as cultivation, lighting and ventilation equipment.

Also, the mains electricity had been tampered with to power the cultivation operation. The electricity was bypassed to an estimated cost of approximately £9,000.

Haines, of Leicester Street, appeared at Canterbury Crown Court last Thursday and pleaded guilty to cannabis cultivation and 'abstracting' electricity.

Kent Police released details of the case and a photograph of Haines yesterday.

Officers said they found two rooms, one set up with power and water supplies and the other containing a total of 70 cannabis plants being grown under lighting and fans.

Investigating officer Pc Richard Guarnieri, of Kent Police, said: "When officers attended the address the smell of cannabis was unmistakable.

"Cannabis is an illegal substance and its growth and supply contributes directly to a network of drug use that fuels crime.

"Haines may have been disappointed that we discovered his secret but I trust this sentence will give him opportunity to think about the serious consequences to his behaviour.

"It should send a message out to anybody who believes they can get away with being involved in the production of drugs."

Leicestershire Police has previously urged people to report signs of cannabis cultivation in homes or factories.

Signs of cannabis cultivation include excessive fortification, silver duct tape hanging out of windows, blacked out windows, condensation on windows, peeling wallpaper or mildewed walls, a pungent smell, sudden fluctuations in electricity bills and electrical wiring having been tampered with.

This is the moment a driver decided waiting in a short line of traffic was not for them – and drove along the pavement instead.

Footage of the incident, captured on cameras in another car, shows the light blue vehicle swerving out from a line of traffic and driving along a 100 metre stretch of footpath, bypassing at least half a dozen stationery vehicles.

The 30-second film, taken near Hinckley's Dodwells industrial estate, has been shared widely on social media, sparking a police investigation to identify the driver. The driving has been slammed by road safety groups.

@SouthTRPT@PoliceHinckley@Real_ShiftZZ@clive_loader this is what we're up against pic.twitter.com/h8YhZ3l3Zb
— Biker Les (@BikerLes) March 21, 2016

Keep an eye out for the light blue car to the right. This ha...Keep an eye out for the light blue car to the right. This happened this morning at Dodwells Roundabout.
Posted by Spotted Hinckley on Monday, 21 March 2016

Alice Bailey, campaigns adviser for the charity Brake, said: "This looks like a clear example of selfish and dangerous driving.

"Bar a life or death situation, it is hard to imagine why anyone would take this kind of risk and show no consideration for other road users.

"We see the devastating consequences of dangerous driving every day from our work with bereaved relatives.

"Avoiding waiting in a queue for just a few extra minutes is never worth risking your own or anyone else's life for."

Ms Bailey said drivers who flouted the rules "must be caught and punished".

A spokesman for the AA said the law allowed driving on the pavement in only a very narrow range of emergencies.

The spokesman said: "It is difficult to imagine any excuse for this.

"If the police get hold of this driver they should throw the book at them – and that would be fully deserved."

A number of people posted their thoughts on the Spotted Hinckley site.

While a small number questioned whether the driver would be able to justify their actions, most posters were appalled by the manoeuvre.

Cheryl Newton-Clarke wrote: "Surely dangerous driving. God forbid had someone been on pavement."

Dawn Rushall posted: "That was shocking – imagine if someone was on the pavement."

Nicola Bate added: "Disgusting. Needs banning for life and putting away. Endangering lots of people by idiotic driving."

In a statement, police in Hinckley said: "We have been made aware of a video on Spotted Hinckley which shows a vehicle overtaking stationary traffic near Dodwells industrial estate, Hinckley.

"Local beat officer Pcso Adam Cartwright has investigated the offence and we are looking to prosecute the driver for road traffic offences.

"If you are witness to an incident such as this please always contact Leicestershire Police on 101 for non emergency incidents, as we can then investigate them accordingly."

Contact Pcso Cartwright on 101 or Crimestoppers, which is anonymous, on 0800 555 111.

Police have issued a photograph of a man who went missing from his home in Leicester more than a week ago.

Rodney Greenhill, 53, has not been seen since 1pm on Wednesday, March 16, when he left his home in his blue Vauxhall Vectra.

In a statement, Leicestershire Police said: "The car has since been sighted in the West Midlands, Yorkshire and Staffordshire areas, but Rodney has not been in contact with anyone.

"It is out of character for him to go missing for long periods of time and his family and officers want to know he is safe and well.

"Have you seen him? Have you seen a blue Vectra with a registration number starting with KH53?"

Mr Greenhill is white, approximately 5ft 9ins, slim build, has shaven grey hair and wears glasses. He also has extensive tattoos on his left and right arms.

He was last seen wearing black trousers, a cream coloured fleece top and black work boots.

Contact police on 101.

Saturday night is definitely not alright for fighting according to people objecting to Sir Elton John's upcoming concert in Leicester.

The pop legend is set to perform at Leicestershire County Cricket Club on Saturday June 11 as part of a nationwide tour when some 17,500 fans are expected to fill the Aylestone venue.

However some residents are worried about the impact of drawing in large numbers of potentially rowdy fans for the night and are opposing the cricket club's application for a licence.

The club needs Leicester City Council's permission to stage live music and sell alcohol to Sir Elton's fans between 4.30pm and 11.30pm on the day.

A handful of residents have written to council licensing officer opposing the club's application on the grounds it will lead to crime and disorder.

One objector said: "Having this number of visitors in such a small area will place residents' personal safety and property security at risk.

"Some residents feel they have no choice but to move out during the disruption leaving their premises liable to break-in or vandalism."

Another warned Sir Elton's arrival could lead to aggravated burglaries.

Other concerns have been expressed about the event such as the fear that gardens near the venue will be used as toilets and that children will lose sleep because of the noise of the crowd and Elton's tunes affecting their school performance in the weeks that follow.

Other concerns are that the club - which is more used to hosting 3,500 cricket fans - has no experience of running an event of this kind.

The cricket club has written to council licensing officers to assure them it has a tailored management plan for the gig and that noise disturbance will be kept "within agreed guidelines".

The club says it will work with residents to mitigate the impact of the event in terms of nuisance, noise and traffic congestion.

It will hold a residents meeting on Tuesday April 19 at 7pm in the Charles Palmer Suite at the ground.

Councillors will discuss the club's application on April 1.

Police have made a new video appeal for help finding a man who went missing two weeks ago today.

Josh Cotton, 22, was last seen on Friday, March 11 near to his narrowboat at Sawley Marina, near Castle Donington.

Leicestershire Police has searched the surrounding area, including local waterways.

In a statement today, the force said: "It is now two weeks since Josh Cotton was reported missing and concerns for his welfare continue to grow.

Our officers have been speaking to residents around the marina about Josh, but also urge boat owners who do not live at the marina to get in touch with any information they have."

Josh is 5ft 4ins and of skinny build. He was last seen wearing black jogging bottoms, dark grey high-top trainers and a short brown hooded coat with fur along all of the external seams and above the pockets.

Contact police on 101.