Leicester City's Danny Simpson to serve curfew for assault

Danny Simpson will miss part of Leicester's historic title-winning celebrations after a judge ordered he must serve a curfew immediately for assaulting his ex-girlfriend.

Simpson, 29, had only done half of the 300 hours he was sentenced to last June for assaulting Stephanie Ward, the mother of his child, in a row at their house in Worsley, Greater Manchester, in December 2014.

His lawyer Gary Ryan came to Manchester Magistrates' Court to ask for the rest of his sentence to be revoked and instead be able to pay a fine.

Mr Ryan said the press had twice discovered where Simpson had been doing his unpaid work in the community and this "intrusion" had made it impossible for him to complete the work.

Simpson shook his head in the dock as District Judge Alexandra Simmonds accepted the reasons for him not completing the unpaid work were not his fault, but suggested a 21-day, 10pm to 6am curfew be put in place instead as the defendant had so much money a fine would be "no punishment".

The player's lawyer then argued a curfew would be especially "onerous" as his team still had one game to play, against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, followed that night by a function at a London hotel, then an open-top bus tour of Leicester on Monday and a trip to Thailand starting on Tuesday.

Judge Simmonds though was unmoved - and told Simpson he must start his curfew immediately.

She told the defendant: "I'm not satisfied a curfew would be unworkable despite the fact that the defendant will obviously be inconvenienced.

"The purpose of the order is to restrict the liberty of Mr Simpson as punishment for the offence for which he was convicted.

"This was an offence of domestic violence and the courts take domestic violence very seriously. You will have to serve your sentence. You will need to be in tonight at 10pm."