“A force of nature and the epitome of love and strength” The family of a woman killed in a collision while travelling home in a taxi have spoken of the enormous void her death has left in their lives and described her as a “force of nature” who “knew how to do life well”. On Saturday 16 September 2023, Donna Brighton had spent the day celebrating her 60th birthday with friends in Birmingham. She was making her way home from the train station when the taxi she was travelling i

“I haven’t really slept since the incident happened. I constantly wake up during the night because I am always thinking about what has happened to me. I am anxious and I haven’t processed what’s happened.” These are the words of a victim whose face was left disfigured after he was attacked with a power tool. In March this year the victim was attending an event in Runcorn Road in Leicester when he was involved in an argument with 26-year-old Deen Garratt. Garratt threatened th

The family of a man who suffered a life-changing brain injury after an unprovoked attack on a night out in Coalville have spoken of the moment their “lives changed forever”. Alistair Roome, 47, was enjoying a night out with friends on Saturday 25 April this year when he was headbutted by 35-year-old Kyle Morrisey. On Friday (18 September), as Morrisey was sentenced to two years in prison at Leicester Crown Court, Alistair’s family have described the devastating and lasting im

A speeding driver has been jailed for causing the death of a taxi passenger celebrating her 60th birthday. On the evening of September 16, 2023, in Glenfield Road, Leicester, Grandmother Donna Brighton was tragically thrown from a taxi through an open window and sadly died at the scene. Leicester Crown Court heard that Steve and Andrea Sidsaff, passengers in the back of the vehicle, were also seriously injured in the collision. Thomas Goulty, 36, consumed two lagers before dr

A motorist who caused a fatal collision by driving more than 20mph over the limit in Leicester has been jailed. Aaron Singh-Dhillon was travelling at more than 60mph along the A47 Hinckley Road – which has a limit of 40mph – when he was involved in a collision that killed David Hold in September 2023. Mr Hold, 74, was in his Suzuki Alto at the junction with Avery Hill and saw an opportunity to safely pull out onto Hinckley Road. However, due to the speed Singh-Dhillon was dri

A child sex offender has been jailed more than 20 years after carrying out his abuse. Terrance Taylor was sentenced to a total of six years’ imprisonment when he appeared at Leicester Crown Court today (Thursday 17 September). Seventy-four-year-old Taylor abused his young victim in the mid-2000s, touching her in an inappropriate manner. His crimes were brought to the attention of police in 2024 when the victim, who is now an adult, disclosed what had happened during her child

A man has been found guilty of killing a bus passenger during an incident at a stop in Wigston in October 2022. Darren Bakewell, 62, of Bentinghouse Gardens, Leicester, was today (Monday 14 September) found guilty of the manslaughter of Christopher Pearson, 78, following a trial at Leicester Crown Court. He has been released on bail and is due to appear for sentencing on 9 October. The incident happened just after 2pm on Saturday 15 October 2022 in Long Street, Wigston. Mr Pe

Two women who were sexually abused by a man when they were children have been praised after their evidence led to him being jailed today (Friday 11 September). Jordan Gray-Higgs committed his crimes in Leicestershire between 2012 and 2014. His offending was brought to the attention of police in 2022, when the victims told officers what had happened. They described how Gray-Higgs had incited them to engage in sexual activity and abused them. Jordan Gray-Higgs In interview Gray

An investigation by specialists working in the police’s prison intelligence unit has led to a prison officer being jailed for six years. James Speirs had been smuggling phones and drugs to inmates while working at HMP Gartree in Leicestershire. James Speirs The 30-year-old of Stowe Drive, Rugby, was sentenced at Leicester Crown Court on Friday (4 September) after pleading guilty to five offences. For more than four years, detectives working in the East Midlands Special Operat