Jacob Jarvis

The story

A veteran who stopped to give a homeless person warm clothes on Christmas Day has been fined for parking in a bus lane.

Lee Williamson who works with a registered charity to help rough sleepers, explained the situation to Leicester City Council, but it has refused to rescind the £70 penalty.

The Evington-based carpenter, who served as a private soldier for five years, spotted the homeless man outside Leicester railway station on Christmas morning.

Mr Williamson, aged 43, decided to stop and give him a hat, scarf, gloves, a blanket and a bag containing some festive treats.

“I was dropping off my daughter at work just before 10am,” he said.

“I saw the homeless guy outside the station.

“There was literally no traffic at all and there were no buses on Christmas Day.”

Click here to read the full story online. 

How I got the story

This story came from a tip-off from a colleague’s friend. He explained the basics of what had happened to Lee Williamson and passed on a number for him.

I gave Mr Williamson a call, got him to send across the documentation he had received from the council and pieced it all together.

The council originally declined to give a comment, stating that it stood by what was in the letter sent dismissing Mr Williamson’s appeal. The day after it was used on our front page, city mayor Sir Peter Soulsby released a statement to confirm it would stand. The day after that, he promised to ensure it would be cancelled.

By this point the story had been used online by the majority of national news sites, the BBC and it was even discussed on Loose Women.

I also kept an eye on other follow up stories, including a man who lives in France who contacted Lee after reading his story online and offered to pay the fine. 

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