A disabled man in a wheelchair was mocked and then robbed by two men brandishing a knife.

The armed robbery happened in an underpass at Northampton bus station, between 7.20pm and 7.40pm on Tuesday, November 12.

Northamptonshire Police have only released details of the incident today.

Officers say the victim, who was a man in his 20s, was travelling through the underpass in his wheelchair away from the bus station, when he heard two boys mocking his disability.

One of them then pulled out a knife from his waistband, while the other boy stole the victim’s mobile phone.

Both boys are described as white, aged between 14 to 16, and were wearing hoodies. One was pushing a bicycle.

Seven burglars smashed a window at the back of a house in Northampton but ran off after they were disturbed inside.

The gang broke into a home in Briton Road, Abington, between 5.45pm and 6pm on Friday.

The men forced entry to the house by smashing glass at the back of the property.

Once inside, two of them went up the stairs where they were confronted by the victim. All seven men then fled the scene.

One is described as a white man in his early 50s, with a “big belly”. He was wearing a white baseball cap and a green jumper.

Another offender is described as a white man in his early 20s, of skinny build. He was wearing tracksuit bottoms and a white striped hooded top.

No description is available for the other five men.

A gambler who won a “substantial” amount of cash after an evening at a Northampton Casino was later targeted in a knife-point robbery.

The man was robbed of his winnings shortly after he left Aspers Casino, in the town centre, early on Sunday morning.

Northamptonshire Police say the robbery happened some time between 6am and 6.15am, when the gambler left the casino with “a substantial amount of money”, which he had won gambling.

He walked to Bridge Street when he was approached by three men close to the Professional Music Technology Shop.

One of the men was holding a black-handled kitchen knife and demanded the man’s money.

The victim handed over his wallet, containing the cash, as well as bank cards and an iPhone 5.

The first robber was described as black, 6ft, aged between 20 and 25, of slight build. He was wearing a grey hooded top and blue jeans and was carrying the knife.

The second was described as mixed race, 5ft 8ins, of average build and was wearing a dark-coloured knitted top and blue jeans.

The third man was also mixed race, 5ft 8ins to 6ft and of average build.

Northamptonshire captain Stephen Peters has put pen to paper on a new two-year contract that chief executive David Smith says is a “fitting reward” for his work last season.

The 34-year-old opening batsman was on a deal that ran to the end of the 2014 campaign but that has been superseded by fresh terms that tie him to the club until the conclusion of the 2015 season.

Peters’ debut year as captain of the County Championship side ended with promotion to the top tier being secured and Smith said that this development is well deserved.

He said: “This is a reflection of the season we’ve just had.

“Stephen is an integral part of our top order batting - he was the only one to score consistently last season - and he did a very good job as captain.

“He’s well respected by everyone, he’s enjoying his cricket here and we’re all delighted that he will be staying for at least another two years.

“This contract is a fitting reward for him.”

Come next summer there will be a different landscape to the goings-on at the County Ground with Division One four-day cricket and the change back to the 50-over one-day game, and while Smith knows that these will present hurdles to overcome, he thinks that Peters is in a good position to handle whatever is thrown up.

He added: “There will be different challenges and we all know that.

“There will be the chance for Stephen to push a claim in the longer form of the limited overs game and the first division will obviously provide us with different challenges.

“But Stephen is grounded, he knows all of this and he will be prepared for it.”

A woman in her 90s who died following a four-car crash between two Northamptonshire villages has been named as Pauline Hart.

Mrs Hart, aged 92, died following the road traffic collision on the A5199 between Spratton and Creaton on Thursday.

A Northamptonshire Police spokesman said: “She has been formally identified as Pauline Hart, aged 92, of Well Lane, Guilsborough.”

Mrs Hart was a passenger in a grey Volkswagen Polo that collided with three vehicles.

She was taken to University Hospital Coventry where she died at 3am on Saturday.

The crash happened at 12.20pm when the Volkswagen Polo, which was driven by a 91-year-old man from Guilsborough, was travelling towards Creaton when. For reasons as yet unknown, the vehicle veered onto the opposite side of the road and collided with three vehicles.

The Polo struck the side of a Scania lorry, then a black Hyundai Getz, before colliding with a BMW X3.

The 91-year-old was taken to hospital in a critical condition.

A spokesman for the Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance said: “The woman was a front seat passenger in a car which had a significant impact with another vehicle.

“On the arrival of the crew, it was obvious that the patient required immediate medical attention. She was rapidly extricated from the vehicle by the fire and rescue service and was given medication to help with blood-clotting.

“She was then anaesthetised by the air ambulance doctor before being quickly flown to University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire for further care.”

The Hyundai driver, a 26-year-old woman from Kingsthorpe, was treated at hospital for minor injuries.

The BMW driver, a 51-year-old man from Leicester, and the lorry driver, a 65-year-old man from Kettering, were uninjured.

A ground-breaking ceremony has been held to mark the start of work on the University of Northampton’s new £8.5 million innovation centre, known as the ‘innovation cube’.

The centre will house up to 55 small businesses, each with access to support from the university in “developing their business in a socially responsible manner.”

It is one of three major university projects within the town’s enterprise zone, alongside the proposed £330 million campus, and the halls of residence at St John’s.

Terry Neville, chief operating officer at the university, said: “The centre will be a flagship for the social enterprise sector and will specialise in business support, which is rapidly expanding across the UK and globally.

“Encouraging enterprise and entrepreneurship is crucial to the university and significantly enhances the experience and employability prospects we offer to our students.”

University of Northampton vice-chancellor Nick Petford added: “This will be the second university building in the enterprise zone, joining the halls of residence, which open early next year.

“We see ourselves as a catalyst for development in Northampton and beyond.

“This building will act as a social enterprise hub, alongside the new railway station, which will be an iconic gateway to Northampton town centre.”

The university is delivering the project along with the West Northamptonshire Development Corporation, with Northamptonshire-based Kier Construction appointed as the main contractor.

Graham Howe, managing director of Kier, said: “There is a huge amount of investment going into Northampton and we are very pleased to be associated with it.

“We have nearly completed the new bus terminus and are well on the way towards completing the new student accommodation at St John’s.

“This is quite a challenging site, but nothing which will be too difficult for us.”

The centre is expected to open in early 2015.

Former Grimsby left-back Joe Widdowson will brief his Cobblers team-mates on exactly what to expect of Blundell Park when the teams meet there in FA Cup second-round action on Saturday.

Town head to Cleethorpes after disposing of Bishop’s Stortford in the competition’s first round, a win that saw them pocket £18,000 in prize money plus a substantial broadcast fee from ITV.

The winners of Saturday’s tie will receive a further £27,000 but the real incentive is a third-round game against a bigger club, with Premier League and Championship sides entering Sunday’s draw.

Widdowson will start the match at left-back and knows Blundell Park well, having played 58 times for the Mariners after leaving West Ham United in 2009.

They remain the only club he has scored a senior goal for and the 24-year-old said: “It will be a very tricky game and I know Blundell Park can be a very difficult place to play at but we’re going into it after a good little run.

“The Grimsby fans are quite passionate, it’s right by the sea and it can make it a bit blustery at times so we need to be aware of that.

“I think the lads will enjoy a proper Cup tie and I’m looking forward to going back there.”

Widdowson has returned to the side in good form after a spell on the sidelines and made a good contribution to the team’s back-to-back clean sheets in the past week.

The gritty left-back is now looking forward to helping the team progress to the next round of the FA Cup at the expense of a club that remains close to his heart.

“I really enjoyed it there,” he said. “It was my first taste of playing football every week and going from London to live in Grimsby was a bit of a culture shock.

“It was a bit different but I really liked it. I thought I did well for the club and I’m looking forward to playing there again, it’s the first time I’ve been back.”

Salesi Ma’afu says he has never been part of a more success-hungry culture than the one he is currently in at Saints.

The Australian prop, who has 14 Test caps to his name, arrived at Northampton from Western Force during the summer.

He took a little time to adjust to his new surroundings, but has been in good form in recent weeks as Saints have started to step on the accelerator.

Jim Mallinder’s men won their seventh successive game in all competitions last weekend, beating Worcester 33-10 at Sixways.

And when asked whether he had ever been part of such an impressive winning run, Ma’afu replied: “Not that I can remember. To be honest, I haven’t won this many games in such a short period of time in the past few years.

“It’s good. The guys have got a strong desire to train to win and to play to win, and we’re showing that each week.

“We’re put in different circumstances in games and we’re coming away with good results, which is good.

“We enjoy winning, we enjoy training and we’re going out and building a culture, a competitive culture.

“Everyone strives to be the best we can be.

“We just want good results and that’s what we’re aiming for.”

Saints’ winning streak will face a severe test this weekend, though, as Irish giants Leinster head to Franklin’s Gardens for a crunch Heineken Cup clash.

And 30-year-old tighthead Ma’afu is well aware of the threat Matt O’Connor’s men will pose.

“We’re on a good run at the moment and that’s been good for us, but these guys are no slouches,” he said.

“We know we’ve got our work cut out for us so it’s going to be a tough one.

“We’re going to prepare as best as we can for a very solid performance at home.”

A homeless man with a “chaotic” lifestyle has been jailed for stealing a pair of designer sunglasses from a Northampton shop.

Ahmed Said stole the £155 Hugo Boss glasses from Vision Express, in the Grosvenor Centre, on November 2.

It followed several previous visits to the centre where he attempted to steal sunglasses by trying, and failing, to remove the security tags.

On his most recent visit, Said dropped the glasses into a friend’s pocket, and denied the theft when challenged by a member of staff.

The incident was caught on CCTV and the glasses were recovered.

Northampton Magistrates Court heard Said had “numerous” convictions for theft and lived a “very chaotic lifestyle.”

The 42-year-old also has “deeply entrenched alcohol issues”, the court was told.

Said was jailed for four weeks.

A drug addict who admitted carrying out 12 thefts to feed his habit has been given a rehabilitation order and a curfew.

Anthony Freel admitted stealing alcohol worth £48 from Budgens in Kettering on October 15, and aftershave worth £97.50 from Boots, in Weston Favell, on October 21.

He asked for 10 further thefts to be taken into account when he appeared at Northampton Magistrates Court.

Jerena Tomaszweska, prosecuting, said: “It is clear that drugs are the issue here.”

Freel, aged 33, of Thorn Hill, Briar Hill, Northampton, was given a 12-month community order, with a six-month drug rehabilitation order, and a daily curfew from 10am–7pm.

He was also ordered to pay £97.50 compensation to Boots.

As the cheese lover of all cheese lovers, there has always been one, stinging disappointment for me on Northamptonshire’s fine food and drink landscape...

For many years, if ever (food historians are welcome to correct me on this, as I would like to know), there has not been a cheese widely manufactured within the county.

But husband and wife team, Gary and Rachael Bradshaw, have now corrected this culinary wrong by launching a company which makes cheeses right here in Northamptonshire.

Based at a unit in Kings Heath, Northampton, the recently established Hamm Tun Fine Foods is now manufacturing its own brand of a cheese which they compare in style to Wensleydale. And there are many more cheese varieties in the pipeline which look set to be launched as soon as the company’s name becomes more widely known in the county.

Gary explained that he used to work for a printers’ firm until he started making cheese. He said: “I started making it at home 18 months ago and it was quite nice. I took some to the St Giles Cheese Shop, in Northampton, and they wanted to know when they could buy it. I went on a cheese-making course and rented a unit. It is a bit different making it here than in my kitchen at home in one pot. I have always been into food and I did want to open a pizza shop originally. I have always wanted to work for myself, as you will never make money working for someone else.”

Manufacturing cheese on a larger scale than home production has been a learning curve for Gary.

He said: “It is the same recipe I used at home but not quite the same results. Here it is 12 degrees and at home in the fridge it is four or five, so it takes six weeks and not three months to mature.

“I knew there wasn’t a Northamptonshire cheese as I had tried to buy one myself. There aren’t many dairy farmers in Northamptonshire so it was a struggle to find milk, but now I use Newlands.

“The cheese we made is a Wensleydale style and has an open and crumbly texture.”

For anyone who has ever wondered how cheese is made, Gary explained the process. Roughly described, the milk is heated in a Bain Marie vat to 30 degrees. Then the ‘starter cultures’ are added, followed by the rennet, which helps to set the cheese.

Gary said: “It becomes a custard texture, then we wash it in the whey for three or four hours.

“Then we dry it off, mold it, press it for 36 hours and then we rub it with a muslin cloth and keep rubbing off the mould. The first couple of batches I had to write off, now it is going okay.”

He continued: “I love a good blue cheese, but people didn’t think there was enough of a market for it as it is an acquired taste. I wanted to start with something I knew would sell. Once we have got this cheese established, there will be others. We are working on an ale one and one with herbs.”

So, just in time for Christmas, some shops will this year be offering the rare sight of a Northampton cheese, courtesy of Hamm Tun Fine Foods.

The cheese is available to buy from Deli Barn at Heart Of The Shires, near Weedon; St Giles Cheese, in Northampton; and Emerson & Wests in Market Harborough. See www.hammtunfinefoods.co.uk

Motorists are being advised to avoid junction 15 of the M1 this morning, following a crash involving three lorries.

One lane of the southbound carriageway is closed after the junction.

The crash is causing severe congestion back to junction 17 and delays on surrounding roads leading to the motorway.

Primark and Next are set to open stores in the Grosvenor Centre in Northampton, with long-term tenant House of Fraser leaving the town.

Both plan to open within the next 18 months, and will both close their existing stores in Abington Street and Market Walk respectively.

The new Primark will be three times larger than the existing store, while Next will occupy a 16,500 sq ft store alongside Primark on the ground floor on a 15 year lease.

The deal has been instigated by the centre’s owners, Legal and General, which has “exercised its lease breaks” with House of Fraser.

The Chron understands the move puts around 60 jobs at risk.

Legal and General says the deal shows both Primark and Next wanted to “commit for the long term”.

Simon Russian, head of retail development at Legal & General Property, said: “We are delighted to welcome Primark and Next to the Grosvenor Centre and feel that these popular stores will make an extremely strong addition to the retail line up as we look to inject significant time and money into rejuvenating the centre’s look and feel.

“Moreover, with both retailers currently located in smaller stores that no longer meet their modern day requirements, this is a very important step forward for Northampton, signalling the long term commitment of two well-liked brands to remaining within the town centre, as well as expanding and centralising their shopping presence.”

Primark and Next will not take over all of the floorspace left by House of Fraser. Legal and General says there will be space for “one small store,” and discussions are under way for a letting.

A man from Northamptonshire died after a car plunged into a river near a road on the outskirts of Peterborough.

The man, in his 50s, was the driver of a Skoda Octavia that went off the road at about 2.35pm yesterday (Monday).

Police have not released the victim’s name yet.

His body was pulled from the river by police divers yesterday evening.

Worcester Warriors back row forward Richard de Carpentier has been charged for an incident involving Saints flanker Calum Clark.

De Carpentier was cited following Northampton’s 33-10 win at Sixways on Saturday, with it being alleged he made contact with the eyes/eye area of Clark.

The Warriors player will discover his fate at a hearing at the Holiday Inn in Coventry on Wednesday.

A 16-year-old girl has died after a van crashed into the central reservation of the A14 in Northamptonshire.

The accident involving one vehicle took place on the A14 near Kettering at 9pm on Friday.

A 16-year-old girl from Loddington involved in the accident died in hospital yesterday (Monday), although police have not yet named the victim.

A 20-year-old man from Market Harborough and a 15-year-old girl from Rothwell also suffered injuries in the crash and were taken to Kettering General Hospital.

In an appeal for witnesses on Monday, a police spokesman said: “A white Renault Traffic van – driven by a 17-year-old boy from Market Harborough – left a disused road to the nearside of the eastbound carriageway of the A14.

“The van came through the hedgerow and came to rest in an upright position by the central reservation.”

Mobile operator EE launches 4G mobile broadband across Northampton today.

4G is the successor to 3G, providing mobile phone users connected to it much faster access to the internet.

According to industry regulator Ofcom, 4G networks could be around five to seven times faster than existing 3G networks.

Rakesh Kotak, regional manager for EE, said: “The arrival of 4G mobile in Northampton is great news for our customers.

“4G from EE is like having fibre broadband to your mobile phone and allows customers to access the content they care about without the frustration of pages being slow to load, or apps not connecting.

“With Christmas coming up, there’s never been a better time to ask Santa for a smartphone. 4G unlocks its true potential – whether surfing social media, streaming live matches from the web, or downloading a large work files.”

Last week, EE customers were reporting sporadic 4G coverage across the town as the company started to turn on its upgraded mobile masts.

4G from EE is already available in Bedford and Milton Keynes as well as other major towns and cities across the UK.

EE’s 4G coverage today reaches more than 60 per cent of the UK population.

Rival operators O2, Vodaphone and 3 have also launched 4G services. However, EE are the first to bring it to Northampton.

Three is due to launch its 4G service in Northampton next year.

Stephen Myler says Saints are ‘in a good place’ going into Saturday’s huge Heineken Cup clash with Leinster.

Northampton have won their past seven games in all competitions and will be eager to maintain that winning streak when the Irish giants head to Franklin’s Gardens.

Saints need a victory to further their claims for qualification as Leinster currently sit three points clear of them at the top of Pool 1.

And though he knows how stern a test this weekend’s opposition will pose, Myler is excited by the prospect of facing them twice in quick succession, with Saints heading to the Aviva Stadium eight days later.

“We talk about momentum a lot and winning as many games as we can on the run gives us that,” said the Saints fly-half.

“We’re in a good place at the moment but we’re under no illusions, we know what a quality side Leinster are.

“It’s really exciting that we’ve got back-to-back games against them and we’re looking forward to it.”

Myler was part of a makeshift backline last weekend, with Glenn Dickson and Dom Waldouck thrown in for their first Premiership starts of the season.

But Saints still managed to secure a 33-10 win at Worcester to keep their Premiership title bid on track and Myler was happy to see the strength of the squad shine through.

“We’ve had a couple of injuries in the past week or two and you need people who can come in and are capable of not letting the standard drop,” he said. “We had that on Saturday.

“When you lose the likes of Ben (Foden) and James (Wilson), that’s sport unfortunately.

“As much as we’d like to have everyone fit, we know it’s not always going to be the case. That’s what you need a strong squad for and we’ve got that at the moment.”

A new court protocol has been agreed to help victims of domestic violence during cases in Northamptonshire.

The agreement, which has been accepted “all agencies” which take part in all cases at the specialist domestic abuse court at Northampton Magistrates’ Court, should reduce delays and speed up cases.

Northamptonshire Police say the changes will result in victims and witnesses getting more support on the day of a trial, during the case preparation and after sentence.

They will be kept well informed at each stage of the criminal court proceedings.

The launch follows last week’s campaign to encourage victims of domestic violence and sexual assault to report offences.

Deputy head of Northamptonshire Police’s justice department, Andrew Wilson, said: “I am confident that adherence to this protocol will ensure that victims and witnesses of domestic violence will be better supported at every stage of the criminal justice process and that this will continue after sentencing.

“Delays will be reduced and the whole process of going through the criminal justice system will be speeded up. It’s incredibly difficult for victims and witnesses to report these types of offences and the last thing they need are delays.”

Police and Crime Commissioner Adam Simmonds added: “I welcome this new protocol which means a better deal for victims and that their needs and safety are met, in line with the ethos of the Victims’ Voice report.

“Offenders will be more swiftly brought to justice with these new measures to hold those guilty of domestic abuse accountable by addressing repeat offending, ensuring compliance with court orders and by prompt and effective breach proceedings.”

A Northampton business leader has said the departure of House of Fraser from the town will be “very sad” - but insisted the commitment of two existing stores to expansion in the town is a positive development.

Sue Roberts was speaking after yesterday’s announcement that the flagship department store will leave the Grosvenor Centre in March 2014, and be replaced by branches of Primark and Next.

Mrs Roberts, who is chairman of the Northampton Business Improvement District (BID) , said: “It’s positive in that we have two of our existing stores expanding and committing to the Grosvenor Centre.

“That style of store is looking towards the university coming into the town, and they are looking to get established for that.

“At the same time, I’m very sad to see House of Fraser go. It’s a quality brand and the announcement was as much of a surprise to us as it was to everybody else.

“I think we will lose some of our shoppers, who specifically want the brands in House of Fraser.

“But I think it will increase footfall in the Grosvenor Centre and it will benefit businesses already in there.”

The business leader also said the loss of House of Fraser could be an opportunity for Debenhams to improve their store in The Drapery.

She said: “It is an opportunity for them to turn their branch into a flagship store, next to the new bus station.

“The store has been looking a little bit tired.”

The development will leave a further two stores in the town centre empty, but Mrs Roberts said she didn’t think this would be the case for long.

She said: “Primark is quite prominent, and I don’t think it will be terribly difficult to bring someone in with all the exciting things happening in the town centre.”